If you've never heard of the fire triangle nows the time to learn
Place the coals in a small mound in the middle of the grill and place a generous ammount of lighter fluid over the coals. Let the fluid soak into the coals for about a minute or so then light the coals. If you light the coals directly after dousing with lighterfluid you risk burning up all the fluid too quickly. Once the flames have gone out place the topmost grill (not the lid) over the coals. Once the coals turn mostly white and you can now start to grill.
2) Grilling the food
It takes a little bit of practice and a bit of touch before you can properly say when a piece of meat is done. If you want to be scientific you should use a meat thermometer for accuracy, but you will learn quickly how to tell when the food is done. When using a weber type kettle dont forget to use the lid!!! By using the lid you turn your grill into a little oven that can cook the food faster. Also, you can regulate the temperature of the fire by adjusting the vents on top of the grill. If you dont use the lid, you will notice that the fire will get VERY hot and any food on the grill cooks superfast and is at risk of getting burnt and dried out. Dont forget the fire triangle!! The more air the fire has the hotter it will burn!
**this reminds me, I've seen alot of people FREAK OUT because while they're cooking the fat that drips into the coals catch fire. Dont use water to put the fire out unless you want to wast your time. Simply place the lid on the grill, if you want you can even close the vents but thats not necessarry. In about ten seconds the fire will go out. Garanteed. You just removed (i.e. significantly shortened) the Oxygen leg of the fire triangle and did not reduce the ability of the coals to cook your food. Using water will put out your fire to such an extent that you risk significantly reducing the temperature of the fire and thereby increasing the cooking time and possibily resulting in dried out food.
One tip when it comes to grilling chicken or ribs is to grill the food about 3/4 of the way through then place in an oven on low heat for another 20 minutes or so. This will ensure that the food is tender and prevents it from drying out and you also can prepare other things or just relax with a beer at talk with the guests..
3) Maintenance
After grilling your food use a wire brush to clean the grill while its still warm. Alternatively, you can also brush the grill while its heating up before you grill. Either way, brush while the grill is warm. Also, dont use water to put out the fire. Simply place the lid on the grill and close the top and bottom vents. Remember the fire triangle? Now you've completely eliminated the oxygen leg and the coals will go out in a matter of minutes. This is also advantageous since you can now reuse the coals the next time you grill! This is very handy since they relight easier than fresh coals wich is pretty handy when lighting coals using the indirect heating method!
Ashes should be regularly cleaned out of the grill because they absorb moisture from the atmosphere and cause rusting on the inside of the grill and thus decreases the life of your grill.
