• How you start your charcoal BBQ is up to the cook, or grillmaster.charcoal on fire image by jedphoto from Fotolia.com
  
  Starting your charcoal barbecue grill can be an art. There are several different methods to choose from and each has its advantages. Some methods are fast but use chemicals that can flavor your food. Other methods take longer but allow you to buy inexpensive charcoal and avoid chemical flavors. Some factors that influence the choice are the time available and the type of food you are cooking.
  
  

Instant Light Charcoal

• When using instant light charcoal, your grill will be ready to cook within 15 minutes. Just place the briquettes in a pile and light one on each side of the pile. The briquettes are soaked in lighter fluid, so the flame will spread on its own. However, the lighter fluid can leave a chemical odor on the food that you grill. Items that cook quickly, such as hamburgers and hot dogs, are less likely to absorb that flavor than slow-cooking roasts and steaks.
  
  

Lighter Fluid

• Building your pile of briquettes is done the same way with lighter fluid as it is with instant light charcoal. Form a pile in the center of the grill, but this time you must soak the briquettes in lighter fluid yourself. This method takes about 45 minutes for the chemical smell to burn off so the lighter fluid doesn't flavor your food.
  
  

Newspaper under a Pile of Charcoal

• Crumble up several pieces of newspaper into small balls and place them underneath a pile of briquettes. Light the paper, and the flames from the paper should light the charcoal. This method avoids the chemical flavors caused by lighter fluid, but it the charcoal may not light right away. When this method works on the first try, it takes about 20 minutes before your coals are ready for grilling.
  
  

Chimney Starter

• A chimney starter is a small cylindrical tube that has two compartments. The small compartment on the bottom is used to hold rolled up newspaper. The larger compartment holds the charcoal above that smaller compartment. The fire from the paper lights the charcoal above. With the smaller, contained area holding the burning newspaper, the flames are controlled and directed towards the charcoal. There is no chemical taste from artificial starters. If you don't own a chimney starter, you can create your own using a coffee can with the top and bottom removed. A traditional chimney starter has a handle allowing you to transport the coals, but with the coffee can, you must start your fire in the grill and remove the can once the coals are hot. Using a chimney starter or coffee can will have your coals prepared for cooking in approximately 15 minutes.