Over the past week, my mom has developed a new hobby: cooking outdoors. With the nice weather and all, she decided to pull a grill I did not even know existed out of our garage. With a brand-new grill and with minimal experience, she set out on her grilling journey with me and my brother in tow. Safe to say, our first time was a total disaster.
I came home from classes one day to find her in the backyard, throwing coals into the grill. I watched her as she threw some lighter fluid on the rocks and attempted to set it aflame with a lighter. Nothing happened. We both looked at each other before trying again. After a couple more tries, I got impatient and wanted a shot at lighting the coals. Again – no fire.
We tried to troubleshoot our dilemma, but in the end, my mother ended up lighting some paper on fire and tossing it onto the coals. Luckily, a huge fire started to build before being quickly swept away by the wind. I take a look at the bag that our coals were from and in bold letters on the front: ‘No Lighter Fluid Necessary’! We were so naive and impulsive – jumping straight to the fun part without actually taking the required steps beforehand.
While the food ended up tasting pretty okay (some of the meat was a little undercooked), we learned from the first time. I watched a couple of videos, talked to the men in my life, and generally learned how to grill more effectively. So here are some of my tips :
- A big fire does not mean a good fire.
This is the core of grilling and will require patience. A good fire does not develop in mere minutes – it can take up to 20 minutes. If anything, a good indicator of a ready grill would be gray or white coals. This would signify the fire is hot enough to cook. - Pyramid Method
Stacking the coals in a pyramidal shape is essential for inducing the coals to burn. However, these coals should not always sit in this position – moving them around and spreading the heat evenly throughout the grill is important, too. - Less lighter fluid is more.
Last year, I attended a family cookout where the fire was powerful due to the vast amount of light fluid they used. All of the food ended up tasting like lighter fluid. So, I do not recommend using too much to build your flame. A little goes a long way.
Disclaimer: Grilling can involve inherent risks, such as the potential for burns . Always prioritize safety when grilling. Please follow your grill manufacturer’s instructions for proper use and maintenance, as well as doing more research into proper grilling safety.