- I can't tell you how many people say they know how to start a fire, but then when it really comes down to it, they cannot get it lit or keep it lit. I'm gonna show you some foolproof steps on how to make a raging
fire and to keep it going every single time. And maybe I wanna throw
some food on there, too. Starting a fire just seems so primitive. I mean, way back in the day, everyone used to know
how to do it, no problem. Nowadays, I'm a little bit nervous that no one can even make
a fire or keep it going. So now, to start off, I'm gonna show you these tricks. Ready? Let's start that fire. This of course, starts with wood. Now, you can chop down a tree and dry out the wood a
little bit if you'd like, or you can simply go to
a local hardware store, a local firewood place, or even sometimes, you can
find firewood at gas stations. Whatever the case, it
all starts with firewood, and most likely it is a blend of wood, which is totally fine. Before we do anything, though, we definitely need to put on some gloves. There's a lot of chance for splinters, you're gonna be using an ax, so please, please,
please protect yourself. Get a good pair of gloves before starting. Now, the first thing that I like to do is get any low-hanging fruit. By that I mean using my
hands, or my gloves, rather, to pull off anything that is hanging off. This is great kindling
to get our fire started, so of course, the bark, or also, any of those
fibrous wood-like materials also known as tinder
hanging off are also great. But now I'm gonna need the ax. I like to choke up a little bit because it makes the ax
a little easier to handle and gives you more control. Simply remove the bark or slice very thin pieces off the edges. This is the kindling that we
will need to make our fire. We don't need newspaper
or fire or lighter fluid. All you need to do is trim
up a little bit of kindling to get this fire going. We're gonna use about a half
gallon to a gallon or so, so go ahead and set it to the side until it's ready to light. Now, if you wanna cheat, you can use something called fatwood. Fatwood is essentially the
root of a dead pine tree. It lights extremely fast, and a little bit goes a long way. You may need only one
or two pieces of these to get a raging fire any
time that you want it. You can get this from a local store or buy it in bulk online, which is exactly what I did. Okay, if you couldn't tell, I'm clearly in my backyard. I live in Chicago. I even hear a plane going by. We have super long, skinny lots. And it doesn't matter if
you're a house, camping. You want a super secure, safe place to get that fire started. I have a huge fire pit in the backyard, so that's exactly where I'm gonna do it. Grab a few logs of firewood. We're going straight over to that fire pit I was telling you about. The first thing we wanna
do is build a log cabin. We're gonna lay two pieces down, and just like in a cabin, we're gonna lay two pieces on the opposite ends going
in the other direction. Now in the center of that, I'm gonna place all
that kindling and tinder that we chopped up. And at this point, my friends, it's time to separate
the men from the boys. I'm going to light my fire using a flint. Give it a few sparks. Get it going just as best as you can. Don't look at your favorite chef in shame. It's super hard to use this to get it lit. I'm gonna cheat, I'm gonna use a lighter. Yeah, that didn't work out
so well, it's really hard, so I got a butane lighter. Just go ahead and get it going. Again, those little
string-like wood pieces light very, very quickly. Once it starts to catch fire, I usually add a few pieces
of kindling right over top. Now, you obviously need
oxygen to get the fire going, but to make sure it doesn't blow out, I put two more pieces on the top, stacked in the other direction. It will start to take off very quickly. You'll notice that the
larger pieces of fire will start to catch. We know we're in good place now, and within maybe 15 minutes, you're gonna get a really good fire, and a couple more minutes after that, you're gonna have yourself a beauty. (stirring orchestral music) Beautiful fire every single time, and comies, it's like I say every week. Once you start understanding
these fundamental techniques like lighting a fire, this is how they used to
cook way back in the day. So simple, so primitive, hard to do? Not anymore. You use this, you apply it to all of
your cooking techniques, you are gonna become a
well-rounded chef, cook. Hone those skills, my friends. It's gonna make your food
taste that much better. Now I'm hungry, so let's cook in slo-mo. Now, normally I would
talk you through this, but this time, sit back and relax and enjoy the art of making food. (stirring orchestral music) So, while this chicken is going in slo-mo, I'm gonna make a little
sauce in slo-mo, too. (stirring orchestral music) All right, you guys, it's your turn to get that fire going. Make some s'mores, do
whatever you gotta do. Be sure to like this video,
subscribe to my channel, and definitely check out this video, 'cause it is super good,
and I'll see you on there. It's chicken time.
