How to Light Charcoal Briquettes

We may not get the consistently hot weather that those in Australia – home of the ‘barbie’ – enjoy, but that doesn’t mean that barbecues are not an increasingly important part of many British families’ summers. 

At the time of writing, summer has – at last – finally! – decided to get going properly and many families are taking advantage of the warmer days and evenings by getting their barbecues out. 

Unfortunately, a lot of people new to this form of cooking often fail at the first hurdle and struggle to successfully light their charcoal briquettes or are unable to get them hot enough to cook their steaks, burgers and sausages properly.

If you’re in need of some help and advice, the team at KG Smith & Son is here with a simple guide that should help lead to a successful outcome next time you decide it’s warm enough to cook and eat outside.

How to light charcoal briquettes

The first thing to say is that we would never recommend using lighter fluid to get your charcoal briquettes going. Yes, it’ll probably do the job, but chances are you’ll also add some of its taste – which really isn’t very nice – to your food. And even though it’s only going to be in very small quantities, it’s not going to do your health any good either.

Using a chimney starter as a means of lighting your briquettes can make a huge difference – in fact, not only does it make everything easier, but it’s actually quite hard to go wrong with one! Just place a couple of pieces of scrunched up newspaper in the bottom – kindling wood should work just as well – and pour your charcoal in so that the chimney is about three quarters full.

Light the paper and allow everything to burn until the coals are glowing orange, then empty them into the barbecue and you’re ready to get cooking! 

Chimneys even make lighting charcoal on a windy day easier, because they protect the coals from the wind.

Why are my charcoal briquettes not lighting?

If you’re doing everything as we’ve outlined above and you’re still having trouble getting and/or keeping your coals alight, then your problem may be to do with where you’re storing them beforehand. It should be obvious, but damp charcoal is inevitably going to be tougher to light than charcoal that is bone dry. So always keep your charcoal somewhere indoors that is dry, cool and well protected from the weather.

If you’ve managed to light your charcoal successfully, but it’s not staying hot enough in the grill to actually cook your food, then you may have neglected to clean your grill properly after its last use. Ash and other remnants of a previous barbecue can easily block the vents and prevent the air the fire needs to burn from getting to the coals. 

Make cleaning your grill after a barbecue as important a part of the process as lighting the charcoal and cooking your food. Not only will your barbecues be far more successful, but your grill will stay in good condition for much longer!

Here at KG Smith & Son, we supply professional cooking fuel to homes and businesses across the UK, including to chefs working in top restaurants, steakhouses and pizzerias. Whether you need a single 10kg bag or a full pallet load, we can help your cooking reach the next level with top-quality BBQ coal that contains no additives and no chemicals for a clean and pure cooking experience.

Find out more by getting in touch with us today or place your order online now for rapid nationwide delivery or local collection from our head office in Northampton.