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Who does not love the smoky flavour and blackened exterior of those grilled foods? Still, not everyone knows how to prepare these dishes.
Even though the process is not that hard, you might need some skill for perfect results and for your safety – especially when it comes to starting lumpwood charcoal.
Knowing how to start lumpwood charcoal properly is essential, as you wouldn’t want to cause injuries or struggle with the grills.
No worries, it’s not rocket science. This article will show you different ways to start it. Continue reading to find out the most suitable method!
Lumpwood charcoal is created through a process called “carbonising”, which generates lumps of carbons and burns away toxic elements.
There are some reasons why people favour this type of charcoal:
It burns with little ash,
Natural lumpwood is non-toxic and will not affect the taste of the food like other types.
You can control the temperature of the fire better.
How To Start Lumpwood Charcoal?
Here come the three ultimate methods for you:
The Chimney Method
The chimney is a metal tube that consists of two chambers, air vents, and sets of handles. It looks like a large can to put charcoal inside and use a heat source to light up the charcoal. The heat source can be newspaper or weber lighter cubes.
Below are three steps using the chimney:
Step 1: Place one to two cubes on the grill and light it up for the weber lighter cubes. If you are using newspaper, fill it in the bottom of the chimney (remember to leave a hole in the centre to let the airflow go up).
Step 2: Fill in the chimney with lumpwood charcoal, put the chimney above the lighter cubes. For newspaper, put it on the grill’s surface, then light it up in different locations.
It shall take about 10-20 minutes for the charcoal to be ready, depending on many conditions, such as the amount of coal inside the chimney or wind conditions.
Step 3: Wait until you see a glowing flame inside the chimney. In particular, there should be ash over the top layer of the lumpwood, showing that it is ready. Be careful not to pour out the coal!
Pros:
No electricity or chemical required
Inexpensive
Effective
Con:
Unable to use in Kamado grills
The Fire Lighter Method
The Fire Lighter method is an effective and easy way to light up your coal directly. Besides, you can also use it to start the chimney.
Step 1: Put the firelighter on the coal pile or under the chimney in case you use the chimney.
Step 2: Light them up.
As mentioned above, this method is very simple because you only have to prepare some fire starters before the party.
Pros
Simple and effective
Doesn’t require electricity
Works under any weather conditions
Con
Affects the taste of food if the fire starter includes chemicals.
The Electric Charcoal Lighter
This method uses an electric “stove” to burn the coal using strong heat created by electricity. Although the electric coal lighter is bent in a “U” shape with a heat insulation handle, there are no actual regulations about the starter’s shape. The shape can be varied depending on different brands.
Below are three steps using an electric coal starter:
Step 1: Put it on the grill surface, the handle sticking out.
Step 2: Pour the coal over the burner element and plug it in.
Step 3: Once the glowing light appears, unplug the lighter, remove it, and you are ready to party.
Pros:
Easy and fast
Effective
No chemicals
Con
Require electricity
It can only light up a smaller amount of lumpwood compared to the chimney.
Conclusion
To sum up, those mentioned methods will suit certain demands and personal preferences. Make sure that you take note of their pros and cons to figure out the most suitable method.
Last but not least, remember to be careful all the time to prevent injuries for yourself and others.
Thank you for reading this blog on “How to start lumpwood charcoal”. Hope you enjoy your grilling!
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