To ask how you start a bbq?

[GodDamnRoxanne]

DH and I have had a few BBQ’s and our technique has been to put the fire starters under the coal and put the coal spaciously above, then light it. It’s always on really dry, hot days with no wind.

DH seems to think we need to buy bellows to help us light it as it seems to be a bit of a mission getting it started. Are bellows the answer or is there something we are missing here?

Thanks

DH always goes on about bellows (we don't have any), but I think that is really just an excuse to fuss about the fire & enjoy the fussing.

I do newspapers + firelighters + ignore the whole thing for 15 mins and that normally works.

but if your DH enjoys fussing about with bellows, then why not leave him to it.

We've just bought a coal BBQ after having a gas one for years, and we struggled to light it until we bought a BBQ kettle. You use it to light the coals and it works really well, not cheap but worth it for the speed and lack of hassle.

This kind of thing
www.wowbbq.co.uk/product/weber-chimney-starter/7416~7416?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI9ZmW6Jev6QIVB7LtCh3aFAp4EAQYAiABEgJ7IvD_BwE

Absolutely get a chimney starter, there are cheaper generic versions of the Weber one out there, just a ball of paper, leave for ten minutes and you're away. Dump on to a bigger pile of unlit coals if you need a bigger base but that will ensure it gets going.

Use it to start coals and get them up to speed if if you need to add more later.

Light the charcoal in a pile, replace the grille and then stick a three foot long piece of old stove pipe over the top.

It takes about five to ten minutes from lighting to ready to cook.

Bellows sound like hard work!

We cheat and buy the bags of charcoal that you just put a match to. No idea what's in them but they just light immediately, and then we give the coals a bit of a poke to spread them out once the bag has burnt away.

I say "DH, light the BBQ" and it magically happens

Another vote for buying a chimney. Game changer!

Newspaper, kindling and British charcoal which is usually much better quality and lights easily, jobs a good'un.

Either the bags that you set light to, or place a few sheets of newspaper under the coals with the corners still showing so you can set light to those.

I've got a Weber chimney starter - makes it a lot easier. Though sometimes I just cheat and buy one of the bags that you light. I live somewhere where the lightest wind conditions are strong breeze.

Turn the gas on and press the ignition button?

(runs)

Waiting for someone to tell you how antisocial they are...

Great! Thanks all.

So will the chimney starters work even on days with no breeze?

Yes it will

We use a bbq kettle, then fill it with coal and put it on top of one of those cheap gas stoves that use the throwaway gas cylinders.
Much easier, but we use it 5/6 nights a week

Base of coal, 4 firefighters, pile the coal up in a pyramid over the burning firelighters, (sprayed with bbq fluid first) and leave it 15 minutes. Easy peasy.

That would be 4 firelighters not 4 hunky men.

Also use a chimney, no breeze needed.

Don’t put the fire lighters under the coals, they need oxygen to burn. Put them nestled between the coals but so you can see all of them. Alternatively buy the ready to light bags. You just light the corner with a match and let them do their thang. Also moved the coals around to spread the heat, but not too thinly or they’ll fizzle out.

Oh, and don’t bother with briquettes, they’re useless.

Chimney is the future. We used ours at the weekend and it was brilliant!

You don’t need a chimney. I’ve lit literally hundreds of barbecues in all whether, well apart from rain, it’s really not that hard.

Dh uses a blowtorch, it's pretty effective.

We've got the Weber chimney. It's a godsend. On windy days it lights without fail. You fill it with BBQ charcoal put it on top of a lit firelighter in the BBQ, bobs your uncle wait until the coal is white, tip it out, start cooking. I recommend the Weber BBQ glove things as well.
We recently got a pizza stone. That was great fun, the pizzas were amazing