Too Much is Just About Right.

Well, I'm grilling again. This time I'm determined to start the coals right. I used my usual setup of a large steel can with no top or bottom. The bottom was packed with three loosely wadded pages from an old telephone book, one of which was sticking out from the bottom as a wick. Next came the partially spent coals from the last barbecue (with the white ash knocked off.) Those coals and the telephone book pages were sprayed liberally with lighter fluid, then the can was topped off with fresh coals. Those coals received more lighter fluid, then the whole setup was brought to life with a match to the papers at the bottom.

The can shot flames from the top for about 10 minutes, then the moment of truth came the flames died down as the lighter fluid burned off. At this point the light was either a success or a failure. A faint crackling sound, however, confirmed that the coals were indeed still burning. 20 more minutes and the coals on top were nice and white. I had nice hot coals ready for some sun-dried tomato sausages. It was a textbook start.