Lighter fluid is the most common way people ruin good charcoal. The petrochemical smell burns off eventually, but it lingers on the first few minutes of your cook, and if you are using clean lump charcoal specifically to avoid chemical flavors, starting with lighter fluid defeats the purpose. A chimney starter is faster, cleaner, and once you have done it a few times, easier.

What you need

A chimney starter, which is a metal cylinder with a grate inside and a handle on the outside. They cost between $15 and $30 at most hardware stores. Two sheets of newspaper, crumpled loosely. That is it. Some people use a paraffin fire starter cube instead of newspaper, which also works and is slightly more reliable in wind. Do not use glossy paper or cardboard with ink on it. The chemicals in printing ink are not what you want in your fire.

The process, step by step

Fill the chimney with lump charcoal. For a standard kettle grill, a full chimney is about right for most cooks. Place the crumpled newspaper in the bottom chamber of the chimney, under the grate. Set the chimney on the lower grate of your grill or on a fireproof surface. Light the newspaper in two or three places around the bottom. You will see smoke immediately, then small flames working up through the charcoal. Leave it alone for 12 to 15 minutes.

How to tell when it is ready

The charcoal is ready when the top pieces are covered in a thin layer of gray ash and you can see orange glow through the ash. You should also see some flames licking up from the top of the chimney. At this point, the charcoal is fully lit and at or near peak temperature. Dump it carefully into your grill, spread it as needed for your cook, and put the grate on. Wait two minutes for the grate to heat up before you put food on it.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is dumping the charcoal too early, before the top pieces are ashed over. Partially lit charcoal produces more smoke and uneven heat. The second most common mistake is overfilling the chimney so that the top pieces do not get enough airflow to light properly. Fill it to about an inch below the top rim. The third mistake is using a chimney that is too small for the grill. A standard 6-quart chimney is right for a 22-inch kettle grill. Larger grills or smokers may need two chimneys.

Lighting in wind

Wind is the main variable that makes chimney lighting unreliable. If you are grilling in a breezy spot, position the chimney so the open bottom faces into the wind, which will draw air up through the charcoal and actually speed up the lighting process. If the wind is strong enough to blow out the newspaper before the charcoal catches, use a paraffin cube instead. They are harder to extinguish and give the charcoal more time to catch.

Once you have the chimney method down, it becomes automatic. Most people who switch from lighter fluid never go back, not because of ideology but because it is genuinely faster and the fire is ready to cook over sooner.