Building a charcoal fire.



Add liquid lighter fluid to charcoal after you have piled them in a pyramid shape.  Wait a minute and light or use a chimney with charcoal soaked in liquid lighter fluid.  You may need pea gravel. coarse grit or firebrick as a base in the firebox.

To use a full grill s urface for broiling, rake coals over the entire firebox.  Wait, and do not start to cook unitl the fire dies down to glowing coals. When using charcoal do not poke the fire, this slows it down.

The best chefing aid is the chimney to start your charcoal fire.  Buy or make your own from a tall juice can or a 2 pound coffee can.  Coals for cooking are ready in half the time.

Fuel for the fire:

Charcoal, briquets.  Charcoal may be uniform in size, birwuets or bulk.  Briquets burn slowly without sparking and gives an intense heat.

Wood.  When using wood choose dry, slow burning woods that give long lasting coals such as hickory, oak, hard maple, walnut,  pecan or fruit woods.  As before, do not start cooking until it burns down to coal first.  You can allow at least one to two hours for this to occur.

Starting your fire with the chimney:

Place 6 t0 7 briquets in a 2 pound coffee can.  Add about 1 pint charcoal lighter fluid.  cover can tightly and let stand 15 to 20 minutes.  With a pair of tongs, mound soaked charcoal in the firebox.  Place the metal chemney over and add 6 to 8 untreat briqquets.  Cover the can and set it away from the heat.

Ignite at the b ase of the chimney.  When these briquets are burning, add a few more untreated ones at the top or the amount you will need to the the cooking.  Allow to burn for about 15 minutes.  Lift the chimney, rake the coals across the firebox.

Smoke Prevention:

A charcoal fire will s moke till it has dies down to cooking coals.  Fat from steaks and chops on grill with drip, then smoke.  You will leaaen this by trimming off fat edges before broiling.  When cooking large roasts, use drip pans underneath with a foil pan.

To Avoid Flare ups

Keep a spray bottle filled with water  handy to put out flare ups.  Use only enough water to do the trick, do not soak the coals.

When you finish cooking you can dunk hot coals in water, then lift out and dry for use some other time.