Charcoal Reviews

Reviews and ratings of briquet and lump charcoal.

Charcoal is one of the most popular fuel choices for grills and smokers and is known for the flavor that it adds to food. The way in which wood is turned into charcoal allows it to burn clean, consistently delivering even heat throughout the cook. This isn't meant to imply that all charcoal is the same, because they simply are not. You'll find that specific cookers may perform better with lump, while others do great with briquettes. There are pros and cons to each, all covered in the following reviews.

Lump Charcoal

AKA: Charwood, Natural Lump

Steven Raichlen from the Barbecue Bible describes lump charcoal as "the original charcoal, made by burning trees or logs in a kiln, sealed cave, or even underground". Since lump is produced directly from wood without any added filler, it's known to be the cleanest choice in the charcoal category. The downside to lump is that although it burns hot, it does not produce as even of a burn, requiring a bit more attention during the cook. Over time, this isn't much of an issue as you understand the differences between the types and become comfortable with your cooker. Confidence plays a big part of producing good BBQ, which will come over time. We'll help you get there.

Fogo Super Premium

Rating: A+ : Low and slow.

Pros: Great for long, low cooks. Most consistent sized lumps or charcoal.  

Cons: Pricey.

Source: Fogo Site

Fogo Premium ~$50/ 32lb bag

Komodo Joe XL

Rating: A

Pros: Great for long, low cooks. Costco sells the large bags when they have their Komodo deal and we stock up.

Cons: Inconsistent size chunks of charcoal.  

Source: Costco (promo); Now Home Depot

Komodo Joe XL ~$30/ 20lb box

Rockwood

Rating: A : Straight grilling or Pizza

Pros: Burns hotter; great for grilling and pizza. Great flavor: Oak, Hickory, Maple and Pecan.

Cons: Burns Fast.

Source: Dizzy Pig BBQ

Rockwood ~$42/ 17lb bag

Royal Oak

Rating: C

Pros: Royal Oak has improved and is the most cost effective charcoal we’ve used.

Cons: Burns quickly. Chunks are smaller than average.

Source: Home Depot

Royal Oak ~$50/ 32lb bag

Big Green Egg

Rating: B-

Pros: Lights relatively quickly. Decent middle range cost effective option.  

Cons: Overpriced. Too many small pieces/dust.

Source: Lawn & Leisure

BGE ~$50/ 32lb bag

Wicked Good Jake’s Blend

Rating: A

Pros: Great for long, low cooks. Costco sells the large bags when they have their Komodo deal and we stock up.

Cons: Inconsistent size chunks of charcoal.  

Source: Wicked Good Retailers Site

Jake’s Blend ~$50/ 32lb bag

Charcoal Briquettes

Although this isn't made from the single, natural source that lump is, it's known to deliver the most even burn over a longer period of time. Here's the issue that some have with charcoal briquettes - in addition to wood scraps and saw dust, charcoal is known to also use coal, a starch to keep everything compact, and sodium nitrate that helps it burn hot and even. When you compare charcoal briquettes to its lump cousin, they are all uniform in size which creates a product that will burn much more even. Hence the choice by many grillers and smokers.  The downside to briquettes is that they are not made from a 100% natural source, which produces much more ash than lump. For some cookers, there simply isn't enough room for all the ash to collect, hindering performance.

Kingsford Original

Rating: x

Pros: Great for long, low cooks. Costco sells the large bags when they have their Komodo deal and we stock up.

Cons: Inconsistent size chunks of charcoal.  

Source: Home Depot, Lowes, Ace

Kingsford Original ~$30/ 20lb box

Kingsford Original

Rating: x

Pros: Great for long, low cooks. Costco sells the large bags when they have their Komodo deal and we stock up.

Cons: Inconsistent size chunks of charcoal.  

Source: Home Depot, Lowes, Ace

Kingsford Original ~$30/ 20lb box

Kingsford Original

Rating: x

Pros: Great for long, low cooks. Costco sells the large bags when they have their Komodo deal and we stock up.

Cons: Inconsistent size chunks of charcoal.  

Source: Home Depot, Lowes, Ace

Kingsford Original ~$30/ 20lb box

BBQ Gear

Here is a selection of our favorite gear.

"Javelin PRO DuO"  |  by Lavatools

Who wants to lose heat while waiting to get an accurate temp?  The Pro Duo solves this issue.  2-3 sec read times and ambidextrous display.

There are lower model "thermo pen" products on the market but prefer the Pro Duo.

Javelin Pro Duo is ~$50

"LOOFTLIGHTER charcoal starter" |  by Looftlighter

Avoid chemicals of any kind and use an electric starter.  We have tried various torches and prefer the Looftlighter.  Lump is ready in 60 seconds.

There are some other electric options where you sit the metal loop in the charcoal, but with prep, etc. going on at the same time, I prefer to get the charcoal started quicker.

Looftlighter is ~$80

"CYBER Q" |  by BBQ Guru

You may hear the purists say that fans and blowers are cheating but who wants to ruin expensive cuts of meat by over clocking temps.  This Cloud model is rated better than our older Cyber Q.

We've tried the Flame Boss and have found it's easier to setup on your wifi network.  The 300 allows you to get a Y cable to run 3 probes.  The Cyber Q already has the 3 inputs for the probes.

Cyber Q is ~$330

Kick Ash Basket

Big Green Egg makes great smokers but the vented grate in the bottom that holds the charcoal needs a redesign.  

Kick Ash Basket solves the frustration of balancing the remaining charcoal on the original grate.  The handles on the basket allow you to shake the small charcoal and so you can clean out the ash.

Kick Ash Basket for a Large BGE is ~$100 (check size)

BBQ BUTTULA

At first glance this seems like the biggest waste of money...but very useful.  It is very well made.  Solid construction.  Made in the USA....what's not to like?

If you cook a lot of Pork Shoulder, you are gonna love this.

You can also use it as a pizza peel!

Buttula is ~$50

Cast Iron Platesetter

A few years back, our ceramic platesetter broke and were temporarily using an aftermarket cast iron platesetter.  Since then we have been using it face up for cast iron grid grilling as well as standard indirect configuration. 

Cast Iron Platesetter for Large BGE is ~$100