Depending on how experienced they are, charcoal barbecues can be extremely difficult or easy. The hardest part is lighting up the charcoal itself. It will be even harder if the weather is cold. On average, charcoal grills will take around forty minutes just to heat up. But if you are really good at building a fire using charcoal, you can get it done in fifteen or twenty minutes. Another factor to consider is the ease of cleaning the barbecue. Because charcoal produces soot while burning, it will take you more work to clean the grills using a steel wire brush.