When you start looking for how to start a charcoal grill you find many ways to do that.
Key Takeaway
4 best products to start a charcoal grill.
- Starter Blocks.
- Electric charcoal starter.
- Propane torch.
- Chimney starter.
I remember when I bought my first charcoal grill and had to figure out how to get the thing started.
I will give you a list of the most popular ways and my preferred way the the end.
Fire Starter Blocks
I strongly believe that for people who are getting started with cooking on a charcoal grill, this is the best way to get started with firing up the charcoal.
There are many types of fire starter blocks that you can choose from.
They range from wood shaving to blocks that are soaked in flammable ingredients.
How They Work
Basically, you pile up your charcoal and place a fire starter block at the bottom of that pile.
After lighting your block it will start the charcoal. All you do is wait till it is ready to use.
Electric Charcoal Starters
As the name already says these are basically heating coils that you have to plug into an outlet.
How They Work
The heating coil you stick in the charcoal and the heat of the coil will start your charcoal.
I have a whole page where I give you my best electric fire starters (LINK?) and how to use them.
Another type of electric fire starter uses very hot air with a temperature of sometimes up to 250o degrees Fahrenheit.
This will start your charcoal very fast. One of the most popular ones is the Looftlighter. I think that one is a little high price so I found several Looftlighter alternatives (LINK?) for you.
Propane Torches
This is an option I am exploring at the moment after watching some videos and I am thinking about using my weed burner to test if this would work for me.
How They Work
The hot flame is pointed close at the charcoal first and will light it.
After that move it a little away to spread the flame to a larger area and the airflow will help to spread the heat.
The big advantage is that it will start your charcoal super fast from what I have seen in videos.
Read my best propane torches to start charcoal recommendations.
Charcoal Chimney Starter
I have been using this method for many years and am still thinking that this is the easiest way to start a charcoal grill.
You can read my how to use a chimney starter (LINK) for more details and images but here are the basic steps.
Crumble up some newspaper and place it under the chimney starter.
Alternatively, you can also use a firestarter block as I mentioned above.
- Fill the chimney with your choice of charcoal.
- Light the newspaper
- Wait till the charcoal is lit and ready.
How To Start A Charcoal Grill – My Experience.
I have tried many ways to start the charcoal in my charcoal grills and up to now I prefer to use my Weber chimney starter.
Why Weber? Because I have tried several other brands and found that my Weber lasted me about 10 years.
Some of the other ones I had most of the time only lasted one or maybe 2 years.
I am exploring the use of a propane torch and the advantage might be that you only have to use them for a short while to get that fire going.
Another pro might be that while the charcoal starts to burn you are also heating the grill up. and this might save time.
For a regular charcoal grill, this might not matter too much. However, for a Kamado-type grill with all the ceramic that needs to be heated up, it might be a big advantage.
These charcoal starting tips can be applied to all my recipes for a charcoal grill.
Related Posts
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken brings years of experience from running a full-service restaurant, where he honed his skills with all types of kitchen equipment. His expertise extends to mastering the art of outdoor cooking, utilizing the right recipes to enhance flavors on grills and smokers. Eddie’s in-depth knowledge allows him to provide comprehensive grill reviews and valuable outdoor cooking tips, helping enthusiasts make the most of their grilling adventures. You can read more on the About page for Eddie van Aken