The chicken skewers are marinated in olive oil with lemon and rosemary, the aubergine rolls are filled with mozzarella, the aroma of freshly chopped basil wafts from the pasta salad and the wine is chilled. Everything is ready for when the guests arrive and for a perfect evening. Time to light the barbecue. In this section, we tell you the easiest and safest way to do that.

The safe way

In order to get charcoal to burn, you need a starter of some kind. Do not use methylated spirits or other flammable liquids for this, but use firelighters instead. And choose a type without chemical additives, because these have an unpleasant smell and give off toxic fumes. Bad for the flavours and the environment.

Place two or three firelighters under the grille, place the charcoal around it and light it. After that, it is mainly a question of waiting, although you can from time to time slide some charcoal towards the flames to speed up the process. You already have the barbecue tongsat hand anyway... The barbecue is ready for use after at least 30 minutes. If your barbecue has a briquette starter, then things will go a bit faster and you will be able to savour the succulent smell of roasting meat even sooner.

Charcoal or briquettes?

Where we refer to charcoal as mentioned above, you can also read 'briquettes'. Both types of fuel can be used equally well, although there are a few differences. Charcoal heats up faster, but also burns up faster. Briquettes stay at the same temperature longer and are therefore more suitable for barbecuing larger pieces. With the lid of the barbecue closed, you can even use briquettes for 'slow cooking' and let the meat slowly cook instead of grilling it. Such as an arrosto di vitello, for example. Charcoal, on the other hand, is perfect for grilling thin slices instantly.

Lighting a BBQ with a briquette starter

A briquette starter works like a chimney. A briquette starter works a bit like a chimney. This smart mechanism ensures that the flames automatically find their way upwards, which means that all charcoal or briquettes burn evenly. Lighting a BBQ works like this:

• Fill the briquette starter three-quarters full with briquettes or charcoal.

• Place a few lighter cubes in the barbecue and light them.

• Place the briquette starter on the blocks.

• Wait until the coals or briquettes are red-hot and then ladle them into the barbecue.

• Spread the coals or briquettes out ... and the barbecue party can begin!