A chimney starter, also called a charcoal chimney, is a device that is used to set either lump charcoal

Charcoal

Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...

 or charcoal briquettes alight. It is usually a steel

Steel

Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...

 cylinder about 8" (20 cm) in diameter

Diameter

In geometry, a diameter of a circle is any straight line segment that passes through the center of the circle and whose endpoints are on the circle. The diameters are the longest chords of the circle...

 and about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) tall. Chimney starters have a plate or grate with several holes that is welded horizontally inside the cylinder about 3" (8 cm) from the bottom. The chimney has large holes drilled around its circumference below the grate. This is to allow air to flow up underneath the charcoal, which rests on top of the grate. They also have handles that are frequently insulated

Thermal insulation

Thermal insulation is the reduction of the effects of the various processes of heat transfer between objects in thermal contact or in range of radiative influence. Heat transfer is the transfer of thermal energy between objects of differing temperature...

. The chimney starter works by placing newspaper

Newspaper

A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...

 underneath the grate and lighting it on fire. This fire rises through the holes in the grate and sets the charcoal alight. It is commonly used in situations where the use of charcoal lighter fluid

Charcoal lighter fluid

Charcoal lighter fluid is a volatile mixture of petroleum distillates, like butane, sold to accelerate the ignition of charcoal in a barbecue grill. It can be used both with lump charcoal and briquettes. Lighter-fluid infused briquettes, such as Kingsford® Match Light® instant charcoal briquets,...

, a toxic petroleum

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 derivative, is inappropriate or banned. It is also used when extra charcoals are required while the grill is being used, such as when slowly cooking something for a few hours.

The chimney starter's basic device, used for barbecue grills, was invented in the 1960s by Hugh King, Lavaughn Johnson, and Garner Byars of Corinth, Mississippi

Corinth, Mississippi

Corinth is a city in Alcorn County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 14,054 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Alcorn County. Its ZIP codes are 38834 and 38835.- History :...

 and marketed under the "Auto Fire" label.

Use of a chimney starter

A chimney starter is used by placing charcoal (as lump charcoal or briquettes) in the chimney so that they stack on top of the grate. Once the charcoal is all burning (it will appear glowing red in the bottom and ashed over on the top), the chimney is picked up by its handle and the lit charcoal dumped into the grill.

A non-traditional use is to cook directly over the chimney starter, which provides a high-intensity heat-source for flash-searing

Searing

Searing is a technique used in grilling, baking, braising, roasting, sautéing, etc., in which the surface of the food is cooked at high temperature so a caramelized crust forms. Similar techniques, browning and blackening, are typically used to sear all sides of a particular piece of meat, fish,...

fish or other foods.

Make one yourself

Making a chimney starter with a grate and handle made out of coathanger wire is one approach , but a simpler method is to remove both ends of a large can (#10 food can or large Coffee can) and then to place the resulting cylinder on top of several charcoal briquettes. The briquette spacers allow air to enter the can at the bottom. To use, individually crumple up 3 sheets of newspaper and place a modest load (24) of briquettes on top of the newspaper. Light the newspaper from space between the spacing briquettes. Tongs or some other method of removing the hot can is necessary after the charcoal starts.