How to light a Charcoal BBQ

Lighting a charcoal BBQ need not be difficult. The aim of the game is to arrange all the charcoal into a pyramid with the lighter fuel or blocks suitably placed in-between. Then just keep an eye on things and stoke when necessary to get a nice hot bed of bricks to cook off. Follow these simple steps and watch my video below to see how easy it is.

1. Start by arranging one layer of charcoal bricks on the bottom of the barbecue, then place a couple of lighter blocks on top - make sure they're near enough to the edge so they can be lit with a match when more pieces of charcoal are added on top.
2. Layer a second, third and forth layer of charcoal on top, whilst adding in a lighter block or two to each layer. You should end up with a neat pyramid of charcoal bricks with some lighter blocks amongst them.
3. Next, try and light as many of the lighter blocks as possible. If you can't get to them all, don't worry as they'll light eventually from the other blocks.
4. Once there's a good fire going, stick the lid on then open the vent in the bottom of the BBQ and open the vent in the lid too. This will create a through-flow of air which will quickly encourage the charcoal to light.
5. Every 10 minutes or so, check on things and rearrange the bricks to help them all burn evenly.
6. After about 30 minutes, all the charcoal should be 50% white and 50% black. At this stage, spread the charcoal out into an even layer and hover your hand over to check it's hot enough. If so, stick the grill on and start barbecuing.
7. If you need to add more charcoal at any point, simply pour some over the top of the burning ones and mix them in.

Check out the video below for my demonstration on how to light a BBQ. And be sure to check out my barbecue recipes that are perfect for the Summer.