The short answer
Here's how to light a kamado: clear out the old ash, fill with lump charcoal up to the bottom of the fire ring and light it in one spot for low temperatures, or in two or three spots for high. Use natural firelighters or one of our BBQ lighters, never lighter fluid.
Leave the lid and vents open until the firelighters have burnt out. Then close the lid and start closing the vents well before you reach your target temperature.
The quickest way is the Electric BBQ Lighter (2000W): hot air of up to around 700 degrees, and the charcoal glows within about 90 seconds, without any firelighters. Rather not use a plug? Light natural wood wool firelighters with a long lighter such as the PyroPen Turbo.
Before you light it: ash, charcoal and how full
Clear out the ash first. A kamado relies on airflow from below. If there's a layer of ash on the bottom, too little air reaches the charcoal and it won't get hot. Leftover charcoal that's still good can simply stay in and be topped up.
Lump charcoal, not ordinary briquettes. Big Green Egg and Primo advise against briquettes because they produce a lot of ash. The Bastard does allow coconut briquettes. Put the large lumps at the bottom so air can get between them.
How full? Up to about the bottom of the fire ring. For a long cook you fill it up, for a quick piece of meat there's no need. So how much you add depends on how long you'll be cooking.
Five ways to light it
The standard with almost every manufacturer: twists or cubes of wood wool with wax. Put one to three between the charcoal and let them burn out, usually around 7 to 10 minutes.
A wand that blows hot air onto the charcoal. The fastest and cleanest option, with no firelighters. You do need a socket or an outdoor extension lead.
Works well for lighting the firelighters or a few lumps of charcoal. Big Green Egg sells its own butane torch for lighting in Europe. More about that flame in jet flame or soft flame.
It works. Some manufacturers even mention it. It does light a lot of charcoal at once, though, so it's less handy for low temperatures.
Never. Every manufacturer advises against it because the ceramic absorbs the smell. With Primo and The Bastard it even voids your warranty.
With an electric lighter: how it works
Point the wand of the Electric BBQ Lighter at the charcoal from about 5 centimetres away and press the button. After roughly a minute and a half you'll see a glowing spot. If you then want to fan the fire a bit, switch it to the fan setting.
For low temperatures light it in one spot, for high in two or three. The Bastard, which itself lists this kind of lighter as its first method, uses this rule of thumb: one spot gives about 100 degrees, three spots about 200.
Don't blow into the ash, and take your food off if you add charcoal in the middle of a cook, or ash will blow onto it. The tip stays hot after use. In the video it's in an ordinary charcoal barbecue; in a kamado it works exactly the same way.
Step by step: how to light your kamado
Open everything
Lid open, bottom vent fully open, top vent too. A fire that's just starting needs plenty of air.
Clear the bottom and fill
Remove the ash so the air holes are clear. Fill with lump charcoal up to about the bottom of the fire ring, large lumps at the bottom.
Light it in one or more spots
One spot for low & slow, two or three for grilling or pizza. Firelighters go between the charcoal; with an electric lighter you blow directly onto the charcoal itself.
Leave the lid open for a while
Until the firelighters have burnt out or the charcoal is glowing nicely. Manufacturers give anything from a few minutes to a quarter of an hour, depending on the brand and target temperature.
Close the lid, close down the vents
Make big adjustments with the bottom vent and fine ones with the top. Start closing them well before you reach the temperature you want, because coming down takes much longer than going up.
Wait for thin smoke
Thick white smoke has to clear first, or you'll taste it. Only start cooking when the smoke is thin and bluish. For a stable temperature, let the ceramic heat through a little longer.
Lid and vents: open or closed?
While lighting, keep everything open: the lid, the bottom vent and the top vent. All manufacturers agree on that. They don't agree on how long the lid stays open: about two minutes for Grill Dome, around ten minutes for Kamado Joe, seven to fifteen for Big Green Egg, depending on the manual. A good rule of thumb: close it as soon as the firelighters have burnt out.
After that you control the temperature with the vents. Give it at least five to ten minutes after each adjustment before you turn them again. A kamado responds slowly, and if you correct too quickly you'll swing back and forth.
Still running too hot? Close both vents down a bit and wait. The ceramic holds on to heat for a long time, so be patient.
When can you start grilling?
When the thick white smoke has gone and only thin, almost clear smoke comes out of the top vent. That white smoke gives your food a bitter taste.
For quick grilling at high temperature you can often start after about a quarter of an hour. For low & slow it's worth letting the temperature settle first: Kamado Joe gives 20 to 40 minutes for this. The ceramic heats up more slowly than the air, and a kamado that's heated through drops less when the meat goes on.
Five mistakes almost everyone makes once
Too many firelighters or too many spots. Then it gets hotter faster than you want. Start with one spot if you want to stay low.
Vents wide open for too long. If you wait until you've reached the temperature, you'll overshoot. Close down earlier.
Leaving the ash in. Then the fire gets no air and the kamado stays cold.
White paraffin cubes or lighter fluid. Choose natural firelighters. Why wood wool often works better than cubes is explained in wood wool or paraffin blocks.
Going full blast the first few times. The Bastard advises not taking a new kamado above 200 degrees the first three times, and Kamado Joe sets the same limit for the first cook.
Safety: burping, gloves and the ash
Burping. A hot kamado with little oxygen can produce a flashback if you open the lid all at once. So lift it a few centimetres first, wait a second or two, and then open it fully. Big Green Egg recommends doing this every time.
Gloves. When burping, moving the grid or fitting the heat deflector, wear heat-resistant gloves, such as our Heat-Resistant Leather Gloves, with a 41 centimetre cuff.
Location and ash. Don't use it under a canopy or awning. Never put it out with water, as the ceramic can crack; closing the vents is enough. Ash can stay hot for a long time, so only throw it away once it has cooled completely, in a metal bin.
Frequently asked questions
With firelighters it's usually ready for grilling after ten to fifteen minutes. With an electric hot air lighter the charcoal glows after a couple of minutes. For a stable low temperature, allow another 20 to 40 minutes after that.
Open, together with both vents, until the firelighters have burnt out. According to the manufacturers that's usually somewhere between a few minutes and a quarter of an hour. Then close the lid and control it with the vents.
Yes. With an electric hot air lighter you don't need any firelighters at all. A gas torch or jet flame works too, although it's easier to light a firelighter with one than the charcoal itself.
Yes, a hot air lighter such as the Looftlighter or our Electric BBQ Lighter works well in a kamado. The Bastard even calls it its preferred method. You do need a socket.
White smoke is normal when lighting: the firelighters and the first charcoal are burning off. Wait until the smoke is thin and bluish before you start cooking. If it stays white for a long time, the charcoal may be damp.
Our pick
If you want to light it quickly and cleanly without firelighters, an electric hot air lighter is the most pleasant. If you'd rather not have a plug near your kamado, natural firelighters and a long jet flame lighter work fine. Whichever you choose, the rest is the same: ash out, everything open, and adjust in good time.
Browse all our BBQ lighters, or have a look through the BBQ accessories for anything else that goes with your kamado.
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