Charcoal BBQ

How to light a charcoal BBQ?

For many BBQ laymen, it's a mystery how to light a charcoal grill. We are happy to give you some tips & tricks! The first question you have to ask yourself is: do I choose charcoal or briquettes? The final choice depends on your personal preference, on your type of charcoal BBQ, but also on what you are going to prepare on the BBQ. Charcoal is nothing less than pieces of charred wood. It generally ignites and glows easily and quickly reaches high temperatures. The harder the type of wood from which the charcoal is made and the larger the pieces, the longer the burning time. Quality charcoal burns up completely and leaves little ash behind in your charcoal BBQ. Certain types of charcoal made from hardwood also add extra flavour to your dishes. Briquettes, on the other hand, consist of crushed charred wood and binder. The advantage of this type is that their compactness means they burn for a very long time and are therefore economical to use. The disadvantage, however, is that more residue of the briquettes remains after burning.

How do you get your charcoal or briquettes hot? If you do not have a charcoal grill with the Quick-Start® system, it's best to use Barbecook's charcoal starter. With this cylindrical tool you save yourself a lot of unnecessary mess. First of all, take the cooking grill of your charcoal BBQ and place a few lighter cubes or wood wool firelighters on the bottom grid. Place the charcoal starter on top of the firelighters. Then pour it full of charcoal or briquettes. Light the firelighters through one of the holes on the side of the starter. The advantage of this method is that the charcoal starter draws in the hot air from below and spreads it through the coals. When the edges of the charcoal are glowing, or the briquettes are covered with a thin layer of grey ash, they are ready for use and you can carefully drop them into the bowl of your charcoal BBQ thanks to the safe-drop system. Then put some extra charcoal or briquettes in the barbecue bowl until it's half full. Wait until all the charcoals/briquettes are white/hot. Let's go!

Finally, a kamado charcoal BBQ can be easily lit as follows: fill the stainless steel charcoal basket for about ½ with charcoal and light it with three fire starters. The air supply at the bottom must be fully open and the lid must also be open. The ceramic body around the basket (firepot) holds the heat perfectly and ensures that the flame is lit quickly.

What are the advantages of a charcoal BBQ?

It’s a fact that the unmistakable BBQ taste and delicious smell of a charcoal BBQ provide an ultimate BBQ feeling! For many people this is the main motivation to choose this type of appliance. Furthermore, a charcoal grill is a fairly 'simple' appliance that is easy to assemble and easy to store.