How To Light A Barbeque
Some Safe And Easy Steps For How To Light A Barbeque
Many grilling disasters are preventable by simply learning how to light a barbeque. Depending on the heating source you choose, be it charcoal, wood, or gas, there are general practices that you can use to ensure the proper flame and timing measures for the success of your cook out. An elongated click lighter, which can be found in nearly any type of retail store, is the safest source of start power if you don’t have an electric or automatic pilot. Now that you’re properly armed, it’s time to get the edge on how to light a barbeque.
The most time honored American tradition for grilling over open flames involves a tripod construction with a hanging grate, designed to straddle a common campfire with its legs and dangle a cooking surface over the fire. An inexpensive, easy to use and readily available tool for camping and bonfire outings, this method of cooking is a great deal of fun. To set this barbeque up correctly, you will want to begin with tiny, dry twigs and slivers for kindling, and never use anything aside from fruit or hardwood trees. You may need a layer of paper beneath the kindling to enhance the heat of your small fire enough to take to the larger pieces. When your fire has burned consistently for at least an hour, and is eating approximately two small chunks of wood per half hour, you are ready to set your tripod over it. The tripod should be one inch above the flames if you are using a pot, and three to four inches away if you are cooking directly on the grate.
There are varying opinions on how to light a barbeque with charcoal, but they generally mold the same premise and results. There must be air beneath the charcoal, as the fire will not burn purely without circulation. Charcoal is either presoaked in a starting fuel solution, or you will need to use a starter fluid yourself. When stacking the charcoal in a round pyramid style, add a squeeze of fluid to each layer, and again on the top. Using your elongated click lighter, carefully light the edge of the charcoal, and watch to make sure that the flames engulf the entire mound. Allow the charcoal to burn until there is no smoke, and each piece is burning white on the surface and red within.
Though most gas grills are equipped with automatic pilots, they seem to be the first thing that goes, and you are stuck with a grill that needs to be lit manually. To do this safely, you will want to first turn on the gas from the valve on the propane bottle. You will want to remove the grates next, for an unobstructed path to the heating elements. Place the end of your elongated clicker at the base of a heating element and light it. Now turn the knob on the grill to low, and as soon as the burner lights you can remove the clicker. This procedure will ensure that there is no gas buildup prior to the introduction of fire…and your hand.