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How To Use A Charcoal Chimney Starter

Many people search specifically for how to start a Weber chimney starter, but all chimney starters work by the same principle.
Active Time15 minutes
Author: Eddie van Aken (The Grilling Dutchman)

Equipment

Instructions

  • Fill the chimney with charcoal
  • Crumble the newspaper at the bottom
  • Light the newspaper
  • Wait till the charcoal is ready

Video

YouTube video player

Notes

how to use a chimney starter

How to Use a Weber Chimney Starter (Step-by-Step)

There is a roster down in the Weber chimney starter. You put charcoal at the top and newspaper at the bottom.
  • Fill the chimney with charcoal
  • Crumble the newspaper at the bottom
  • Light the newspaper
  • Wait till the charcoal is ready
That is all you have to do to get your charcoal ready to use on your grill.

Alternatives For The Newspaper

If you have no newspaper, there are alternatives on how to use a charcoal chimney without it.
  • Toilet Roll
  • Lighter cubes
  • Tumbleweed
  • Blow torch
These are just a few alternatives, but I bet you can come up with your own solution.
It also works on other chimneys, of course, but in my experience, the Weber Rapid Fire is the best charcoal starter.
The reason I claim this is that I have used other brands, but they did not last too long, and my Weber chimney lasts me now for many years, although it always sits outside.
I don't know if you have noticed my Weber charcoal basket fuel holder on the right side of the pictures, but I also use them a lot.
The reason I use them is that I like to set my grill up for 2 zone cooking as I describe in this article.
Tip text
Dont forget to set you chimney starter on fire proof material.