How to Start a Grill Using Charcoal

Get the charcoal grill hot for grilling.

Although grilling with charcoal may seem difficult or time consuming, with proper preparation a charcoal fire can be an effective method for grilling food. Make sure you use a generous amount of charcoal to ensure a hot fire. You also must allow sufficient time for the charcoal to burn before adding your food to the grill. With the right tools and equipment, you can start a grill using charcoal to barbecue foods to perfection.

Things You'll Need

• Small shovel
• Bucket
• Lighter fluid
• Matches

Instructions

1. Open the grill and remove the grill grate. Use the small shovel to remove any charcoal ashes filling the bottom of the grill. Transfer the ashes to the bucket until nothing remains in the bottom of the grill.

2. Slide the vents on the bottom of the grill to the open position to ensure that as much oxygen as possible reaches the charcoal fire.

3. Place the charcoal into the center bottom of the grill, making a large, mounded pile of briquettes that fills the bottom grate of the grill. Make the base of the mound wider and taper it slightly so it narrows at the center.

4. Squirt lighter fluid over all of the charcoal, saturating the briquettes completely. Allow the lighter fluid to absorb into the charcoal for approximately one minute.

5. Strike a match and set the match carefully onto the charcoal. Because of the lighter fluid covering the charcoal, the charcoal will ignite immediately at the first exposure to the flame. Draw your hand away quickly after placing the match on the charcoal to avoid burns.

6. Watch the charcoal as it burns. After the initial flames die down, the charcoal will continue to burn to create the hot coals.

7. Wait for about 30 minutes for the charcoal to burn to the point of gray coals. This is the hot grilling temperature you need to cook food. The charcoal is ready when you cannot leave your hand 6 inches above the coals for more than four seconds.

Tips & Warnings

• Some charcoal has lighter fluid infused into the briquettes, enabling you to light them without adding additional lighter fluid. Lighting a match and holding it to the briquettes will light these briquettes sufficiently.

• Start charcoal without lighter fluid instead by crumpling newspapers and placing them in the middle of the grill. Surround the newspapers with a pyramid of charcoal briquettes and light the newspaper with a match.

• Never spray additional lighter fluid over charcoal briquettes after lighting the fire. This can create an extremely dangerous fire hazard, which can cause personal injury.

References

• Firepit and Grilling Guru: Charcoal Starter
• Fuel and Flame: How to Grill