WHAT BRAND OF HARDWOOD CHARCOAL IS BEST GRILLING?

I would not advise a specific brand be your goal as you may find something recommended is not available in your area. Depending on what type of equipment you are using and the purpose of your cooking - high heat cooking, indirect cooking, or smoking - would determine the better type of charcoal.

For me, I prefer to stay with a charwood product. The goal, however, is to use something that is compatible with the type of cooking/grilling you plan to do.

Charcoal King’s reference to the Naked Whiz database on charcoal options is spot on! Love that resource. I definitely would recommend you check that out.

Remember, each brand of charcoal or briquet will have different percentages of carbonization to the started wood product. The higher the carbonization number, the hotter the product. Briquets are a fully carbonized item that produces a lot of heat but does not provide for any flavor.

There is uniformity to the briquet so you will have the ability to repeat your process each time you cook. Lump hardwood will have a label that reads “hardwood” but there is no information on where that hardwood derived from. Often, manufacturers of lump hardwood charcoal produce their product from recycled materials such as old pallets, lumber scraps from flooring, cabinet, and furniture makers.

CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES

Patented in 1897 by Ellsworth Zwoyer, the briquette really took off when, in the 1920s, Henry Ford, in collaboration with Thomas Edison and EB Kingsford, made lots of them from sawdust and wood scraps from Ford’s Detroit auto plants. Cars bodies were made with a lot of wood in those days. So Ford not only brought the world affordable cars, he created an industry that made backyard barbecue easy.

MATERIAL IS CARBONIZED

They may take in scraps from lumber mills. When this material is carbonized, it will do so at various levels due to the variation in material sizing. That means when you cook with it or for that matter when you lite it, expect great variation from use to use due to all the inconsistency in sizing.

Experiment with brands available in your area and see what provides what your looking for as sometimes all a cook wants is heat without added flavor, and others may want heat, flavor, and consistency.

BOTTOM LINE

Charcoal is for heat, not flavour. If you want flavour, it will come from vaporized drippings, laden with fats, sugars, and proteins, or from wood thrown on the coals, not to mention spice rubs, injections, marinades, and sauces. The quality of the raw food, seasoning, sauce, cooking temp, and serving temp far outweigh the impact of charcoal on outcome.

https://charcoalkings.com.au/hardwood-charcoal-or-briquettes