The Carne Asada Fire: Lighting Charcoal for a Backyard Cookout

Down here in the Rio Grande Valley, a carne asada is not a meal, it is a whole afternoon. The grill gets lit early, the first round of fajitas goes on, then the sausage, then the chicken, and somebody is still cooking tortillas on the comal when the sun goes down. A fire that long needs to be built right. Here is how we do it at home.

What you need

  • Lump charcoal or briquettes, a full bag for a long cookout.
  • A few chunks of mesquite or pecan for flavor (mesquite is the Valley classic; go easy, it is strong).
  • One or two One Strike fire starters. No lighter fluid.
  • A long pair of tongs and a bucket of water nearby.

Lighting the first bed

  1. Pour charcoal into the grill in a mound on one side, leaving the other side empty. That empty side is where food rests and where you avoid flare-ups later.
  2. Dig a small pocket in the top of the mound and set one One Strike starter in it. For a big half-barrel or a 55-gallon pit, use two starters a foot apart.
  3. Light the edge of the starter. Leave the lid open. The coals catch from the center outward over 15 to 20 minutes.
  4. When most of the pile is gray with a red glow underneath, spread the coals into an even bed about two coals deep and lay a mesquite chunk on top.
  5. Put the grate on and let it heat for 5 minutes before the first fajitas go down.

Keeping the fire going for hours

  • Every 45 minutes or so, add a handful of fresh charcoal to the edge of the bed, not on top of the meat zone. It catches from the existing coals.
  • If the fire dies down too far while nobody was watching, do not reach for lighter fluid. Push the live coals together, set a fresh starter against them, and add charcoal around it. Ten minutes later you are back in business.
  • Flare-ups from fat: move the meat to the empty side for a minute, do not spray water on the coals.

Why no lighter fluid

Fajitas are thin. They cook in a few minutes right over the coals and pick up everything that is in the smoke. Charcoal that was lit with fluid and not fully burned off puts that taste straight into the meat. A wood and wax starter leaves nothing behind but heat.

Para la familia

One Strike is a family-owned, Hispanic-owned company from Edinburg, Texas. We built this starter for exactly this kind of weekend: one match, no chemicals, and a fire that keeps up with the cook.

Fire safety basics

  • Never use lighter fluid, gasoline or any accelerant with a fire starter. You do not need it.
  • Keep a bucket of water, a hose or a Class A extinguisher within reach.
  • Never leave a fire unattended, and never let children light a fire starter.
  • Check local burn bans and campground rules before lighting anything outdoors.
  • Burn only in a well-ventilated space. Indoor fireplaces and wood stoves need an open damper and a clean chimney.
  • Let ashes cool completely (24 hours is a good rule) before disposing of them in a metal container.

Shop the Box of 5 ($10) or try a single starter ($2). Family-owned and made in Edinburg, Texas. More guides on our Blog page.

California Proposition 65 Warning

⚠ WARNING: This product can expose you to chemicals including wood dust and soot, which are known to the State of California to cause cancer, and carbon monoxide, which is known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov.

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