How to use BBQ lighting fluid
Updated: 23 October 2026
The charcoal is in the bowl, the food is waiting, and the risky shortcut is a second squirt once you see a flame. How to use BBQ lighting fluid is a short order: cold coals, a modest pour, cap on, bottle away from the grill, then no more liquid. This is the sequence for a garden barbecue, drawn from GOV.UK, UK fire services, and UK maker sheets for lighting fluid and gel. It is not a ranking of the bottles in the [firelighter liquid comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/firelighter-liquid). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
The charcoal is in the bowl, the food is waiting, and the risky shortcut is a second squirt once you see a flame.
The charcoal is in the bowl, the food is waiting, and the risky shortcut is a second squirt once you see a flame. How to use BBQ lighting fluid is a short order: cold coals, a modest pour, cap on, bottle away from the grill, then no more liquid. This is the sequence for a garden barbecue, drawn from GOV.UK, UK fire services, and UK maker sheets for lighting fluid and gel. It is not a ranking of the bottles in the firelighter liquid comparison. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Form | Safety cap | Anti-flashback | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Big K Big K fluid (3 × 1 L) | Fluid | Safety cap stated | Not stated | 9.2 | about £15.99 | View offer |
 Big K Big K gel (1 L) | Gel | Safety cap stated | Not stated | 8.6 | about £9.95 | View offer | |
| Alternative |  ZIP ZIP fire lighter liquid (500 ml) | Fluid | Child resistant cap stated | Anti-flashback stated in bullets | 8.0 | about £15 | View offer |
On this page
Set the barbecue up first
Put the barbecue on level ground that will not catch, away from the shed, the fence, the tent, and overhanging branches. Clear old ash so air can move. Open the vents. GOV.UK’s outdoor fire guidance uses a charcoal bed about 5 cm deep, enough to cover the base, not a heap that will spill when it collapses. Keep children and pets back. A long match beats leaning over the bowl. The lid stays off while you light, because a closed lid traps vapour. If you are on a balcony, in a tent, under an awning, or in a caravan, stop. London Fire Brigade and GOV.UK both rule those places out.
Pour, cap, light
Cold charcoal only. Bartoline’s technical sheet for its own barbecue lighting fluid says to pour onto the charcoal, leave it to soak for about 30 seconds, light with a long match, and never spray coals that are already lit. That 30-second soak is Bartoline’s figure, not a number printed on every Big K or Homefiire bottle here. Use enough to dampen the coals, not enough to pool across the deck.
Cap the bottle the moment you finish pouring. ZIP’s sequence is the same: cap on, bottle moved away from the grill, then light. If the fluid has run onto the stand or the paving, let that patch evaporate before you strike anything. One reviewer on the Big K litre described a flare large enough to mention eyebrows.
Food goes on when the charcoal is covered in grey ash and you can no longer smell solvent. Cookery guides often put that at about 20 to 30 minutes, which is not a timer on these listings. If the chicken tasted of fuel last time, that wait is on lighter fluid taste on a barbecue.
Do not feed a lit fire
Once a flame exists, the bottle stays shut. Greater Manchester, Cornwall, and Mid and West Wales fire services all say you do not add more liquid fuel to a barbecue that is already lit. GOV.UK says not to use petrol or paraffin to revive a barbecue. A dying fire gets air: open the vents, rake the coals tighter, and add fresh cold charcoal only if you are not pouring fluid onto hot lumps.
If the first pour did not catch, let the bowl cool until the coals are cold to the touch, then start again with a smaller amount. The answer is kindling or a second attempt on cold fuel, not a stream into embers. Petrol, methylated spirits, and paraffin from a heater can are outside this job. HSE is explicit that petrol is not something you use to light fires.
Gel, and when to stop and call
Gel is meant to sit in a small pyramid or a few dabs on cold fuel, not to be shaken through the bowl like thin fluid. Barrettine’s gel label, for a different brand, says never on hot or burning coals, and ash before food. Big K reviews in this set still describe smoke and a short burn, so the wait does not disappear because the bottle says gel. The stop rule is the same: no gel on a flame.
If fluid meets a flame and you have a burn, a flash, or something in an eye, that is 999 or A&E. If someone has swallowed a mouthful, do not make them vomit. Call 999 if they are seriously unwell, and NHS 111 if you are unsure. If fluid has soaked a deck or clothing, ask the fire service rather than lighting it to burn it off.
Common questions
Do I light it straight away or let it soak?
Pour onto cold charcoal, then give it a short soak. Bartoline’s sheet for its own fluid says about 30 seconds. Treat that as that maker’s figure, not a line on every bottle here. Cap the bottle and move it away before the match.
Can I add more if the fire is dying?
No. UK fire services say you do not add lighting fluid, gel, petrol, or paraffin to a barbecue that is already lit. Open the vents and group the coals. If the first attempt failed, wait until everything is cold and start again.
How deep should the charcoal be?
GOV.UK’s outdoor guidance uses a bed about 5 cm deep, enough to cover the base. A deeper pile is harder to light evenly and more likely to spill. Vents stay open, and old ash comes out first.
Should the lid be open?
Yes, while you light and while the starter is burning off. You need to see the coals, and you do not want vapour trapped under a shut lid. Put the lid on later, once the bed is ashed over, if that is how your barbecue is meant to run.
Where does the bottle go after I pour?
Cap it immediately and put it several steps from the grill, upright and out of the sun. Do not leave it on the side shelf. The order is cap, distance, then light.
What if someone swallows a mouthful?
Do not induce vomiting. Call 999 if they are unwell, drowsy, or struggling to breathe. Call NHS 111 if you are not sure. Keep the bottle so you can read the label. Kerosene-type fluids can harm the lungs if liquid is vomited into them.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 21 October 2026.
- GOV.UK: fire safety outdoors (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- London Fire Brigade: barbecue fires, April 2026 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- HSE: do not use petrol to light fires (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 1860-3:2023 scope (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: kerosene general information (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- NHS: poisoning (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Bartoline: barbecue lighting fluid data sheet (retrieved 21 October 2026)
- Weber UK: how to use a charcoal barbecue (retrieved 21 October 2026)