How to Light Charcoal with a Chimney Starter
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A chimney starter is the easiest, cleanest way to light charcoal, and it eliminates the need for lighter fluid entirely. It is a simple metal cylinder with a grate inside and a heat-resistant handle. Because it concentrates the coals and channels airflow upward, it lights a full load of charcoal quickly and evenly with nothing but a little paper and a match.
To use it, fill the top chamber with charcoal, either lump or briquettes, depending on your preference. Then crumple a sheet or two of newspaper, or use a few paraffin fire starter cubes, and place them in the bottom section beneath the grate. Set the chimney on a fireproof surface such as the grill's charcoal grate before lighting.
Light the paper or starter cubes through the holes in the bottom. The flames rise up through the charcoal, and the chimney effect draws air upward, igniting the coals from the bottom and spreading the fire through the whole load. You will see smoke, then flames licking up through the top as the coals catch.
Give it time. In roughly fifteen to twenty minutes, the coals are ready when the ones on top are ashed over with gray and glowing at the edges. Rushing this stage leaves you with partially lit coals that burn unevenly. When the top layer is well ashed, the whole load is hot enough to cook with.
Pour carefully, because the chimney and coals are extremely hot. Use the handle and any heat shield the starter provides, keep your face and body clear of the rising heat, and dump the coals where you want them. This is the moment to build your fire layout, whether you spread them evenly for direct heat or bank them to one side for a two-zone setup.
A chimney starter costs little, lasts for years, and gives you clean-tasting fire without the chemical smell and flavor of lighter fluid. Once you use one, you will never go back to squirting fluid on a pile of coals and hoping for the best.