Use decent coals. Do not purchase unknown brands that are difficult to ignite. Place the coals by hand once they are poured in from the bag. Make sure there is an even square or rectangular pattern and no large gaps between coals are present.
In order to avoid later problems use a liquid as opposed to a jelly-type liquid fuel. This 
type starts burning faster. Do not economize with the fuel. Use it liberally and make sure every piece of charcoal is well saturated. Wait about a minute for the fuel to penetrate the coal before throwing in a couple of matches in different areas of the coal.
Wait until the fire goes out and the coal begins to smolder and turns gray. Do not wait too long or you will not have enough time to cook the meat, especially if you are cooking a lot of it. You will then have to add coals and fluid and the process will become annoying.
Do no use the pre-soaked charcoal. You do not know what they used and you might be waiting too long before being able to put the meat on. The same goes for the attached pieces of coal that look like egg cartons.
