Although barbecuing is a simple cooking method, it does have its intricacies. Barbecue gourmands all over the world have a lot to say about this method, especially for the fuel that are used to grill your food.
Well, there are two types of fuel that you can use on your charcoal grill. One is the lump charcoal, and the other one is the charcoal briquettes. In this blog post, I will be talking about the former, specifically, the best lump charcoals can give you speedy and quality cooking results.
Lump charcoals are created from burning wood in a very slow process. Take note that the burning happens in the absence of oxygen until all natural chemicals, sap and moisture are eliminated from the wood. This process results into a fuel that lights quickly, doesn’t generate too much ash and creates a high level of heat.
If you are looking for the best options for this type of charcoal, then you should check out the following list below. By the way, I listed these brands of charcoal lumps. I rated them based on their popularity to the community and their overall performance, of course.
The Best Lump Charcoal: 6 Most Popular Options
#1. Best for Smoky Flavor: Best of the West Masters Selection All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
For the scent and flavor of real barbecue, this lump charcoal is your best bet! With this, you can add an appetizing smoky wood flavor to whatever you’re grilling. Since it’s all-natural, you won’t have to worry about added chemicals or preservatives; all you need to do is enjoy the clean and easy giving you more opportunities to enjoy your barbecues. A mesquite-scented variant is also available.text here…
PROS
- lights easy
- hardwood scent
- value for money
CONS
- some pieces may not be uniform in size
#2. Best for Indoor: IPPINKA Kishu Binchotan BBQ Charcoal
The binchotan charcoal was traditionally made for over three hundred years by charcoal makers in Japan. Branch clippings of native binchotan oak are meticulously stacked and burned for several weeks in low temperatures using large mountainside kilns by artisans. This produced charcoal of extraordinary purity that makes for long- and clean-burning (almost smokeless) flames for your indoor grill or yakitori-style barbecues. It may even be re-used if stored properly
PROS
- clean burning
- option for indoor grilling
- reusable
CONS
- expensive
#3. Best for the Environment: Rockwood All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Made from a mix of sustainably sourced Missouri Oak, Hickory, Maple, and Pecan Wood (left over from timber milling), this lump charcoal brings clean burn and superb flavor to your grilled foods. It is quick to light and produces very little ash, allowing you to intense flavors and juiciness from your barbecued favorites. Its recyclable bag and soy-based inks are also earth-friendly since its landfill-safe and won’t give off harmful fumes if burned.
PROS
- earth-friendly
- ash-minimizing
- quick to light
CONS
- may burn out quickly
#4. Best Budget Friendly: Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal
If you don’t want your barbecue cravings to burn a hole through your wallet, this affordable lump charcoal made from a blend of oak, hickory and maple hardwoods is for you. It can be used to grill a variety of foods at high heat, producing delicious smoky flavors and aroma that you so love. Since it’s all-natural, it makes for a cleaner burn.
PROS
- affordable
- clean burning
- quick to light
CONS
- some pieces may not be uniform in size
#5. Runner Up: Fogo Premium Oak Restaurant All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Made from high-quality hardwoods, this restaurant-quality lump charcoal is perfect for smoking and grilling, especially for ceramic-style Kamado grills. It produces flames that reach high heat in less time, sealing in the flavor and juiciness of barbecued meats, but also burns longer, cleaner and more evenly than other grill fuels.
PROS
- even and quick burning
- clean burning
CONS
- some pieces may not be uniform in size
#6. Best Overall: Jealous Devil All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Crafted in small batches from the densest South American hardwoods, this lump charcoal brings mouthwatering flavor and aroma to grilled food that it is so well-loved by chefs, pitmasters, and grilling enthusiasts around the world. Considered restaurant-quality, it is made without fillers, chemicals, or scrap wood, and will not spark, pop or flare up as you’re cooking. Owing to the density of the hardwoods used, it burns longer most lump charcoals and makes for hassle-free cleanup and maintenance of your grill since it produces little ash and smoke.
PROS
- long and clean burning
- ash minimizing
CONS
- may be costly
Why You Need to Choose the Best Lump Charcoal
We all have different preferences when it comes to our barbecues, even when it comes to the heat source.
As I mentioned earlier, you can either opt for either a lump charcoal or a charcoal briquette. I have already discussed a few things about lump charcoals so let me elaborate on the characteristics of charcoal briquettes.
Briquettes are made through slow burning wood residues and leftover sawdust, unlike lump charcoals which are made from hardwood. Because of this, briquettes usually include additives to maintain their shape and optimize their performance which include quicker lighting and longer burning time compared to lump charcoal. However, you may want to consider what harm can be brought by the additives to the flavor and safety of your food. For this reason, avid barbecue enthusiasts sometimes claim that they can smell these chemicals whenever they are grilling using low-quality briquettes.
Despite these drawbacks, briquettes still hold a good reputation in among barbecue fans. You just have to pick the right brand to ensure the quality and safety of your food. But if you want to play safe, I suggest that you should pick lump charcoals.
Lump charcoals are all-natural fuels, usually produced with no chemicals or additives. The quality of its heat-generation is top-tier: it is stable and longer burning while producing less unwanted residues and scents. Therefore, cleaning should not become a problem.
While lump charcoals are generally more expensive than the alternative, the absence of chemicals that affect flavor and safety of the food make it a more practical option.
Final Verdict
Among all the options I featured, the Jealous Devil indeed has the best performance. It lights quickly, has a stable burn and minimal residues. Common fears while grilling such as sparks, pops and flare-ups are also minimized. It also infuses your food with that luscious and authentic barbecue smell! For its price and quality, I can say that this is the best lump charcoal today!
But what are your thoughts about this? Which of these lump charcoals do you think is the best for you? Tell me all of your answers in the comment section below!
Last update on 2022-09-08 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API