Step away from the lighter fluid. (We don’t care if it’s what your dad used. Times have changed.) Get your grill going right with these tips from Barbecue Bible author Steven Raichlen.
First, invest in a simple chimney starter, a large upright metal container with a wire partition near the bottom. Once purchased, fill the chimney with charcoal briquettes or (preferably) natural lump charcoal, and rest it on the fire grate of your grill. Place a paraffin fire starter or sheet of loosely crumpled newspaper beneath the chimney starter, and light with a long kitchen match or butane lighter. In 15 to 20 minutes you’ll have orange-red coals. If you hold a few lit coals back, you’ll be able to use them to ignite the next batch of coals (which you’ll likely need after 45 minutes to an hour).
Nestpert: Steven Raichlen is the host of Primal Grill™ and Barbecue University™ on American Public Television, and a multi-award-winning author. Raichlen wrote the best-selling Barbecue Bible cookbook series (Workman Publishing—more than four million copies in print), including his authoritative new book, the 638-page Planet Barbecue, documenting two million years of grilling in 60 countries on six continents. www.BarbecueBible.com.
-- Erin Walters
Jul 20, 2010
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