How long before a party do you fire up a (charcoal) grill for cooking?

Question

How long before a party do you fire up a (charcoal) grill for cooking?

Answer 1

you need 20 minutes before you cook to light the charcoal using one of those charcoal towers. In order to get the coals hot enough to cook. A charcoal tower is made by taking the top and bottom off of a Number 10 Tin can and layering newspaper then charcoal in the can. Light it from the bottom. the updraft catches the charcoal on fire and off you go.

Answer 2

It took me at our party 30-45min. before the charcoal got hot enough to cook on.

Answer 3

Had a BBQ party last night. We started the Charcoal when people showed up and that gave us 30-40 minutes to get the table set up with everyones side dishes and start popping open the beers before we tossed on the cow to grill!  

Answer 4

Yup, closer to 1/2 hour 45 minutes.

I use the "Charcoal Chimney" constantly and have yet (over 20 years) to have it ready to dump on the grill, yet alone cook, in 20 minutes.

That's with nasty Kingsford, or 100% hardwood briquettes, and lump charcoal nor coconut extruded charcoal.

Allow an hour before cooking.