How to Make Fire
Every grill master has a secret collection of personal techniques that are used to achieve optimal grilling conditions. There are many aspects of the grilling experience that need to be taken into account before meat even hits the grates. When using a charcoal grill, historically, a careful, methodic approach has been taken when lighting and maintaining the desired temperature of the briquettes. These days, the common charcoal chimney starter seems to be the tool of choice for the task. However, despite similarities in appearance, not all charcoal chimney starters provide the same level of performance.
Fortunately, in the current issue of Cook’s Illustrated, Garth Clingingsmith offers a brief review of six of the more popular charcoal chimney starters. While all model designs were relatively the same, The Weber Rapid Fire Chimney Starter and The Steven Raichlen Best of Barbecue Ultimate Chimney Starter were the favored choices. The Weber starter holds six quarts of charcoal and the Steven Raichlen model holds seven. Both models also include second handles to aid the grill master in even charcoal distribution. It was concluded by the testers that while the Weber held enough charcoal for the average size grill, the larger capacity of the Steven Raichlen model would be a better choice for larger grills.
Bigger grill, more fire!
