The absolute best way to start a charcoal fire is with a chimney. Never use charcoal that says self-igniting because it has a petroleum accelerant in it. You can taste it in the meat. Never use charcoal fluid for the same reason.
But chimneys work great. They allow you to measure the correct amount of coal (a Weber chimney holds about 80 coals), get it lit in a hurry, and they don't taint the meat. The Weber brand of chimney is my favorite and it lasts longer than the cheaper model shown above.
Here's how to get a good hot fire in the least amount of time: Buy a quality brand of charcoal like Kingsford. Store it in a dry place. Fill the chimney all the way up (unless you don't need a long hot fire). Use three sheets of newspaper crumpled under it (that's 6 pages). Don't stuff too much paper in there or you will choke off the air flow. I try to leave a small hole in the center so air can flow up. In other words, make a donut in the bottom of the chimney. Some folks splash a little vegetable oil on the paper but I never need to.
Better still, use two cubes of Weber Firestarter (paraffin). Put the chimney on a grate where it can get good airflow all around, even underneath.
When the coals at the bottom are glowing, put on a heavy glove and shake the chimney up and down so the unlit coals will go to the bottom. You don't have to wait til they are covered in white, but all coals should be lit and glowing. The reason is not for flavor, it is because when coals are white they are at max heat. If you start cooking sooner they will get hotter as they sit. The key to good cooking is temperature control, and if the coals are not white you are not managing the fire, it is managing you.
In about 20 minutes the coals are mostly white and ready to rock. No chemical aftertaste, no solvent smell in the air, and it's a lot cheaper and safer than using lighter fluid.
OK, there is one more way to light charcoal. Some competition teams take a propane torch, mound up the coals, and letter rip. White coals in a about two minutes.
Adding coals
For long cooks you will need to add more charcoal. It is best to light the charcoal first and add hot coals. Cold coals added to the fire will cool the oven. But in a pinch, adding cold coals is fine.
Discard the dust
Often there is charcoal dust and small crumbs in the bottom of the bag. Discard them. If you pour them in your grill they can clog the airspaces between the coals and constrict airflow and choke back your fire by as much as 50°F. Remeber, oxygen is just as important as charcoal!
Discard the ashes
Empty the bottom of your grill. Ash is a great insulator and it blocks the heat from reaching the metal of the grill. That metal is needed to reflect and radiate heat when you cook.
Stopping charcoal fires
You can extinguish a charcoal fire by dousing it with water, but beware of the steam that generates and the hot water that pours out of the bottom of your grill. If you have a ceramic grill, never use water to douse the fire or it might crack. I prefer to suffocate the fire by closing all vents. The coals can then be shaken to sluff off the ash, and used again.
Never cook with charcoal or gas grills indoors. They produce carbon monoxide and that can kill you.
Mesquite or hickory charcoal?
Because charcoal is mostly pure carbon plus additives, the wood from which it is made will make little noticeable difference in flavor or burning temperature. To get wood flavor, you need to add wood to the fire. Read The Zen of Wood for how this is done.
A word about cooking with wood
In the beginning barbecue cooks dug a trench in the ground, threw in dry twigs, threw logs on top, and then lit the twigs. They quickly learned the temperature was easier to regulate and the flavor better if the logs burned down to coals before the meat was placed above.
Beginners should not try to cook with logs. It is very hard to control heat and smoke with logs. You need well dried hardwood and a heavy high quality offset smoker with a firebox on the side is usually the best device. These are expensive and hard to manage properly. Cheap offsets just don't cut it. If you get it wrong, you will produce meat that is way too smoky, pungent, bitter, and reminiscent of an ashtray.
If you really really want to cook with wood, imitate the old-fashioned method. First clear a bare patch of dirt, sand, or concrete, set a bunch of well-dried logs on fire, let them burn down to coals so there is no bare wood or bark showing, and then shovel them into a pit that holds the meat high above the coals. That's how purists such as Cooper's in Llano, TX, do it. Their Texas "pulley pits", shown below, are perfect for burning wood. There is a flat metal lid that can be closed to trap the smoke and heat. The lid is heavy, so it is raised with ropes attached to a counterweight threough an overhead pulley, hence the name. The concept is similar to trench in the ground.
The classic Chicago aquarium smoker is another "stickburner". Pitmasters throw logs in the bottom, and the meat is usually about 30" above so the heat dissipates. The meat is in a glass enclosed cabinet with a hood above. The pitmaster has a garden hose handy to keep the flames down. There is still a lot of smoke, and it can be overwhelming unless you know what you are doing. Below is a small aquarium smoker from Chicago in use at the estimable Cozy Corners in Memphis, and you can see the garden hose on the right.
The advantage of burning logs is flavor if you can manage it. Hardwood smoke seeps into meat fibers coloring the meat's appearance, aroma, and taste. This is the essence of barbecue. The disadvantage is that you have to buy lots of hardwood, preferably the same exact kind, cut it to size, age it until dry for months, have a place to burn it to coals, transfer the coals to the cooker, and then have more burning in case you need them. Then you need to know how to use the coals, because it is easy to oversmoke meat cooked over wood coals. This is a big part of the art of classic barbecue. This is why they call people who cook with wood pitmasters.
If you are tempted to try burning wood, avoid lumber scraps. Most lumber is treated with poisonous chemicals to repel vermin such as termites. It might also repel your family. Hardwoods such as oak and maple, nutwoods such as hickory, and fruit woods such as cherry or peach, are best for cooking because they have the fewest impurities and the best flavor. Pine is full of turpines which make unpleasant and possibly poisonous smoke.
"Why is it that one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a barbecue?" Anonymous
Let's ask the question: What's the best form of charcoal? Wood embers? Hardwood lump charcoal? Charcoal briquets?
Let's answer the question: For most cooking, it is charcoal briquets.
A lot of hot shot cooks swear by one fuel or another, but I'm here to tell you, it is much ado about little. The quality of the raw food is far more important. The seasonings are far more important. And without a doubt, getting meat off at the right internal temp is far far more important (see my meat temperature guide). You can spend a lot on expensive charcoal. Save your money and get a good thermometer (see my buying guide to thermometers).
The secret to successful cooking, indoor or outdoors, is controlling variables, the most important of which is heat. Charcoal from a major national brand like Kingsford or Royal Oak is very consistent from batch to batch in heat output and duration. As you gain experience you will learn just how hot your cooker will get with a measured amount of charcoal and just how much more to add when they burn low. But other fuels have their strengths at weaknesses. Let's look at them.
Making charcoal
Charcoal is mostly pure carbon, called char, made by heating wood in a low oxygen environment, a process that can take days and burns off water, methane, tar, and hydrogen leaving black lumps and powder, about 25% of the original weight, that packs more potential energy per ounce than raw wood.
The process is ancient, with evidence of charcoal production going back 30,000 years. Making charcoal is an ancient art and is still practiced at home in third world economies such as Haiti. Below is a fascinating 10 minute video of how to make charcoal briquets from agricultural waste by Amy Smith of D-Lab at MIT. She uses spent corn stalks and an old oil drum.
Because charcoal burns hotter and cleaner than wood, it was used by smelters for melting iron ore in blast furnaces, and blacksmiths who formed and shaped steel. Commercial production was first done in pits covered with dirt by specially trained craftsmen called colliers. Below is Part 1 a great video sequence by Van Wagner about how colliers made hardwood charcoal in Pennsylvania from the 1600s to the mid 1800s, and how you can do it yourself if you are so inclined. Click here for Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
Hardwood lump charcoal
Hardwood lump is the next best thing to cooking with hardwood. Today hardwood lump charcoal is made mostly from scrap from the lumber making process. Bark, limbs, odd chunks, twigs, and ends from the mill are carbonized by smoldering them in a kiln, a steel or stone building with just the right amount of oxygen allowed in. Very little. The result is chunks that are irregular in size, that are carbonized to different levels because there are so many different size chunks. They leave little ash since there are no binders as in briquets.
The big disadvantage is that lump is harder to find, more expensive than briquets, burns out more quickly, varies in BTUs (heat output) per bag, varies in wood type from bag to bag, varies in flavor from bag to bag, and often bags of lump contain a lot of useless carbon dust from improper filtering in the factory and rough handling in the stores. Worse still, it is not uncommon to find rocks, metal pieces, and other foreign objects from the lumber opertaions where the wood is gathered. Makes me feat that some of the wood could be treated lumber. It tends to have more smoke flavor because large pieces may not be fully carbonized. For definitive ratings and reviews of lump charcoal, visit Doug Hanthorn's website, a.k.a. the Naked Whiz.
Conventional wisdom says lump burns hotter than briquets, but the folks at Cooks Illustrated claimed conventional wisdom to be wrong. They took two typical six quart chimneys and filled one with lump and one with briquets. They fitted two identical grills with seven digital thermometer probes each, and learned that by volume, not weight, and volume is how most of us measure charcoal, especially if we use a chimney, the two burned about the same for about 30 minutes, but after that the briquets held heat longer and the lump turned to ash faster.
It seems to me that lump might burn hotter under some circumstances because there is more airflow through them because of their irregular shape. This is really a factor when the charcoal is piled high as in a kamado grill. On the flip side of the coin, lump can produce more charcoal powder and crumbs which can fill the gaps between chunks and stifle airflow and make the fire burn cold. Remeber air is fuel as much as is the charcoal, so just discard the dust at the bottom of the bag.
Oh yes, ther is one other factor a reader pointed out: The bags are lighter and easier to handle.
Charcoal briquets
Patented in 1897 by Ellsworth Zwoyer, the briquet really took off when, in the 1920s, Henry Ford, in collaboration with Thomas Edison and EB Kingsford, made lots of them from sawdust and wood scraps from Ford's Detroit auto plants. So Ford not only brought the world affordable cars, he created an industry that made backyard barbecue easy.
The company was later sold, and today Kingsford, a division of Chlorox, converts more than one million tons of wood scraps into briquets a year. Talk about a green industry! According to Kingsford, their regular Sure Fire briquets in the blue bag are made by heating sawdust and wood chips from mixed woods in special ovens with little or no air which removes water, nitrogen, and other elements, leaving almost pure carbon.
Once the charcoal is cooked it is crushed and combined with anthracite coal, mineral charcoal, starch, sodium nitrate, limestone, sawdust, and borax. The additives act as binders, improve ignition, promote steady burning, and make manufacturing more efficient. Briquets typically produce more ash than hardwood lump since they contain more non-combustible materials. Snobs complain about these additives, but there's a lot to be said for a fuel source that is rock solid consistent from bag to bag. Some folks say they can taste the additives in their food. I can't.
Some self-igniting charcoals such as Kingsford Match-Light contain paraffin, petroleum products, or other accelerants. Kingsford and government regulators say it is safe if you follow instructions, but I think it can taint the food. Call me superstitious, but I don't use the stuff and I don't recommend it. Charcoal is easy to light with chimneys and I highly recommend them. Click the link to see how easy they are.
In 2008 Kingsford introduced a new line of briquets called Competition Briquets in a brown bag. Kingsford claims they are made with only charcoal from wood, starch as a binder, and a bit of borax to help it release from the manufacturing presses. Compared to the regular Kingsford Blue Bag briquets, they ignite slightly faster, burn slightly hotter, and produce less ash. Burn time is about the same. My friend, John Dawson, a.k.a. PatioDaddio, did a comparison test of regular Kingsford and Kingsford Competition that is worth a read. Sensitive palates say Competition tastes better. Problem is they cost almost twice as much as the standard blue bag briqs which are frequently on sale.
There are other good charcoals out there. I like Royal Oak, and Duraflame Real Hardwood Briquets as well as Wicked Good 100% All Natural Hardwood briquets are made from just char and starch. Alas they are not widely available.
New products
There have been a few new charcoal substitutes introduced in the past few years. I have only tried one, called Lokii, and I am unimpressed.
Lokii is made in China and advertised as an "all-natural product." It is a giant seven cornered briquet about 5" wide and 2" thick. It comes in a plastic bag that is a pain to get open. As soon as it is opened I smelled something like solvent, despite the manufacturer's all-natural claims. The top is made of a different material than the bottom, and you must light the top. It is slow to ignite and then the fire creeps across the surface. V-e-r-y-s-l-o-w-l-y. I lit one, and the surface was all white by the time I successfully got the second lit. The first one was at full heat, well over 400°F, in about 25 minutes, while the second one was still smelly and incomplete. When I tried to move the first one with tongs it fell apart. I never got a good hot fire for cooking two ribeyes and dinner was an hour late while I went back to lighting regular charcoal.
I have since learned that these are used widely in rural areas in small coffeee-can sized grills where the disks fill much of the interior, and the food they cook is usually in a pot on top. This makes a lot more sense.
What does Meathead use?
I use Kingsford Sure Fire (blue bag) briquets for most cooking because I have a good feel for how many briqs will produce the desired temps in my cookers, because they remain constant from bag to bag, and because stores often place them on sale. I switch to Kingsford Competition for steaks, when I want max heat. I never buy Match-Light or any charcoal impregnated with accelerant. Neither do I buy charcoal with wood chips impregnated. I prefer to control the amount of wood by adding it manually. Here's a really useful rule of thumb: There are about 16 Kingsford briquets in a quart, and 64 in a gallon. A Weber chimney holds about 5 quarts, or about 80 briquets.
Why don't I use lump? Because no two bags are the same, and within the bags the amount of carbonization from skinny twigs to thick chunks vary. That means some chunks will produce more smoke and even undesirable compounds. I'm all about control when I cook, and Kingsford provides me consistency and control. And no, they didn't pay me to say that.
Bottom line: Some folks make way too much of charcoal. The quality of the raw food, seasoning, sauce, cooking temp, and serving temp faaaaar outweigh the impact of charcoal on outcome. Harry Soo of Slap Yo Daddy BBQ, one of the top 10 competition teams year in and year out once told me "I buy whatever is on sale."
My best advice? Eliminate this variable. Pick one consistent brand of briquette, learn it, and stick with it for a year until you have all the other variables under control.
1) If you are looking for info, please use the table of contents or the search box, at the top of every page.
2) Don't ask me any questions that involve temp or time unless you tell me that you are using a digital thermometer! Bi-metal dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F! If you are not using a good digital you have no idea what the temp really is so I can't help you. If you are still using a dial thermometer, please read this article about thermometers, then buy a good digital, and then, if the problem persists (chances are it won't), hit me with your questions. Then, please tell me everything I need to know to answer your question. Like the type of cooker you are using. Remember, I am not a mind reader.
3) Please don't ask me "What grill (or smoker) should I buy?" Read my Buyer's Guides and the buying checklists and follow the links. I've shared just about everything I know. Pay attention to the awards I have given my faves. I cannot pick the right cooker for you any more than I could pick the right car or spouse for you.
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GrillGrates are the best new product I have tested in years and the best thing to happen to beef since salt and pepper. The base superheats, eliminates hot spots, and blocks flareups. This is the concept behind the expensive new infrared grills. A must for gas grills. Click here for more about GrillGrates.
The Smokenator: A Necessity For Weber Kettles
If you have a Weber Kettle, you need the amazing Smokenator and Hovergrill. The Smokenator turns your grill into a first class smoker, and the Hovergrill can add capacity or be used to create steakhouse steaks. Click here to read more.
ThermoWorks Pocket Thermometer - No More Guessing
A good thermometer is why I never serve overcooked or undercooked food. This one has a very thin tip with a tiny thermocouple so it gives an accurate reading in just six seconds. I cannot recommend it more highly. It will improve your cooking overnight and pay for itself in a hurry. And it is inexpensive. Click here for more about thermometers.
Here's how to get a good hot fire in the least amount of time: Buy a quality brand of charcoal like Kingsford. Store it in a dry place. Fill the chimney all the way up (unless you don't need a long hot fire). Use three sheets of newspaper crumpled under it (that's 6 pages). Don't stuff too much paper in there or you will choke off the air flow. I try to leave a small hole in the center so air can flow up. In other words, make a donut in the bottom of the chimney. Some folks splash a little vegetable oil on the paper but I never need to.
Patented in 1897 by Ellsworth Zwoyer, the briquet really took off when, in the 1920s, Henry Ford, in collaboration with Thomas Edison and EB Kingsford, made lots of them from sawdust and wood scraps from Ford's Detroit auto plants. So Ford not only brought the world affordable cars, he created an industry that made backyard barbecue easy.
There have been a few new charcoal substitutes introduced in the past few years. I have only tried one, called Lokii, and I am unimpressed.
AmazingRibs.com is all about the Zen of barbecue, grilling, and outdoor cooking, with great BBQ recipes and techniques: Barbecue baby back ribs, spareribs, pulled pork, beef brisket, steak, burgers, chicken, smoked turkey, lamb, barbecue sauces, burgers, steaks, rubs, and side dishes, with the world's best buying guide to barbecue smokers and grills. It is written, photographed, illustrated, and coded solely by 
About Product Reviews and Best in BBQ Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals are highly recommended products. Awards are based on features, quality, and value. Rest assured that when we recommend a product, it is really because we like it, not because someone has paid us to say so or because the company is an advertiser or sponsor. We purchase most products we review although occasionally suppliers send us samples. We have always been transparent about when we are reviewing a product sample, even before 
With a $30 donation you'll get a 100% cotton brushed twill adjustable low profile cap with the AmazingRibs patch sewn on. I'll even toss in a small bag of BBQ'rs Delight wood smoke pellets. Click here for 
