Charcoal can make or break your grill. Find out what kind you need and what to avoid in our guide to the best charcoal for your grill or smoker.
When it comes to choosing the right outdoor grill, opting for charcoal over propane is a no-brainer.
The old school cooking method has remained simply the favorite over gas cooking because it produces far better and more authentic food.
Crucial for this is the use of good charcoal. Lumpwood charcoal produces an authentic beautiful smoky flavor that creates that flavor we call “real” grilling.
However, it is not easy to find the right raw wood. Different brands and types differ in terms of quality, and many even carry vastly different flavors of your food.
My guide here will help you separate the wheat from the chaff and help you choose the best charcoal for your needs.
So, with all that in mind, here are our 7 picks for the best charcoal packs out there.
Best all-purpose charcoal: Fogo Premium
When it comes to choosing your preferred charcoal, natural hardwood is recommended for most grilling enthusiasts.
Often made from oak and maple wood, it is one of the cleanest and most reliable types of lump charcoal available.
The Fogo brand is synonymous with good quality barbecue fuel. They always use all-natural Central American hardwood, an ingredient they’ve used to produce high-performing, reliable fuel for years.
Fogo lump charcoal is great for ensuring early burn and higher temperatures.
This log fuel has all the perfect qualities for a great charcoal.
Their all-purpose lump charcoal comes in large chunks, meaning even a handful of charcoals will burn longer and at higher temperatures. In fact, she claims that 80% of the charcoal YOU receive in each bag will be at least 4 inches.
These larger coals offer more surface area to burn and also support good airflow for temperature control.
This high cooking temperature gives Fogo fuel an added level of versatility as it can also be used in Kamado grills that require high levels of heat.
The natural hardwood composition of the Fogo-Glut gives the food a nice smoky flavor. This is proof to yourself that YOU should always prefer natural hardwood over chemical briquettes.
It’s that naturally smoky flavor that makes it so great to pair with foods beyond regular grilled meats, like brisket or burgers. Because the taste is much more natural in aroma and flavor, you can use more delicate foods such as fish and vegetables.
It has to be said that this is an impressive achievement. Given the high temperatures at which these coals burn, you would be forgiven for thinking that the smoke could overpower the white meat or plants. I am happy to say that this is not the case.
Even at high temperatures, this lump of charcoal cannot be beaten, and can also be lit quickly and easily. So you have no problem with electric starters or lighter fluid. Just throw a few of these in your charcoal fireplace and you’ll be up and running in minutes. Check out our guide to using a charcoal fireplace.
Natural charcoal made from hardwood chunks is known for retaining its smoky flavors for hours, and Fogo’s charcoal is a perfect match. The large size of each charcoal ensures long heating times.
Fogo is committed to only making its charcoal from previously fallen trees, meaning its environmental impact is minimal compared to other charcoal fuels.
Coals should crumble when lit directly in the base of the grill(ie not in a chimney starter). The size of the charcoal can vary from bag to bag, and some packs contain a lot of useless powder.
Best charcoal for grilling: Royal Oak
Made in the USA, Royal Oak’s natural hardwood is of fantastic quality and emanates a lovely smoky aroma.
It is made from renewable oak, hickory and maple wood and contains absolutely no additives or chemicals. basically exactly what you would expect from natural hardwood.
These charcoals ignite very quickly and only take 15-20 minutes to reach a strong cooking temperature. In addition, the coals stay lit for hours, making them ideal for grilling.
What sets these charcoals apart is the impressively low amount of ash they give off during combustion. One of the pain points of grilling is how often you have to empty your smoker’s ash drawer, but Royal Oak have developed a grill fuel that greatly reduces this. This means you don’t have to change coals as often while keeping your grill or smoker clean.
This charcoal was made specifically for grilling, and it shows. It cooks for long periods of time, while its slightly more modest maximum temperatures make it easy to control the heat while cooking.
Best natural charcoal: Original natural quebracho charcoal
This Original Natural Charcoal Quebracho Charcoal is a perfect example of how the natural aromas and flavors of natural charcoal are superior to anything artificial briquettes or propane can offer.
Obtained from South American wood, this material is typical of the region’s fuel. It is packed with the distinct smoke flavors unique to natural hardwood.
This quebracho charcoal has stamina in abundance. It can burn at temperatures for hours and produce an impressive maximum of 1000°F.
Likewise, it’s easy to turn it down to 200F for a low and slow cook and burn for three or four hours at a time before it needs to be cooked.
As with many of the other lump charcoal packs on this list, Quebracho Carbon can reach optimal cooking temperatures in as little as 15 minutes. Additionally, compared to many other charcoals, it is clean and leaves minimal ash or residue when cooked.
Best Hardwood Charcoal: Mangrove
Mangrove is best for people who are unsure of heavily smoked meats and enjoy something lighter and more subtle.
If you also prefer grilled fish, chicken or vegetables, this could be the chunky hardwood for you.
Because the flavor and aroma of this charcoal is much milder than the others on the list, it’s important that you avoid using lighter fluid .
Honestly, I would never recommend using lighter fluid anyway, but with a charcoal as delicate as mangrove. You risk the unpleasant taste of the liquid completely overpowering the coals, so it’s best to steady yourself.
Like most of the charcoals on this list, Mangrove is made from dense hardwood trees. This ensures a solid charcoal that can keep its heat for hours with hardly any temperature fluctuations.
Best Charcoal for Kamado Grills: Grill Dome
Ceramic Kamado grills are beasts when it comes to raw cooking power. Equipped with strong insulation and reliable temperature readings, they are perfect for grilling and smoking. This lumpy hardwood fuel from Grill Dome is the best for the job.
Grill Dome coals come in large chunks, so you can get a lot out of a handful and reach impressive peak temperatures too.
BBQ fans get their money’s worth here. They can burn at low temperatures while preserving the flavors of the meat.
Best charcoal for grilling: Quebrancho Diablo Jealous
The Jealous Devil has a truly unique, quick-burn flavor that makes it absolutely perfect for grilling.
These charcoals are made from the Quebrancho Blanco tree. This tree gives the coals an excellent density, which gives your grilled food a fantastic smoky aroma.
Coals can reach a high temperature of a quickly ridiculous 1172°F. This gives you an amazing seal for barbecue grill clips like steaks and burgers. Its density quickly means it can burn for several hours at high temperatures.
Several large chunks of charcoal make up some of the contents of the charcoal bag, but are otherwise medium-sized chunks. If is from a different brand this might put me off but these Jealous Devils are so dense and so packed with power that it doesn’t affect performance at all.
Long burn times and red hot flames that can reach the jealous devil make this the perfect addition to your charcoal grill. Combined with this there are nice smoke flavors, a chemical-free composition and very little residual bag. The perfect lump coal.
Best for Big Green Egg: BIG CP
No wonder, then, that the best wood for the unique Big Green Egg models comes from the manufacturer himself. This natural oak and hickory charcoal burns extremely hot with minimal ash residue, making it a clean fuel in every sense of the word.
Not only does it stay true to the natural ingredients that go into the wood and ensure there are no fillers or chemicals, it goes above and beyond by containing 100% natural American Oak. It is an eco-friendly fuel that compares well to other charcoals on this list in terms of eco-friendliness.
The total lack of chemicals in the charcoal chunks makes it difficult to light and takes longer to reach the desired cooking temperature. However, this is more than fair compensation for the price of a healthy, clean and powerful fuel supply.
Due to its composition, it also gives the meat a nice smoky flavor without leaving traces of chemical aftertaste. The perfect charcoal.
Have a burning hardwood charcoal question? Check out our list of frequently asked questions to help you make the right purchasing decision.
What is lump coal?
Lump charcoal is the product of a long combustion process in which wood is burned in a low-oxygen environment. This cleans it and burns off the sap and water, eventually leaving something close to carbon. This is a lump and it is charcoal in its most natural form. Purists trust it, and so should you.
Lumpy charcoal might not look like much. In fact, in its raw form it looks like burned wood. But is is about 89% carbon, making it a great fuel for the BBQ.
The manufacturing process is incredibly complex and laborious. What starts with about 1.5 tons of wood boils down to a quarter ton of the charcoal we use for cooking.
What remains is a pure piece of naturally burning fuel that is perfectly safe for grilling or smoking food.
Why you should use lump charcoal for grilling
It is not only the blind loyalty to the purity of the coal that distinguishes Lump. It has many other qualities that speak for it as well. It burns at a much higher temperature than other cooking fuels, is really easy to light and much cleaner than briquettes.
Lump also responds well to oxygen, making it easy to increase and moderate the grill’s heat if you have top and bottom vents.
Lumpy Charcoal vs. Briquettes: What’s the Difference?
One of the most common choices for new smokers is choosing between lumps or briquettes for fuel. Let me try to nip this in the bud right now and tell you to always keep an eye out for lumpy charcoal.
As an organic and true fuel source, charcoal is not mixed with the type of fillers or additives that are briquettes. Not only does this mean it’s healthier and more environmentally friendly to use, but the flavor it imparts to your food is as pure and authentic as barbecue fuel.
In addition, due to its dense composition, charcoal burns longer at a higher temperature. This means that with the amount of charcoal you use in your grill, you can avoid it much more efficiently .
It’s true that briquettes tend to ignite a bit easier than lumps, but their performance and authenticity pale in comparison to briquettes so much that I would never recommend using them.
Properties of high-quality charcoal
Size
The larger the chunks, the better the fuel efficiency of your charcoal. Always look out for bags that contain quite a few large chunks.
Larger chunks are also great for controlling temperature, while smaller chunks tend to block airways and take longer to glow. Not only that, but when you use cheaper charcoal, the composition is made up of more fillers, meaning small pieces quickly become unusable. Go as big as you can.
Big lumps
A safe rule to live by when choosing your coals is: the bigger, the better. When the pieces are larger, they invariably burn longer and also at higher temperatures.
Always opt for larger pieces, and if you use different brands, remember that they serve the most generous pieces with good consistency.
Also note the amount of dust or dirt at the bottom of the charcoal bag. Too much dust can clog the grill or smoke vents.
Go all natural hardwood
When choosing your fuel, only choose bags that say Hardwood Lump Charcoal or 100% All Natural. Unnatural briquettes are convenient to use, but they are always full of chemicals, fillers and binders. These seriously damage the quality of your food and are extremely harmful to the environment at the same time.
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
