Tips

How to light a braai fire

How to light wood, lump charcoal and briquettes with newspaper, firelighters or a chimney starter, how to stack the fire, and what never to pour on it.

A good braai starts with a fire that lights first time and burns down evenly. This guide covers wood and charcoal, the three common ways to get them going, and the shortcuts that are not worth the risk.

Before you light

• Clear the old ash. Tip out last time’s ash and open any vents. Fire needs air from underneath, and a bed of ash smothers it.
• Use dry fuel. Wood should be seasoned and dry right through. Freshly cut or damp wood hisses, smokes and never makes proper coals.
• Have your tools ready. Long tongs, a poker or small spade for moving coals, and a bucket of water or sand nearby in case the fire spreads.

Three ways to start it

Newspaper and kindling

Scrunch three or four sheets of newspaper into loose balls, not tight ones, so air can move through them. Lay a handful of thin, dry sticks or split kindling over the paper, then the fuel on top. Light the paper in a few places on the side the wind is coming from.

Firelighters

Firelighters are wax or paraffin cubes made for the job. They burn hot for 10 minutes or more, which is long enough to catch wood and charcoal. Break two or three cubes into pieces and tuck them into the gaps at the base of the fire. Wait until the firelighter smell has burned off before any food goes on.

Chimney starter

A chimney starter is a metal tube with a grate near the bottom and a handle on the side. It is the most reliable way to light charcoal or briquettes.

1. Put two sheets of loosely scrunched newspaper, or one or two firelighters, on the charcoal grate.
2. Stand the chimney over them and fill it with charcoal or briquettes.
3. Light the paper or firelighter through the holes at the bottom.
4. Leave it alone until the top layer of coals is covered in grey ash.
5. Pour the coals out carefully where you want them, with the handle in a gloved hand.

Lump charcoal is ready in about 15 minutes and briquettes in 20 to 25.

Building a wood fire

Wood needs a structure that lets air in from all sides.

• Log cabin. Lay two pieces of wood side by side about 15 cm (6 inches) apart, with firelighters or newspaper between them. Lay two more across the top at right angles, and keep stacking in pairs until you have six layers or so. It collapses into a flat bed of coals.
• Teepee. Lean the wood against itself in a cone over the kindling. It lights quickly and is good for small amounts of wood.

Start with the thinner, split pieces at the bottom and the bigger logs higher up. Once it is lit, leave it. Poking a young fire knocks it down and slows it. When the stack collapses, push any stray pieces back into the middle.

How long until coals

The fire is ready when there are no flames, the smoke is thin and the fuel is glowing under a coat of grey ash. See how long to let the fire burn for more on timing, and reading your coals to judge the heat.

What not to use

• Petrol, paraffin or diesel. Petrol gives off vapour that can ignite from a distance and explode in a fireball. Paraffin and diesel smoke heavily and leave a fuel taste on everything. Never use any of them.
• Extra lighter fluid on a lit fire. The flame can run back up the stream into the bottle. If you use lighter fluid at all, use it once, before lighting, and let it burn off completely. A chimney starter makes it unnecessary.
• Treated, painted or scrap timber. Old pallets, offcuts and painted wood give off chemicals. Pine and other softwoods spit and leave soot on the food.

The fuels themselves are compared in wood, charcoal or briquettes, and if the weather is against you, read braai in wind and rain.