To light your Weber barbecue quickly and easily and to keep the coals burning as long as possible, you need to use the right charcoal, the right firelighters and a chimney starter.

Charcoal

We recommend using lumpwood charcoal and at Paving Place we’ve been very impressed with Weber’s new charcoal briquettes.

With these you’ll get glowing charcoal in just 20 minutes which will last for up to 3 hours. You also won’t need to use as many briquettes and they come in a handy resealable bag which protects them from the damp.

Firelighters

Now you may think that all firelighters are made the same, but trust us, it’s really worth investing in Weber’s lighter cubes.

These sold fuel cubes light as easily as a birthday candle (even when wet!) and are odourless and non-toxic, leaving no residue to mar the flavour of your delicious food! They’re slightly more expensive that what you may pay in the supermarket, but you won’t need to use as many, only 2 or 3.

Chimney Starter

Chimney starters will get your coals glowing in record time. The Weber Chimney Starter holds the coals in a cylinder for fast, easy lighting. It’s great for measuring out your charcoal too. A full chimney starter will reach temperatures of 260-270°C, three quarters will produce a heat of 220-230°C, and half full 180-190°C.

Lighting the Barbecue

Fill the chimney starter with the proper amount of charcoal, place on the charcoal grate over two or three fire lighter cubes, ignite the cubes and let the coals burn until they have a coating of light grey ash. Pour the hot coals onto the charcoal grate and arrange for Direct or In-direct cooking with long-handled tongs. Don’t forget to wear gloves!