You don’t want to have to wait for the grill to heat up when everyone else is ready to eat and all the side dishes are prepared. Keep in mind that charcoal takes longer than gas to heat up. Shoot for 10 minutes of preheating with gas, 20 to 25 with charcoal.
 If you have a charcoal grill, there are several different ways you can start your fire. Know that when the coal is lightly ashed over and gray, you can begin cooking.


Ever popular lighter fluid works, but it is imperative that you let it all burn off before cooking, unless you like the taste of petroleum.
Electric starters are also available, which use a cal-rod style heating element placed under the coals. They work very well, but do require a source of electricity, and cords can present a trip/burn hazard if not carefully monitored.
Chimney starters use a metal cylinder with perforations to hold the charcoal on top, and a couple of sheets of newspaper on the bottom. They work quickly and are inexpensive. Light the newsprint and the heat flows upward, igniting the coals. Have a place to put the chimney after use, as it will be red-hot. Another benefit to chimney starters is that they can be used to prepare extra charcoal if you need to refresh your pile. Just be sure to do it on top of a very heat-resistant surface, such as a cinder block or the bottom of an upturned galvanized steel bucket.
 Allow the bars to heat for a minute or so to be able to make nice grill marks on whatever you are grilling.
Start your fire ahead of time.
Turn your grill on or light your charcoal.
Close the grill.
{"src": "wikihow-all_validation", "title": "How to Grill2"}