Article: Usually sold for under $30, chimney starters use newspaper and heat convection to evenly light up your charcoal briquets. You can then safely dump them into your grill and get cooking within 15-20 minutes. Between 2 and 4 pieces of paper, depending on the size of the starter, should do. Don't ball it up very tightly, simply crumple it into loose balls so that hot air can fill in the spaces. These will eventually light your charcoals. If your chimney doesn't have a solid bottom, place the paper on the charcoal grate of your grill and lower the chimney on top of it. Take you favorite charcoal and fill the chimney starter all the way to to the top. You should be able to access the paper from the bottom. The paper will quickly heat up, and the hot air and burning paper will ignite the bottom coals. Once the paper burns out, the coals will light each other, as hot air is pulled through the bottom of the chimney and through the coals. The chimney will quickly heat up, so place it on a flame-proof, sturdy surface as the coals heat. The grill, already prepared for you to dump your coals, is a great place, as is a brick patio (though it will potentially leave burn marks). This usually only takes 10-15 minutes. Once you dump the coals, you'll be ready to grill. Most chimneys are dumped by carefully turning them upside down over the grill, but higher-end models may have a release switch which dumps the coals from the bottom. Dump the coals where you want them instead of dumping in the middle then trying to move them -- they may break up and lose heat if they are constantly picked up and moved. If you plan to grill for more than 30 minutes, add 2-3 handfuls of charcoal now to keep the fire going when you need it. Open vents send more air and oxygen to the fire, helping it grow quickly. Keep the lid open as you position the coals and sear anything your want to grill, then close it to smoke the meat or cook it more slowly.
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Know that inexpensive chimney starters are the easiest way to get a strong fire every time. Load the bottom of the chimney starter with lightly balled newspaper. Fill the top of the starter fully with charcoal briquets. Light the paper in several place from the bottom and set it on your grill. Dump the coals on the grill when the top pieces are covered gray. Make sure the vents are open for a larger fire.