The Best Charcoal Starters get your fire going fast without leaving a chemical taste on your food. Forget lighter fluid and easy-light briquets. They soak into the coals, stink up the neighborhood, and can flavor whatever you’re cooking. There are much better options, and none of them are complicated or expensive.
Our top pick is the classic Weber charcoal chimney, which uses nothing more than newspaper or a starter cube to get coals white-hot in about 15 minutes and doubles as a measuring cup for controlling temperature. If you’re in a hurry, electric options like the Looftlighter and the HomeRight Charcoal Starter light coals even faster. Below, we’ll walk you through the best ways to light charcoal, plus techniques for long, low-and-slow cooks.
