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Setup & Fire

Putting a flat pack grill together, lighting it, building heat zones, feeding the fire and cooking on grates, griddle plates and cast iron.

Setting Up a Collapsible Grill: First Setup, Step by Step

The exact assembly order for a tab-and-slot collapsible charcoal grill, where to put it, and how to take it back down, using the Slot Grill.

Your First Cook on a Collapsible Grill

A low-stress plan for the first fire on a new flat pack charcoal grill: what to cook, how much charcoal, and what to watch for.

Lighting Charcoal in a Flat Pack Grill

Chimney starters, fire starters and other clean ways to light charcoal in a collapsible grill, and why to skip lighter fluid.

How to Build a Two-Zone Fire in a Collapsible Grill

The single most useful fire layout for a lidless flat pack grill: hot side for searing, cool side for finishing, and how to size it.

Adding Charcoal During a Long Cook

How to keep a collapsible grill going for longer cooks: when to add fuel, lit vs unlit coals, and how to do it safely.

Cooking With Wood in a Collapsible Grill

Using clean cooking wood instead of (or with) charcoal in a flat pack grill: which woods, how to burn down to coals, and how to cook over them.

Cooking on Griddle Plates on a Collapsible Grill

How to use flat steel griddle (plancha) plates on a collapsible charcoal grill: heat, oil, what to cook, and cleanup.

Using Cast Iron on a Collapsible Grill

How to cook with cast iron skillets and pots on a flat pack charcoal grill: weight, heat and safe handling.

Using a Collapsible Grill as a Fire Pit After Dinner

How a flat pack charcoal grill doubles as a small fire pit after the cook, and the rules to follow.

Cooking in Wind, Cold and Rain on a Collapsible Grill

How wind, cold and wet weather change a charcoal fire in an open flat pack grill and what to do about each.