Starting a Fire

The simplest way to start a fire, even in challenging conditions, is with dry wood (such as packaged firewood available at grocery and hardware stores), kindling (small dry sticks, store-bought or foraged from your yard), and a starter such as fatwood. Build the firewood and kindling into a teepee, with plenty of kindling underneath as a foundation. Light either a piece of kindling or fatwood, holding it downward and lighting the bottom. Once it’s fully lit and the flame starts to climb up the stick, set it in a spot with several pieces of kindling, flame-side down. Watch the fire closely at the beginning, relighting the fatwood if it extinguishes too quickly, and adding more pieces of kindling, one by one, until the firewood catches. Resist the urge to add more firewood until you’ve got a solid fire going. Once you do, add your charcoal or more firewood as needed to keep the fire going long enough to prepare your dish.