Grill School: How to Start a Charcoal Grill for Beginners (Video)

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With a few basics, firing up a charcoal grill is not only easy but will give you the additional flavor you simply won’t be able to recreate any other way.

And once you go with a charcoal grill, you may never be able to go back.

Gas grilling may be the easiest method for cookouts, but your guests will thank you for making the small effort of going with charcoal.

Getting started

There are a variety of methods to get a charcoal grill up and running, although it’s hard to beat a simple chimney starter.

First, remove the cooking grate and place your charcoal in the top of the chimney starter. From there, an easy method is to simply light a wad of paper towels in the chamber underneath.

Another very common option is to use a couple of wax paraffin cubes. Inexpensive and easy, paraffin cubes will get your charcoal grill started in minutes.

With either paper towels or paraffin cubes, or both, your chimney starter will shield the fire from any excessive wind and you’ll be quickly on your way.

Other gadgets for your charcoal grill

Grilling enthusiasm has led to a small army of other gadgets that can assist you with lighting a charcoal grill. If you want to get a little fancy, a great option to go with is a loop lighter. All you do is plug it in, hold it down over the charcoal, and let it do its magic (many even come with bottle openers!).

Whichever method you choose, it’s important to not overcomplicate what should be a pretty simple and easy process.

Once your charcoal is lit, give it 15-20 minutes to let it breathe. At that point, use oven mitts and very carefully pour the charcoal into the grill.

Many charcoal grills will have char baskets to pour the charcoal into, making it all neat and orderly.

Next, you’re going to want to find a safe place to put down the chimney starter until it cools down. Now all you have to do is simply replace the cooking grate and you’re ready for your cookout!