How to Light a Smoker: Offset, Kamado, and Drum Smokers

Great barbecue starts with a clean fire. Lighter fluid and quick-light charcoal leave a chemical taste that lasts the whole cook. A natural fire starter gets your coals going with nothing but wood and wax, and because One Strike burns 30+ minutes, it lights a full charcoal bed without a chimney if you want to skip one.

Offset smoker (stick burner)

  1. Open the firebox door and the chimney damper fully.
  2. Build a small bed of lump charcoal in the firebox, about the size of a football.
  3. Set a One Strike starter in the middle of the charcoal and light it. Leave the firebox door open.
  4. When the charcoal is mostly gray (15 to 20 minutes), add one or two splits of seasoned wood (post oak, hickory, pecan or mesquite) on top.
  5. Once the splits are burning with a clean, thin blue smoke, close the firebox door and adjust the intake to hold your temperature. Thick white smoke means the fire needs more air.
  6. Add one split every 45 to 60 minutes, pre-warming it on top of the firebox so it ignites instantly.

Kamado (Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, etc.)

  1. Fill the firebox with lump charcoal to just below the fire ring. Use large pieces at the bottom for airflow.
  2. Dig a small pocket in the center and drop in one One Strike starter. For a hot sear, use one at the center and one near the edge.
  3. Light it with the lid open and bottom vent fully open. Leave the lid open 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Close the lid, set the bottom vent and top vent to your target, and let the ceramic come up to temperature slowly. Do not chase the temperature; a kamado overshoots easily.
  5. Add wood chunks once the charcoal is settled and the smoke runs clean.

Tip: kamados snuff out the starter quickly if you close the lid too early. Give it the full 8 to 10 minutes open.

Drum smoker (Pit Barrel, UDS)

  1. Fill the charcoal basket with briquettes or lump.
  2. Light one One Strike starter and set it on top of the charcoal in the center, or dig it in slightly.
  3. Leave the lid off for 15 to 20 minutes until a palm-sized area of coals is glowing.
  4. Hang or set your meat, put the lid on, and set the intake. The fire spreads slowly across the basket for an 8 to 12 hour burn.

Reading your smoke

  • Thin blue or nearly invisible: perfect. Keep doing what you are doing.
  • Thick white: smoldering, not burning. Open the intake and the chimney.
  • Black: something is burning that should not be (grease fire or wet wood). Close vents partway and check.

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 How to Start a Fire 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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