Once you try lighting charcoal with a chimney starter — an upright metal tube with a heatproof handle and a wire partition in the center — you'll never use petroleum-based lighter fluid again. Buy the largest chimney you can find at a grill or hardware store (Weber makes a good model) and light it the following way:

1. Remove the top grate from the grill. Place a crumpled sheet of newspaper in the bottom compartment of the chimney starter.

2. Place the chimney starter in the firebox and pour the charcoal in the top.

3. Light the newspaper with a match or a lighter. When the coals glow bright orange, after 15 to 25 minutes, carefully invert the chimney and rake out the coals to make a three-zone fire (see Organizing Your Heat, following page). It's a good idea to wear a leather grill glove while doing this.