Make sure you have a thermometer set up close to where the meat sits in order to get an accurate temperature reading. Here’s how to build a barbecue fire in a standard charcoal grill. Start charcoal in a chimney starter. A chimney starter is a metal cyl

Closing the top vent halfway will produce a medium grill or 350 to 450 F. For low temperature (250 to 350 F), the top vent should be open a quarter of the way. In most cases, the bottom vent should stay all the way open. Don't close the vents complete

Make sure the vents are open for a larger fire. Open vents send more air and oxygen to the fire, helping it grow quickly. Keep the lid open as you position the coals and sear anything your want to grill, then close it to smoke the meat or cook it more slo