The night that made me swear off “just winging it” with charcoal started with a half-burnt bag of hot dog buns. I’d piled the Kingsford Original briquettes into a pyramid like the directions said, dumped lighter fluid, and waited. And waited. Smoke was rolling up so thick it stung my eyes, neighbors peeking over the fence probably wondering if I was trying to fumigate the whole block. By the time the coals finally caught, my niece had already roasted a bun straight over the flame just to have something to eat. Embarrassing doesn’t even cover it.
A few weeks later a friend brought over a bag of Kingsford Match Light and said, “This’ll save your sanity.” I thought it was a gimmick—charcoal is charcoal, right? But I gave it a try, partly out of curiosity and partly because I didn’t want another dinner ruined.
The first time I used Match Light I didn’t even stack it properly, just dumped a pile in the middle of the grill. One flick of my long kitchen lighter (the kind I keep around because I’m terrible at matches) and whoosh—it caught. Ten minutes later, the coals were glowing like they were supposed to, and I actually had time to sip a beer instead of crouching and fanning like a caveman. My wife walked outside and did a double take because dinner wasn’t “running late as usual.” That little moment of calm—just sitting instead of battling smoke—that’s what hooked me.
Here’s kind of how I see the difference between the two:
| Feature | Match Light | Original |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Lighting | Super quick – lights with a flick | Needs lighter fluid or chimney starter |
| Time to Cooking Heat | About 10 minutes | 20–25 minutes (sometimes longer if windy) |
| Burn Time | Burns hot but shorter | Lasts longer, steady heat |
| Flavor Impact | Some say faint lighter-fluid smell at first | Classic charcoal flavor, clean burn |
| Best For | Weeknight grilling, quick dinners | Weekend BBQs, low & slow cooking |
Of course, it’s not all perfect. Match Light has this faint chemical smell when it first catches. The first time I used it, I panicked thinking it would seep into the food. Honestly though, once the flames died and the coals turned gray, the burgers tasted fine. My uncle still insists he can “taste the lighter fluid,” but he also claims store-bought potato salad tastes like plastic, so maybe he’s not the best judge. What did bother me a little was how fast the bag disappeared. Two cookouts and poof—empty. With Original I can stretch a bag way longer, especially if I use a chimney starter.
Still, Original has its own kind of headache. Lighting it feels like a ritual, and not always in a good way. There was one night I had people over, I’m out there in the dark with a flashlight clamped between my teeth, trying to see if the coals were catching. My neighbor leaned over the fence, shook his head, and handed me his lighter fluid. “You still messing around with that?” he said. And he wasn’t wrong—Original takes longer, but it does give this steady, dependable heat once it’s going. I used it for ribs last summer, low and slow, and it held steady for hours. Match Light never lasts that long, it burns quicker, like it’s in a rush.
It’s funny because now I actually keep both bags in the garage. Match Light for weeknights, when the kids are hungry and I don’t feel like performing fire tricks just to make hot dogs. Original for weekends, when I’ve got all day and maybe even enjoy the process, even if it means smoke in my eyes and lighter fluid on my hands. Different tools for different moods, I guess.
I asked the same friend who first gave me Match Light what he uses now, and he laughed. Said he went back to Original. “Half the fun is in the lighting,” he told me. For him it’s tradition, like his dad used to do. For me, it’s more about avoiding chaos. I don’t need another niece roasting buns over raw flame.
So which one’s better? Depends who you are. If you’re the type who wants grilling to be quick and painless, Match Light feels like cheating but in the best way. If you’re patient—or just enjoy the old-school vibe of coaxing coals to life—Original is your friend. Me, I like having both. Sometimes convenience wins, sometimes nostalgia does. And maybe that’s the real difference: Match Light makes grilling easy, Original makes it memorable, even when it doesn’t go quite as planned.
