Grilling is one of the methods par excellence used to cook food on hot summer days. A nice outdoor barbecue allows you to cook food at a high temperature, giving it a smoky aftertaste that is very difficult to replicate in traditional home cooking. Whether using a charcoal or wood-burning barbecue, or using a gas barbecue, the first step is to light the fire and bring the grill to the ideal temperature for cooking food. This tutorial shows you how to light your barbecue in total safety. Let's see together what are the steps to follow.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Lighting a Charcoal Barbecue
Step 1. Clean the grill
The first step is to remove any ash or fat left over from the last barbecue from the grill. To do this, use an iron brush and a little passion and remove any residue from the grill. Cooking food using a dirty grill may give an unpleasant taste to your dishes.
Step 2. Pour the charcoal into the barbecue
The amount of charcoal, or charcoal, used varies according to the size of the barbecue, but as a good rule of thumb, use enough charcoal to create two layers of combustible material at the bottom of the barbecue. At the end, gather all the charcoal in the center of the barbecue giving it a conical shape.
Step 3. Sprinkle the coal with the accelerating liquid
Pour the ignition liquid over the charcoal cone created in the center of the barbecue. Focus on the center of the cone, as this is where the most coal is stored. Also in this case the quantity of accelerating liquid required is variable. As a guideline, use about 60ml of liquid for every 450g of charcoal.
Step 4. Start the fire
Wait about 30 seconds so that the accelerating liquid can penetrate deeply into the coal, then light the fire. To do this, use a long match and light the fire in at least two points of the coal cone. At the end you can throw the match directly into the fire. Wait for the charcoal to burn, until a layer of ash forms on all the embers.
Step 5. When the embers are ready, use long metal barbecue tongs to evenly distribute the embers across the entire bottom surface of the barbecue
Place the grill and close the lid of the barbecue (if it has one). Wait 5 minutes before starting to cook.
Method 2 of 2: Lighting a Gas Barbecue
Step 1. Verify that the gas cylinder is securely connected to the barbecue
To do this, refer to the instruction manual that you find in the barbecue package. Also make sure there is enough gas in the cylinder for cooking. At the end, open the safety valve on the cylinder.
Step 2. Prepare the first burner
To do this, use the knob located on the front of the barbecue by turning it to the desired heat level. In this way the gas will begin to escape from the burner.
Step 3. Turn on the burner
When the gas has started to escape from the burner, press the button to ignite the spark and ignite the gas. The power button is normally located on the front of the barbecue. If that doesn't work, use a gas lighter to manually ignite the burner. Alternatively, you can use a long match to be placed near the burner nozzles from which the gas comes out.
Step 4. Turn on the other burners
If your barbecue has multiple burners, repeat the above steps for all remaining burners. Adjust the heat delivered by each of the burners, then close the lid of the barbecue. Wait for the barbecue to heat up for at least 5 minutes before you start cooking.
