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BEHIND THE SCENES

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LIGHT MY FIRE

Don’t even think of using lighter fluid to light your charcoal. Sometimes we’ve found that we can taste the fluid residually on grilled food—and who wants that? Electric starters are fine, but most people don’t have an electrical outlet near their grill. Where does that leave you? A chimney starter. A chimney starter is a metal cylinder with a heatproof handle. Simply dump in the charcoal, light, and wait until the coals are partially covered with a layer of ash. At this point the hot coals can be poured into the grill and arranged as necessary. One thing to keep in mind when buying a chimney starter is the charcoal capacity. We like a large chimney that holds about 6 quarts of charcoal briquettes—just the right amount for grilling most foods in a large kettle grill.