Quote:
Originally Posted by bbro
Whelp, it was a total bust - couldn't get the coals to light. No biggie, had it on the indoor grill. I will be trying again, though! I just need to see what type of meat is on sale.
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Kingsford makes an easy-light charcoal that you don't need to douse with charcoal starter. Just match light. But if you put starter on it anyway, it won't explode or anything, just flame longer.
With conventional charcoal briquettes, souse 'em almost until they drip with the starter fluid. They'll absorb a lot. Cap the can of starter and set it well back, and use either a long match or toss a match in from a couple feet away and upwind, being careful of any "whoof."
Charcoal gives a powerful, even heat once it's burned down to a red bed (gray ash and heat shimmer in the daylight), but it takes a good bit of fire to get it going. Once going it runs steady, but always expect to need a lot of starter burn time and combustion encouragement. But make a point of not trying to squirt more starter onto coals already lit. That fluid burns easily, and you don't want fire traveling up the stream to the plastic bottle in your hand.
If you really think you need to restart -- and it can happen -- put starter on a separate batch of coals in a separate container, and only then load these onto the failing fire. They should catch easily, but without pyrotechnics, just the usual starter bonfire.