Best Charcoal Briquettes for Grilling and Smoking

In today’s article, we’re going to jump straight into the world of a specific grill fuel — that’s right, we’re talking about briquettes.

Before we look at the best brands, we’re going to learn what makes some briquettes superior to others. We’re also going to distinguish the difference between lump charcoal and briquettes — and why you may want to pick one above the other.

As you may already know, most briquettes aren’t entirely natural, making them a long process of mixing various ingredients.

So, to ensure you get the best charcoal briquettes for your grill, it’s essential to know what to look for, and we’re going to guide you.

Bottom Line up Front: The Best Charcoal Briquettes Reviewed in this Guide

• Duraflame Cowboy Brand Natural Hardwood Briquettes
• Stubb’s Natural Charcoal Briquets
• Kingsford Original Charcoal Briquettes
• Weber Briquettes
• Royal Oak Premium Charcoal Briquets
• Coconut Shell Charcoal Briquettes
• Coshell Ccb Briquets Mesquite

The above links take you to current prices, customer reviews, and further information on Amazon.

Characteristics of GOOD Charcoal Briquettes

Briquettes might all look alike, but underneath the perfectly-shaped, black surface, they couldn’t be more different. And with that, it’s safe to say that some briquettes are superior to others.

Quality briquettes should hold their shape, whether in the bag or the firebox. One of the main advantages of using briquettes is that they’re easy to stack due to uniform shapes and sizes. This makes them ideal for multi-zoned cooking, controlled burns, and more.

Additionally, a good briquette will burn for long without leaving too much ash behind. Ash isn’t something you want in excessive amounts — it’s quite nasty as it gets into the vents and clogs them up; it hardens when moist, and it’s a mess to get rid of.

Excessive amounts of ash can also smother the fire, which isn’t something you want when grilling. In saying that, briquettes do tend to leave more ash compared to hardwood lump charcoal — that’s a fact we’ll get more into in a minute.

When it comes to briquettes, the closer it is to 100 percent charcoal, the better! However, pure charcoal won’t be able to stick together and form a briquette; therefore, manufacturers add a binder, such as tapioca or corn starch.

Here’s where problems arise; some manufacturers add way too many unnecessary ingredients simply to add weight. In fact, a seemingly regular briquette can produce ash that contains up to 10 percent limestone, clay, sand, and other substances.

Knowing which brands use the least amount of additives can be challenging — the manufacturers aren’t known for disclosing all ingredients.

Lucky for consumers, backyard detectives are on the case — home grillers continually test out briquettes to get a better picture of what they actually contain. We’re going to reveal what we discovered in our review section further down.

To quickly sum this section up: briquettes have to catch fire, that’s all they have to do. Therefore, when you stumble upon a charcoal briquette brand that ignites quickly and easily, you’re sure to enjoy using them.

But what makes briquettes light easily? We’ll get more into that now.

Buying the Best Charcoal Briquettes: Do’s and Don’ts

Before we get into our reviews, we’re going to share some of the key factors we look at when picking good briquettes:

DO look for:

• Briquettes that are uniform in shape
• Thinner edges that will be easier to light
• Less fillers for minimal ash
• Briquettes made of hardwood charcoal; these have a cleaner burn
• A bag with minimal debris at the bottom indicates that the briquettes are shaped well and won’t crumble.

DON’T go for:

• Bags with lighter fluid included. Lighter fluid shouldn’t be used when grilling as it will impart a bitter and sometimes chemically taste to your food
• Briquettes made with softwood fillers (such as pine), these can release a bitter resin
• Briquettes with excessive wood fillers as these will result in excessive ash
• Briquettes containing chemical binders as opposed to natural ones like corn starch.

Good quality briquettes will often be marked as “100% hardwood.” However, this doesn’t mean they’re made of only hardwood, it only means the charcoal isn’t sourced from pallets, sawdust, or other scrap materials.

It also means the briquettes aren’t mixed with anthracite coal, usually used in cheaper briquettes.

Self-lighting briquettes might seem like a convenient thing, but these are a huge no-no.

Self-lighting briquettes are actually treated with mineral spirits or other petroleum products. They smell like jet fuel and can impart an unappetizing chemical flavor in your food as you’re cooking.

Why anyone ever thought they would be a good idea, I’ll never understand. Sure, they light quickly, but they’re sure to ruin your cookout — and maybe your health.

All-Natural Lump vs. Briquettes

Although many people think of charcoal as a one-type thing, there are actually significant differences between briquettes and lump.

In short: Lump charcoal is made of only charcoal — it doesn’t contain any additives.

Lump charcoal is created by burning wood in an environment free of oxygen. The lack of oxygen removes volatile gases and moisture, so what you’re left with is pure carbon.

Lump charcoal isn’t shaped perfectly as briquettes are — instead, they keep the same shape as the wood was pre-burn.

There are no two charcoal bags that consist of the same size pieces, unlike briquettes that are uniform.

Lump charcoal also burns hotter and faster compared to briquettes. But, lump is pure and natural, free of any additives, whereas briquettes are made up of a mixture of ingredients.

One thing with lump is that it does require more practice and experience to get it right. It’s also essential to monitor the grill or smoker.

On the other hand, briquettes are easier to control temperature-wise, and they’ll give you a much more consistent burn.

Do all Natural Briquettes Exist?

Yes, they do!

“All-Natural Briquettes” is a term that is becoming more and more prominent on labels. But why is that?

To be honest, “all-natural” is a buzz-term when it comes to marketing. When consumers see this term, it instantly makes them feel more at ease about their use in their grill.

It’s important to understand that the term refers to man-made or synthetic vs. natural ingredients.

Agencies such as the FDA and FTC focus more on cosmetic ingredients and labeling when a brand makes all-natural claims. When it comes to charcoal, however, there’s not much guidance.

The all-natural label refers to the fact that the briquettes don’t contain any synthetic materials or chemicals.

These are generally made up of wood, carbon and coal, then bound with some form of starch or borax. These are natural ingredients and not made in a lab.

Before the term “all-natural” became so prevalent, already natural brands never used it as it wasn’t necessary.

Eco-friendly products will always score higher in our book, as we don’t want harmful chemicals anywhere near our favorite grilled meals.

In saying that, labeling briquettes as all-natural does seem like a marketing ploy.

Although it’s not deceptive, it also doesn’t say much about the briquettes’ quality since virtually any briquette other than self-lighting is “all-natural.”

Best Charcoal Briquettes: Top 5 Products on the Market Today

Now that we have a better idea of what briquettes are and what sets them apart from lump charcoal — it’s time to learn more about some of the briquette brands we highly recommend.

With so many different brands available, it can be challenging to know which ones are worth trying.

The ones featured on our list were chosen because they’re high-rated, easily accessible, and high-quality. Other smaller brands make excellent briquettes also, but these can sometimes have an inconsistent supply.

But, to help you out in your search for the best briquettes, here are five of our favorites.

How are Briquettes Made?

Charcoal briquettes are manufactured products containing mostly charcoal and a few other ingredients.

Carbon and other ingredients are mixed into a thick paste, poured into rolling molds and compressed to form these uniform bricks.

Various ingredients can be found in a briquette, depending on the manufacturer. Typically, a briquette contains a combination of sawdust, coal, woodchips, borax, peat, starch, or sodium nitrate.

These additives are added as a binder to keep the briquette in shape or as a helpful assistant to keep the brick burning.

Briquettes have to be dry, and before they’re bagged, they go into a drying tunnel where the moisture content is lowered to around 5 percent.

Due to the uniform shape and size, briquettes will burn very consistently. This makes them ideal choices for many grilling and smoking applications. But, if intense heat is what you’re aiming for, lump charcoal is the only choice.

A downside of briquettes is the excessive amount of ashes they produce compared to lump charcoal. In fact, the ash produced can make up to 10 percent of the briquette’s original weight.

In some grills, the excess ash might not be an issue, but in grills such as the Kamado Joe or Big Green Egg, the ash will build up quickly and could begin to clog the lower fire grate.

Briquettes are often made up of waste from sawmills, which makes them a good eco-friendly solution as they’re using materials that would otherwise end in a landfill. Additionally, since they aren’t pure carbon, briquettes are also more economical for manufacturers.

What is the Burn Time of Briquettes?

How long they burn varies between brands and the types.

Some manufacturers claim the briquettes can burn up to three hours or even more, but on average, briquettes will burn anywhere from one to two hours.

How long they burn depends on the ingredients and fillers used (and how much of the filler is used). It’ll also depend on how high your grill or smoker will be running.

From personal experience, estimating a two-hour burn for a pile of lit briquettes is a good figure. Most brands will deliver this burn time.

However, if you plan to try out the Minion method or set up a charcoal snake for a low n slow session, you should be able to get a good 12 hours or more burn time.

Keep in mind, with these techniques, the grill will be packed with unlit briquettes that are ignited as they come in contact with lit ones.

How Hot do Briquettes Burn?

How hot briquettes will burn depends on how much oxygen is available and their concentration.

As an example, the afterburner method involves cooking directly above a charcoal chimney starter — here, you can easily hit 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit because of the concentration.

Alternatively, set up your charcoal on one side of your grill and cook your food on the opposite side for a lower temperature of around 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

In saying that, you can expect to average a temperature at around 500 degrees Fahrenheit or more without any issues. Simply flip the lid, and the oxygen will do its thing.

Overall, it’s you who determines the temperature your briquettes will burn at by controlling oxygen levels.

Conclusion

When it comes to the world of charcoal, there are lots to learn.

Charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal might serve the same purpose in the grill, but they couldn’t be more different.

For starters, lump charcoal is very simple, pure, and naturally made of burnt wood — whereas briquettes are made up of various ingredients.

When choosing the best charcoal briquettes, it’s difficult to go wrong if you know what to look for. They should light quickly, burn hot for long and be all-natural, meaning they’re free of harmful chemicals.

We hope this guide and mini-reviews helped give you a better idea of what fuel is best for your grill.

As always, do share this article with other grill-enthusiasts, and don’t shy away from leaving a comment or question in the section below.

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