Ignite charcoal grill: Instructions with and without grill lighter

Start the barbecue season, there are several ways to light your charcoal grill. We show you how it works with and without a grill lighter.

Light a charcoal grill with a grill lighter - that's how it works

Barbecue lighters are practical and safe tools to make the charcoal glow. The trade offers grill lighters in solid and in liquid or gel form.

First layer some coal into a pyramid. The mountain should not be too big initially.
If you use fixed grill lighters, they usually have a cube shape. The optimal distribution of the grill lighter varies depending on the manufacturer. So look at the package information and place the grill lighter as specified.
Simply distribute liquid lighters evenly over the charcoal or briquettes. With this variant, you have to wait a little until you light the coal. It takes a few minutes for the grill lighter to soak the coal.
Now you can light the coal. It works best with a long matchstick.
A really good glow can only be created with oxygen. If there is a socket nearby, a normal hair dryer is quite suitable for supplying oxygen. Alternatively, fan the embers with a fan.
Wait about half an hour until you pour the second layer of coal over the embers.

An important safety note in advance: Neither spirit nor gasoline or turpentine are suitable grill lighters.

The risk of explosion and thus serious injuries is very high. It also creates toxic fumes.
Newsprint is also not the best choice. The ash whirls up when grilling and is deposited on your food.
A safe way to light charcoal without a grill lighter is to use egg boxes. Tear them open and place the boxes under the charcoal.
Make sure that there is enough air in the boxes. If you ignite the egg boxes, they will only burn slowly.
This creates an even charcoal glow. However, you have to expect a lot of smoke when grilling.

In our next post, we'll show you the simple trick you can use to prevent meat from hanging on the grillage.