Size, Handle, Heat Shield: How to Choose the Best Chimney Starter

Carne asada wants a hot, even bed of coals, and the simplest way to get one is a chimney starter. It is a metal cylinder with a grate near the bottom: charcoal goes in the top, crumpled paper or a fire starter goes underneath, and the draft pulls the flame up through the coals until the top layer is ashed over and ready to pour into the grill. No lighter fluid, and no waiting for it to burn off before the meat goes on.

Most chimneys look the same, so the differences are in the details: how much charcoal they hold, whether the handle stays cool, whether there is a heat shield, and whether the thing packs flat for a day at the park. This guide compares the chimney starters worth buying on those points, using each maker’s own specifications.

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Quick verdict: which chimney starter to buy

The rest of this page explains why, and which chimney suits your grill.

Five chimney starters side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of grill cook, with the specifications each maker or listing states. All six chimneys and one companion fire starter are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Sizes, materials and capacities are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

How this guide differs from our charcoal accessories guide

Our guide to the best charcoal grill accessories names the Weber Rapidfire as the first tool to buy, alongside thermometers, gloves and tongs. This page goes one step further for anyone choosing the chimney itself: it compares six chimneys by size, handle, heat shield and portability, so you can match one to a small tabletop grill, a barrel smoker or a park cookout, and it explains what to put underneath the charcoal to light it.

Our picks for the best chimney starter

Six chimneys and one companion fire starter. The chimneys cover a full-size workhorse, a lighter wood-handled model, a compact budget option, a folding stainless chimney for travel, a fan-assisted chimney for speed and a short chimney sized for barrel smokers. The fire starter is there because a chimney still needs something underneath to catch, and paper is not always the best choice on a windy day.

How to choose a chimney starter for your grill

A kitchen chooses equipment by the job it has to do every day. For a chimney, the job is to deliver the right amount of lit charcoal to the grill, safely, with the least fuss. Five points decide which one does that for you.

1. Capacity: match it to your grill

A full-size chimney like the Weber Rapidfire holds, by Weber’s figure, about 5.7 pounds of briquettes, enough for a 22.5-inch kettle. On a 14-inch tabletop grill that is too much, and you will fill it partway every time. Compact chimneys around 11 inches tall and 6.5 inches across, such as the GrillPro, Lodge and Camping Moon, suit smaller kettles and portable grills. If you are still choosing the grill, our guide to the best charcoal grill gives each one’s size.

2. Handle and heat shield

The handle is the part you touch while the body is full of burning coals. A heat shield between the cylinder and the grip, as on the Weber and the BBQ Dragon, cuts the heat that reaches your hand; a wood handle, as on the Lodge, is the other approach. A second helper handle, as on the Weber, lets you pour with both hands. Whatever the design, Weber recommends gloves when the chimney is hot, and our guide to the best grill tools covers what else to keep at hand.

3. Material

Aluminized and galvanized steel are the usual bodies; they are light and resist rust, and they will discolor with use. The Camping Moon is 430 stainless steel. No chimney here is a lifetime purchase in the way a cast iron pan is, so weigh the warranty: GrillPro lists one year, this Weber listing states none, and Lodge covers its chimney under its own warranty.

4. Where you grill

A round chimney is awkward in a packed car. If your cookouts happen at the park or a campsite, a folding chimney like the Camping Moon, or a short one like the Pit Barrel, packs far better than a 12-inch cylinder.

5. How fast you need the coals

Every chimney here lights charcoal without lighter fluid. If speed matters, the BBQ Dragon’s air elbow lets a fan or blower force the fire, which its maker says gets coals ready in about 3 minutes with its own fan. Without forced air, plan on the time your chimney’s maker gives: Lodge says about 10 minutes with paper and a match.

Lighting a chimney safely, from first match to cold ash

Read your grill’s and chimney’s instructions first. These rules come from the National Fire Protection Association’s grilling safety tip sheet, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission and the makers named:

• Use charcoal grills only outdoors, well away from the home, deck railings, eaves and overhanging branches (NFPA). Lodge also marks its chimney for outdoor use only.
• Never use charcoal to cook or for heat inside tents, campers, vans, cars, trucks, homes, garages or mobile homes, because the carbon monoxide can kill you (CPSC).
• Chimney starters let you start charcoal with newspaper as the fuel (NFPA). If you use starter fluid instead, use only charcoal starter fluid, keep it away from children and heat, and never add it or any other flammable liquid to a fire (NFPA). That includes a chimney that is slow to catch.
• Electric charcoal starters do not use fire; if you use one, use an extension cord rated for outdoor use (NFPA).
• Keep children and pets at least three feet from the grill area, and never leave the grill unattended (NFPA).
• Wear gloves when the chimney is hot, as Weber recommends.
• When you are finished, let the coals cool completely before you dispose of them in a metal container (NFPA).

How we picked these chimney starters

We started from what a kitchen expects of a fire-lighting tool: a predictable amount of lit charcoal, a handle you can hold safely, and no lighter fluid near the food. We then searched Amazon in the United States for chimney starters from makers that publish their own details, checked each one’s stock with Amazon’s product data, and read the maker’s page where one exists (Weber, Lodge and Pit Barrel Cooker) and one independent review of the BBQ Dragon (The Gadgeteer); otherwise specifications come from the brand’s own listing, and each review says when a detail is not stated. Several makers we looked for, including Char-Griller, Kingsford, Cuisinart and Oklahoma Joe’s, had no chimney starter in our Amazon searches when we checked, so the list has six chimneys rather than padding it with unbranded ones. We added one fire starter because a chimney needs something underneath it to catch. We left out unbranded and “Generic” listings and chimneys that were down to their last few units. We have not used these chimneys for this guide, and we did not rely on any review site’s rankings.

Chimney starter questions, answered

What is the best chimney starter for a Weber kettle?

The Weber Rapidfire, for a 22-inch kettle: Weber says a full load is about 5.7 pounds of briquettes, enough for a 22.5-inch kettle. For an 18-inch kettle or smaller, a compact chimney such as the Lodge or GrillPro is easier to fill to the right amount.

How long does a chimney starter take?

It depends on the chimney, the charcoal and the weather. Lodge says its chimney gives hot coals in about 10 minutes with a piece of newspaper and a match. BBQ Dragon claims about 3 minutes, but only with a fan forcing air into its elbow. The coals are ready when the top layer is covered in gray ash.

Do I need lighter fluid with a chimney starter?

No. A chimney uses newspaper or a fire starter underneath, as the NFPA notes. If you do use fluid on a charcoal grill, the NFPA says to use only charcoal starter fluid and never add it to a fire that is already lit.

What do chimney starter reviews say to watch for?

Mostly size and handle. A chimney that is too big for the grill wastes charcoal, and a handle without a shield gets hot. Check the stated capacity against your grill, look for a heat shield or a wood handle, and plan to wear gloves regardless.

Can I use a chimney starter with lump charcoal?

Yes. Pit Barrel Cooker describes its chimney for briquettes or lump, and BBQ Dragon names lump charcoal among the fuels for its chimneys. Lump pieces vary in size, so a load weighs less than the same chimney full of briquettes.

Our final pick for lighting the grill

Buy the Weber Rapidfire Chimney Starter if you cook on a full-size kettle or barrel grill: it has a stated capacity, a heat shield and a second handle for pouring. Choose the Lodge for a lighter chimney with a wood handle, and the Camping Moon if the grill travels to the park. Add a box of fire starters if paper gives you trouble in the wind, and keep gloves next to the chimney.

For thermometers, gloves, baskets and the rest of the kit, see our guide to the best charcoal grill accessories, and for the grill itself, the best charcoal grill.

Prefer cubes, fatwood or an electric starter? See our guide to the best charcoal fire starters.

Related guide: Lighter fluid alternative.

And if you would rather let someone else light the fire tonight, see the menu or call to order.