Kingsford BC251, Instruction Manual

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LIGHTING AND CONTROLLING THE FIRE
LIGHTING THE FIRE
Always light the fire with the grill lid open. Before lighting the fire, open the hood of your
KINGSFORD® CHARCOAL GRILL, as well as all of the butterfly dampers and remove the cooking
grates.
Do not build too large of a fire. We recommend starting a fire with no more than 2 pounds of
charcoal (approximately 30 briquettes) and adding more as needed during cooking. After allowing the
fire to burn down, place the cooking grate on the unit. Lower the adjustable charcoal pan to its lowest
setting.
If using charcoal lighter fluid to start the fire, saturate the charcoal briquettes with lighter fluid and let it
soak in for approximately 5 minutes. After allowing the lighter fluid to properly soak in, light the pile of
briquettes in several locations to ensure an even burn. Chimney starters, electric starters, or other
types of fire starters may be used instead of lighter fluid to light the fire – but only according to those
manufacturers’ instructions. Never use instant light charcoal or charcoal lighter fluid with any of
these other starting methods.
Allow the charcoal enough time to completely ash over before beginning to cook, so that the lighter
fluid has enough time to burn off. Starting to cook too soon can leave your food tasting like lighter
fluid. After ashover is complete, use long-handled tongs to spread the charcoal into a single layer on
the pan.
Failure to read and follow instructions for lighting charcoal may result in serious personal injury and/or
property damage.
CONTROLLING THE FIRE
Allow enough time for properly building the fire and getting the grill up to desired temperature before
attempting to cook. You simply cannot cook properly in a cold grill, nor can you nurse a fire to life
while busy with the food. Both deserve your best! Once a fire is burning happily, it is easy to keep
it going with just a little attention. You will be pleased at how long your KINGSFORD® CHARCOAL
GRILL will burn on a little charcoal.
Rising heat will move up and out of the grill, pulling in cooler air behind it, which provides oxygen for
the fire. Your KINGSFORD® CHARCOAL GRILL has four butterfly dampers that control airflow,
which lets you fine tune the temperature. NOTE: Dampers will become very hot after lighting the
charcoal - be sure to wear insulated grill mitt during adjustment.
After the fire is established and the grill reaches the desired cooking temperature, the butterfly
dampers can be left completely open, providing maximum airflow for a higher temperature or closed
as needed to decrease airflow for a lower temperature. Use the temperature gauge to monitor the grill
temperature.
Fully opening the upper damper on one side and fully opening the opposite lower damper (closing the
remaining dampers) will create a convection effect inside the grill when the hood is closed. This will
allow for extended cooking times when barbecuing.
The adjustable charcoal grate can also be used to control the temperature. Raise it to its highest
setting for quick searing and lower it to its lowest setting for slow cooking.