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» How to kindle charcoal. A few tips on how to light a barbecue charcoal How to light a barbecue charcoal

How to kindle charcoal. A few tips on how to light a barbecue charcoal How to light a barbecue charcoal

Barbecue in nature is deservedly considered one of the most pleasant types of recreation: good company, excellent meat, fresh air and plenty of greenery around. IN summer time Barbecue coals are pretty easy to get.

A popular way is to apply special coals to ordinary coals. liquid funds for ignition.

It is enough to collect dry branches, put a couple of poles and make a fire.

After some time, you will get natural coals on which you can cook an excellent barbecue. But what if there is both company and meat, but the weather is completely unsummer? In this case, the brazier saves: it is ideal for organizing a picnic in nature or on your own plot. How to kindle coals in the grill?

What is the secret of kindling? The fact is that it is impossible to fry meat on unlit or just flaring coals: it will either remain raw or burn out from too high a heat.

Therefore, when using a barbecue, you need to quickly kindle the coals and let them burn out so that the resulting heat is enough to cook pickled meat. On average, it takes 30 to 40 minutes. Depending on this time, the methods of igniting coals in the brazier differ.

What ignition options exist today

  • The most popular and most in a simple way is the purchase of fuel such as pretreated coal. In this case, it is specially impregnated with an ignition agent, which makes it possible not to use any additional means, except for a lighter or matches.

You can buy such products in any large supermarket (especially in season) or in any tourist store. All that is required when using this type of fuel is to lay out the brazier, pour in the purchased material and set it on fire.

After a while, you can fry the barbecue. Of course, this option is more expensive.

  • An equally popular way is to apply special liquid ignition agents to ordinary coals. However, there are certain disadvantages when using them: ordinary substances doused with an ignition agent do not acquire a very pleasant smell, and the meat absorbs the smell of the agent used.

This greatly distorts its natural taste, but it makes it possible to ignite the elements without any problems. In addition, the brazier itself acquires a characteristic smell over time, which, whether you like it or not, is transferred to the barbecue.

Dry alcohol is also often used, which is placed on the bottom of the brazier, even before the material falls asleep. However, what to do if it is not at hand?

  • In the summer and in nature, you can still return to natural fuel: make a fire from pieces of wood, branches and chips right in the grill. With its help, it will be quite possible to ignite the purchased birch coals.

Even in winter, having in stock the required number of dry pieces of wood, you can use this method.

The time has come for barbecue, and many people go to nature or to the country for recreation. Meat can be cooked on, but proper ignition is an important factor. It would seem that you just need to light a match and bring it to the firewood. But this task confuses some people.

There are several ways to ignite. Important to consider weather and the fuel used. IN modern world, in addition to ordinary wooden firewood, you can also use specialized tools, materials that can be bought at the appropriate stores.

In today's article, we will consider in detail several options for preparing a structure for cooking meat. Try to follow certain rules if you want to get a ready and juicy kebab.

We kindle the grill on the coals with liquid

In specialized stores, you can buy a solution intended for ignition. The use of flammable products is prohibited for safety reasons. In addition, they may contain toxic substances that not only spoil the taste of the kebab, but are also harmful to health.


The whole process takes place in several stages:

  1. Throw out the charcoal.
  2. Pour the fuel with a thin stream of liquid. We are trying to cover the entire area.
  3. We wait a few minutes for the liquid to be completely absorbed into the fuel.
  4. Gently set fire to 2-3 places with a match.

For safety reasons, do not lean over the grill during ignition and use long matches.

You can watch the video for complete clarity:

Do not ignite the liquid immediately, otherwise the result will be a bright flash, which will go out almost instantly, and the fuel will not ignite. Thanks to this method, you can prepare the barbecue even in the rain.

How to light coals without liquid

To prepare the barbecue for cooking barbecue, it is best to use gas burner. With it, you can quickly ignite wood fuel. Such a device will cost you no more than 1,000 rubles.


When you buy a burner, you need to set it up, in accordance with the instructions. We also need an old newspaper, which can be found at any cottage or country house. We turn the paper into a tube and wrap it around a round container. Suitable for this plastic bottle or a bucket of mayonnaise.


We put the bundle in the brazier, cover it with coal. Inside the paper well we throw a piece of paper and set fire to it with a gas burner.


The coals around the paper should ignite quickly. And in a few minutes, all the fuel will flare up. When the newspaper is completely burned out, after a couple of minutes you need to stir up all the coals and wait until they are well heated so that you can start cooking kebabs.

We use dry wood

In order for the coals to quickly flare up, you can pre-ignite the fire of their dry firewood. It is necessary to lay out a small pile of chips and set fire to a match. When they flare up well, then lay out the coals.


If you want to speed up the process, then use some kind of fan or a specialized hair dryer. After all, it is known from school that oxygen contributes to an increase in the flame. Just do not overdo it, otherwise the fuel will quickly burn out.

In this case, it is recommended to use small chips or thin dry branches. For the best effect, we fold them into a house, and add a piece of paper inside to get a fire faster. This method is often used in nature when there is no appropriate combustible mixture.

How to prepare a brazier without ignition

In most cases, people use a special liquid to kindle coals. But there is one very simple way without the use of specialized tools. The process of preparing the structure for cooking barbecue is shown in detail in the video below:

Therefore, you can use one of the above methods. But do not forget to follow safety precautions. If the weather is clear, then you can easily cope with this task, and during rain it is better to use a special ignition fluid.

If the brazier has already been used once, you can immediately start kindling coal, but if it is new, it should be prepared. Rinse and wipe all parts thoroughly to remove process and preservation grease before use. After that, you need to put wet paper on the bottom of the barbecue, set it on fire and close the lid. Thanks to this, the brazier will be cleaned with steam. When the paper burns out, you need to remove it and wipe the grill with a cloth.
With the old brazier, everything is much simpler. Put some coal on the bottom of the brazier. It should not be higher than the middle of the walls of the barbecue, it is better that the coal is a few centimeters below it. If it has recently rained and it is very humid outside, you can add some more charcoal.
To ignite the coals, you need liquid fuel, which should be sprayed with coal. For 400 g of coal, about 60 ml of liquid fuel will be needed. Coal must be folded in the form of a pyramid and set on fire from below. You should remove the fuel bottle from the fire so that it does not accidentally explode. If you use gasoline-based products as fuel, it can spoil the taste of food. In this case, it is recommended to wait for the fuel to burn out to the end (about 30–40 minutes), and only then cook food. You may need a piece of cardboard or newspaper, which will be convenient to inflate the coals.
Before cooking food, check the temperature. The most common and easy way– check the temperature by hand.
To do this, you need to hold your hand over the barbecue and count how many seconds the palms will become hot:
- 1 s - the temperature is very high, more than 350 ° C;
– 2 s – high temperature, approximately 280–350 °С;
– 3 s – above average temperature, about 250–280 °С;
- 4 s - the average temperature is 200-250 ° С;
- 5 s or more - the temperature is low, about 150 ° C.
Depending on what the barbecue is prepared from, you should choose the right temperature. At the very high temperature it is recommended to cook beef skewers, with an average one - from pork, chicken, fish or vegetables. If the temperature is higher than necessary, it must be lowered. To do this, the coals should be separated from each other, distributing them throughout the barbecue. You can also close the air inlets. If it is necessary, on the contrary, to increase the temperature, you need to fold the coals closer to each other. If the temperature is right and the fire is still burning, it should be put out. To do this, close the air supply holes and cover the grill with a lid.
It is recommended to heat the brazier with the following types of wood - alder, aspen, oak, maple, vine, cherry, dogwood.
Such firewood burns well without the formation of sparks and soot.
Not recommended:
- use birch as firewood or conifers(the resinous substances contained in them can give the dish an unpleasant aftertaste);
- kindle the barbecue with garbage;
- kindle a brazier with firewood;
- use plywood as fuel;
- fill the hearth of the brazier by more than a quarter of its volume.
IN Lately on sale you can also find ready-made charcoal, which greatly facilitates the process of cooking barbecue. It is unacceptable to cook barbecue on an open fire - the coals should burn well, but at the same time give heat enough for the meat to quickly fry.
Rules for using the barbecue:
- do not throw firewood into the brazier and do not make a fire in it. Put only coals. This will prevent possible deformation of the walls of the brazier from strong heating;
- 1-2 hours after kindling the brazier, all the garbage formed inside should be collected in an ash pan and thrown away;
- after the brazier has cooled down, all metal surfaces should be cleaned of soot with a damp cloth. You can use any detergents, which do not include gasprenes, allergens and carcinogens.
It is forbidden:
- dry clothes and rags near the barbecue, and even more so above it;
- store volatile and flammable liquids near the barbecue;
- to leave unattended the melted brazier.

In the summer, during the season of holidays and recreation, many people tend to leave the city and spend time with friends or relatives in nature. As a rule, the traditional food for outdoor recreation is fragrant and mouth-watering shish kebab. It is not difficult to prepare it, but even this seemingly simple matter has its own nuances. The first of them: on what to cook meat?

Charcoal barbecue is obtained with a light aroma of smoke and with an excellent natural taste. It is sold in stores for barbecue, and it is great as a fuel: it gives a good heat and does not impregnate the meat with unnecessary odors. But that's just how to kindle

It seems that it is difficult? But this is only at first glance: after all, in order to ignite coal, you need to create a fairly high temperature, and for this you cannot do without additional combustible materials. Luckily, the same stores that sell charcoal also sell charcoal lighter fluid.

Instructions are included with the liquid. It usually says how to kindle charcoal for barbecue with it. First, as a rule, the coal is evenly laid out in the grill and lightly poured on top of this liquid. Then you should collect it in a hill and water it again. Care must be taken to ensure that the ignition fluid only gets on the coal itself. It must be saturated with combustible material, so after the above steps, you need to wait a couple of minutes, and only then set it on fire. It is better to do this with the help of special long matches or a fireplace lighter. However, a stick with a piece of paper at the end is also suitable.

A special liquid is an excellent tool, but if for some reason it is not available, then you can use other means. One of them is dry alcohol. If it is at hand, then you need to do the following: spread the coal in two or three layers on the grill, make one or more small funnels in a pile, put a cube of dry alcohol on the bottom of each funnel, and then set fire to the alcohol. When the coals in the funnel ignite, you need to pour more on top so that the rest also ignite.

In addition, a dry incendiary mixture is also sold, with the help of which charcoal can be set on fire in a similar way. These products are safer than lighter fluid, as they do not flare, but burn evenly.

If there are no special substances that could help coal ignite, you should not despair, and you certainly should not look for a replacement for them like gasoline and other chemical combustible substances that are not adapted for this purpose. Coal can also be ignited with the help of an old tin can, from which the bottom and top must first be removed.

The jar needs to be put on the grill, put a newspaper inside, and put coal on top. In addition to paper, you can take shavings, dry sticks, and in general everything that can be done quickly. Next, you should set fire to the newspaper from under the bottom of the can and wait for the coals to light up. As soon as this happens, you should raise the jar and add more coals so that the neighboring ones also catch fire.

There are several other ways to light barbecue charcoal without a special liquid: this is the use of autogenous kindling, the use of a special design called a starter, and the use of a hair dryer to inflate the heat.

Whatever method is used, the main thing is that it be available. Then the question of how to kindle charcoal for barbecue will not become the cornerstone of the entire process of preparing this wonderful dish.

The summer season is coming to an end, but the season of grilling meat, chicken and vegetables continues! For those who usually use a barbecue to cook barbecue, but are thinking about a grill - you should pay attention to sales of country goods - it may be more profitable to buy a grill now than at the beginning of summer. And we will tell you in detail about the charcoal grill - we got to know each other in detail last time.

What is the difference between wood grilling and charcoal grilling? What is preferable?

The difference is only in convenience and time costs. Firewood often smokes a lot, and you have to wait an hour, or even longer, until the flame subsides and coals form. Charcoal starts much faster than wood, to give a good heat, and it produces much less smoke.

Charcoal is produced by burning hardwood with little to no air. The volatile elements in the wood are burned, and the result is charcoal, which, at a high combustion temperature, produces almost no flame.

How are charcoal briquettes different from charcoal?

Charcoal briquettes, unlike charcoal, have the same shape and denser texture, which is the result of pressing. Briquettes consist of pressed coal, as well as binding elements and substances that promote rapid ignition.

Charcoal briquettes give almost as much heat as charcoal. Their advantage is that the briquettes are uniform in size and shape. When using briquettes, you will get an even layer of burning coals, which is not the case with charcoal, which is different in size and shape.

How to light coals in a charcoal grill?

Build a pyramid of coal briquettes or charcoal around several paraffin balls, and then set fire to these balls. As soon as the charcoal briquettes or charcoal in the center of the pyramid are hot, it is necessary to transfer the coals that have not yet been ignited to the top with grill tongs. As soon as all the briquettes are engulfed in a light orange flame and covered with ashes, and the edges of the charcoal begin to glow, they must be laid out on the grate.

Should I use lighter fluid?

Lighter fluid is petroleum-based, and this can ruin the taste of the food you cook. I know that some people are used to using this liquid and sincerely believe that a hamburger should taste like gasoline. But most, including myself, do not even imagine that something like this can be used.

How do you determine how much charcoal you need for a grill?

It all depends on the size of the grill and the number of dishes that you will cook. To 2/3 fill a classic 55 cm spherical grill and cook a dinner for 6 people, you need 80-100 standard charcoal briquettes. If the frying process takes more than 45 minutes, then most likely you will have to add coals.

If, after pouring the charcoal onto the grate, voids have formed between the embers, fill them with pieces of charcoal about 5-7 cm in size. The diameter of the charcoal cushion should be at least 10 cm larger than the diameter of the dish, otherwise it will be fried unevenly.

Why not fill the entire grate with hot coal?

If the entire grate is covered with charcoal, then the heat will only be direct, and the food will be directly above it. This is good if you are cooking burgers or hot dogs. But many foods are fried in both direct and indirect heat (for example, chicken pieces on the bone).

Can you imagine what a chicken turns into when cooked only in direct heat? It is charred on top, while the meat on the bones remains uncooked. To properly prepare such a dish, you first need to fry the chicken in direct heat, and then be sure to bring it to readiness in indirect heat.

What is the difference between direct and indirect heat?

In direct heat, hot coals are located directly under the food being cooked. In indirect heat, the product is above a no-charcoal area and the heat source is located on one or two outside parties from the product.

Direct heat is suitable for small tender cuts of meat that cook quickly - steaks, lamb chops, chicken breast, as well as for hamburgers, fish fillets, seafood, chopped vegetables. As a result of this thermal regime a crispy crust forms on top of the products, the product is quickly browned, starting to spread a great aroma, and the inside is perfectly fried.

Indirect heat is more suitable for large, not too tender cuts of meat that take a long time to cook, such as shoulder roasts, whole chickens and spare ribs. As already mentioned, this thermal regime is also used when cooking large pieces of meat, meat on the bone, previously browned and fried in direct heat.

Why put a tray on a charcoal grate?

Grease drains into this tray. As a result, the grill will be less dirty during cooking and, accordingly, will serve you longer.

If you pour water into the pan, you can humidify the air in the grill, and the dishes will burn less.

When to put food on the grill for frying?

When the coal briquettes are covered with a thin layer of ash (and the charcoal is hot around the edges), the heat from the coals will be very strong. For most grilled foods, this temperature is too high.

Divide the coals as you wish, place the grill grate and close the grill lid. It is important that the grill warms up for 10-15 minutes, then the grate will heat up well, and it will be possible to quickly fry food on it. In addition, when the grate is warm, it is easy to clean. The heat will heat up the food residues stuck to the grate, and you can easily remove them with a special brush.

How to keep the heat longer?

Typically, when using charcoal briquettes, the grill temperature is reduced by 40°C every 40-60 minutes. Charcoal tends to cool even faster. To maintain the recommended temperature in the grill, it is necessary to periodically add coals. Standard charcoal briquettes take about 20 minutes to heat up to maximum. So it’s worth putting them in advance, best of all 20-30 minutes before you start cooking.

Natural charcoal and charcoal briquettes burn faster than conventional grill briquettes. It takes less time to cook charcoal, so put it on the grill early - 5-10 minutes before you start cooking.

Fine coal burns out faster, so it must be added more often. Large coal flares up more slowly, but burns longer. The advantage of natural charcoal and briquettes from it is that even on initial stage combustion, they do not emit extraneous odors.

For supporting required temperature when cooking on the grill, it is necessary to put 10-15 charcoal briquettes or an appropriate amount of charcoal into it every 45-60 minutes.

What are grill vents for?

Ventilation shutters, which are available on the bottom and lid of the grill, regulate the air flow. The more air flow, the stronger the heat that comes from the coals, and, therefore, the more often they need to be placed. To reduce the burning rate, the vent flap on the lid is usually half closed, and the lid itself is left, if possible, closed. The ventilation flap on the bottom of the grill must always be kept open during cooking to prevent the fire from going out.

When charcoal, and especially charcoal briquettes pressed with filler, burns, as a rule, some ash is formed. If a lot of ash accumulates in the grill bowl, it can clog the ventilation flap and then the flow of oxygen will be difficult. Therefore, approximately every hour, be sure to clean the ventilation openings by opening and closing the ventilation flap several times.

What to do if a flame breaks out in the grill?

In a charcoal grill, the flame most often breaks out in the first seconds after the food is laid out on the grate or turned over. In this case, immediately cover the grill with a lid and half cover its top. air vent thereby reducing the supply of oxygen. Sometimes these measures are enough to immediately extinguish the fire.

The flame can be monitored through a slightly open vent. If the fire still continues to break through the grate, you need to open the grill lid and transfer the dish being prepared to the indirect heat zone. As a rule, after a few seconds, when the fat burns through, the flame subsides. After that, the product can immediately be shifted to its original place.

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