Set up your workspace before you even touch the charcoal. Place your charcoal grill or smoker on a flat, stable, non-flammable surface away from any structures, overhangs, or dry vegetation. Open all the lower vents on your grill fully to ensure maximum airflow once the coals go in. Good airflow is the difference between coals that stay lit and coals that go dark on you.

Load the chimney with charcoal. For a full hot fire suitable for direct grilling at 400 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, fill the chimney all the way to the top with briquettes or lump charcoal. For a two-zone setup or a low and slow cook targeting 225 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, use about half a chimney. The amount of coal you start with directly controls your cook temperature, so be intentional here.

Prepare your fire starter at the bottom. Flip the chimney upside down and loosely crumple two full sheets of newspaper, then stuff them into the bottom cone section without packing them too tight. You want airflow around that paper so it catches fast and burns long enough to fully ignite the coals above. If you are in a windy area or using a stiff newsprint, lightly drizzle a tablespoon of vegetable oil over the paper before stuffing it in. A single paraffin cube works even better if newspaper is not available.

Flip the chimney right-side up so the coals are sitting on top of the newspaper basket at the bottom. Set the chimney down inside your grill on the lower charcoal grate, or on any fireproof surface nearby. Light the newspaper through the holes at the bottom of the chimney using a long-reach lighter or a fireplace match. Light it in two or three spots around the base to get a full even burn started.

Step back and let the chimney do its job. You will see smoke billowing up through the coals within the first two to three minutes as the newspaper burns and the bottom coals begin to catch. Do not touch the chimney during this phase. The whole process takes about 15 to 20 minutes for briquettes and closer to 10 to 15 minutes for lump charcoal, which ignites faster due to its irregular shape and lower density.

Watch for your visual cue that the coals are ready. You are looking for ash to form over the top layer of coals, turning them from black to a light gray color with a bright orange glow visible around the edges and through the gaps. Flames may still be present inside the chimney and that is fine. When about 75 percent of the top coals show gray ash, your fire is ready to pour. Do not rush this step. Underlit coals mean uneven heat and a cook that never reaches the right temp.

Put on your heat-resistant gloves before you touch the chimney. The metal will be extremely hot, well over 500 degrees Fahrenheit on the outside. Grip the handle firmly and pour the coals into your grill in one smooth controlled motion. For direct high heat, pour them into a single pile in the center or spread them evenly across the charcoal grate. For a two-zone setup, push all the coals to one side so you have a hot side and a cool side for indirect cooking.

Place your cooking grate on top of the coals and let it preheat for about 5 minutes before adding any food. This seasons the grate, burns off any residue, and brings the grill surface up to your target cooking temp. Use a grill brush to clean the grate once it is hot. For a direct searing setup you want surface temps around 450 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit. For low and slow smoking you are targeting an ambient grill temp of 225 to 275 degrees Fahrenheit, which you dial in using your vent controls.

Adjust your vents to dial in your target temperature. Opening vents wide increases airflow and raises temps. Closing them down restricts oxygen and drops temps. For a high heat direct grill session, leave everything open. For low and slow work, partially close the top vent to about halfway and experiment from there. Your grill thermometer or a probe clipped near the cooking grate is your best guide here, not the built-in lid thermometer which often reads 50 to 100 degrees higher than actual grate level temps.

For longer cooks like a pork butt or brisket where you need to maintain heat for 6 to 14 hours, you will need to add fresh coals during the cook. The best method is to load a second batch into your chimney about 30 minutes before your coals start to fade, which you can tell by a drop in grill temp of more than 25 degrees Fahrenheit. Have those fresh coals ready to pour so you never lose your cooking window. This is the mark of a true pitmaster: anticipating the fire before it ever drops.