By Dylan Clay
Lump charcoal is simply carbonized wood – this wood can be from actual trees, kiln dried lumber scrap, or saw mill scraps.
Briquettes are essentially compressed forms of ground charcoal. In order for this charcoal to actually take shape, a number of additives are used to form it into a “briquette.”
In general – briquettes are cheaper, produce more ash due to additives, and are consistent in shape and size.
Personally, I find that whatever option is cheapest is best.
Basic wood charcoal is made by heating wood in a low-oxygen atmosphere with high heat – this process is called pyrolysis.
During this process, volatile materials like water, methane, and tar are vaporized into the air. The wood is then forced to decompose into a variety of substances – mainly elemental carbon.
The resulting material will burn longer, more uniformly, and cleaner than seasoned wood. It’s also considerably lighter, roughly 1/3 – 1/5 of its original weight.
This charcoal can then made into two distinct forms: lump and briquette.
You could even think of lump as charcoal that hasn’t been formed into briquettes.
One of the biggest concerns related to lump charcoal is the wood used to make it.
For instance, unprocessed wood like limbs, branches, and scraps from a saw mill aren’t tainted by anything. Where-as scraps from flooring could contain chemicals from the stain or finish.
If you discover distinct flooring scraps, they are likely from unfinished wood, however it’s best to contact the company.
I personally quite like lump charcoal, I only wish it was cheaper. It works well for smoking and responds really well to vent and damper adjustment – making dial in a temperature super easy.
Noteworthy lump brands are B&B, Jealous Devil, and FOGO.
A charcoal briquette is made from a combination of several materials. These materials are then pressed together with a mold to form one briquette.
Common briquette additives include:
It’s also not uncommon for “match-light” or “instant-light” varieties to be sprayed with a hydrocarbon solvent before being bagged; This makes the charcoal easier to light.
Note: If you use match-light charcoal, be sure to roll the bag closed. Leaving the bag open will cause the solvents to evaporate.
All natural options made from hardwoods with a cornstarch binder are also readily available; However, they come at a price that’s comparable to lump charcoal.
Not everything you hear with regards to lump and briquettes is true.
The main things we’ll be looking at are:
Regardless of shape, oxygen is what feeds fire.
This is how Pitmasters regulate temperature – they’re opening and closing their intake and exhaust vents.
If you were to entirely close the exhaust damper, it would create a build up of combustion gases and stop oxygen from entering the system.
Similarly, closing the intake also prevents oxygen from entering the system. Both result in your charcoal grill “shutting down.”
The way you arrange your charcoal also matters and will affect how hot the pit can be.
There are also various fire configurations that can provide direct and indirect heat via “zones” on your grill.
For instance, when smoking meat on a charcoal grill, most people make use of a a two-zone fire. One zone creates a convection of heat and another zone for radiant heat (above the fire).
You could even strategically arrange charcoal so that it passively self-ignites. The two most common methods of doing this are:
Regardless of fuel type, both will self-ignite and are then fueled by oxygen.
Since pit temp is primarily regulated by airflow. This airflow can also be stifled by charcoal byproducts, mainly ash; Ash can block airflow and make your fire colder.
Since a Kamado grill’s ash collection system is small most Ceramic grill manufacturers will typically recommend using lump charcoal because it produces far less ash.
Briquettes can work as well provided that they’re all-natural and contain few binders.
Personally, I tend to avoid self-igniting or “match-light” charcoal. I use my charcoal for smoking and grilling and when grilling, I can typically taste the chemical solvent.
When smoking this flavor is less obvious.
Over the years my preference has been a charcoal chimney. They’re super affordable and make lighting charcoal (regardless of form) super easy.
Here’s a video that shows how to use one with lump charcoal:
If you don’t have this device, a number of firelighters exist that will easily light your charcoal.
It depends.
As I’ve pointed out above, Oxygen is what feeds fire. You can quite literally control heat output via how much or how little oxygen interacts with your fuel.
As well as how much of a fuel source you use (hence the fire triangle).
Due to the irregular shape of lump charcoal – which can fill in gaps and stifle airflow – briquettes will tend to burn hotter than lump charcoal.
In experiments by Greg Blonder he looked at various smokers, their fuel sources and their combustion byproducts.
In his experiments he used a charcoal chimney to burn both briquettes and lump charcoal:
Meaning for the intents and purposes at home (like searing a steak), this idea that lump charcoal burns “hotter” than briquettes is misinformation at best.
Great! Just what I was searching for!
Happy to help Katlyn!
-Dylan