Time for Some Charcoal Grilling

I am old enough to remember the days of yore when propane grills hadn't even hit the market yet and charcoal was the only way to go when grilling cooking recipes outside. I loved those days and that is why I have reverted to using charcoal instead of propane. Believe me, I certainly understand the benefits of using a propane tank. The most attractive feature is the speed in which you can get grilling. Yeah, I certainly understand that benefit but I love the process of building a charcoal fire and waiting for it to get ready for the grill.

OK, maybe I am strange but I think there are a lot of folks out there who would prefer charcoal grilling to propane grilling. If time is the issue, propane is your best option. If you can wait 20 minutes or so, you can use charcoal without having to use lighter fluid. What is kind of strange to me is that they still sell today charcoal with lighter fluid already added. The main drawback of lighter fluid is that it can affect the taste of the food that you are grilling or barbecuing your favorite meat. A chimney starter is a cylindrical unit that will allow you to add either lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes along with either paper or wax cubes underneath the charcoal. Simply light the wax cubes or the crumpled newspaper and open yourself up a beer and sit next to the fire while it makes its way up the metal unit.

Once you have noticed that the fire starts shooting out the top of the cylinder and that the top charcoal briquettes have a whitish hue to them, you are ready to pour them into your barbecue grill. I own two Weber grills and I love them. I also own a Brinkmann water smoker which allows me to cook a chicken or roast low and slow over many hours until it is a barbecue feast. I use the chimney starter whenever I cook with charcoal and it always works perfectly.