-L. wrote:
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
> > A good hardware store or BBQ shop should have lump charcoal. You can =
buy
> > an electric starter if you don't want to mess with bits of paper and/or
> > kindling. It's ready for the meat when the coals are covered with a wh=
ite
> > ashen coat and there's a reddish glow between the coals.
> >
> > --
> > Wayne Boatwright *=BF*
>
>
> Thanks, Wayne. So you basically start it like a fire in the fireplace
> or any other fire, eh?
>
> Also, how long do the coals last, and do I use the same amount of lumps
> as I used for briquets?
>
> -L.

Use them the same as briquettes. I light mine with a charcoal chimney.
It's cheap (about $10, unless you can find one at a garage sale),
environmentally friendly and very reliable. Takes a little practice.
Get a big one so you can start enough charcoal for a decent sized fire.

I prefer using charcoal, I like the flavor and even the hassle. Seems
to me we've traded down from good home-cooked meals to
whats-ever-fast-and-easy with just about everything in this country,
especially food. But I guess if you've never tasted a charcoal grilled
juicy thick burger, a Big Mac is just fine! Yuckkkkk! Not to mention
what all the crap they put in it does to your body...
I hate to think of the day I have to go to a gas grill, but I guess it
could happen.