People typically have very strong opinions about charcoal. Some swear by lump charcoal, others will only ever use briquette charcoal. While it might not seem like these two types of fuel are all that different, there are actually some important distinctions to consider when you light up the grill.

All About Charcoal Briquettes

This is the type of charcoal you are probably the most familiar with. Every spring, grocery stores and hardware stores display pallets and pallets full of the small, pillow shaped charcoal pieces.

Charcoal briquettes are made of leftover bits of wood and sawdust mixed with additives and then compressed to give them their defining pillow shape. You can purchase briquettes with many different types of additives that make them easier to light, smoke more, or infuse a particular flavor.

Charcoal Briquette Fast Facts

• They typically burn longer
• They maintain a steady temperature
• They are usually cheaper
• They have a large ash production
• They can sometimes have a chemical smell
• They can take longer to light
• They don’t burn as hot as lump charcoal

All About Lump Charcoal

Lump charcoal has been popular with pit masters and people on the competition BBQ circuit for years, but it is just now gaining more traction among backyard BBQ enthusiasts.

It is made by slowly burning real pieces of wood in an airtight area until all the natural chemicals, sap, and moisture leave the wood. All that’s left is pure charcoal. Lump charcoal responds really well to oxygen, so you can easily control the heat using your air vents and chimney. It’s the most natural fuel for your grill and lump charcoal users swear that it makes the food taste better.

Lump Charcoal Fast Facts

• All-natural fuel
• Burns hotter
• Lights Quickly
• Easier to adjust the temperature
• Bags contains lots of different sizes of charcoal which can make grilling a bit difficult
• Usually more expensive
• Burns faster

Charcoal Briquettes vs Lump Charcoal

While knowing more about each type of charcoal is a good place to start, learning how they perform is another thing entirely. Char-Griller Ambassador James Llorens did a side by side experiment and here is what he noticed.

“From the start I noticed right away the briquettes burned very smoky versus the lumps. The lumps started faster and the flames from the lumps burned clean. They had a nice orange glow versus the all the smoke from the briquettes which had an ashy orange glow and very small flame.

The lumps got it extremely hot in the chimney and burned down faster in the chimney versus the briquettes because it took the briquettes longer to start. When I dropped the coals from both chimneys, the briquettes were ashy versus less ash on the lumps.

The lumps did burn out quicker through the process versus the briquettes but again, it took longer for all the briquettes to start vs the lumps. There was so much ash on the briquette coals and they left behind lots of ash versus the lumps. That alone shows how much more natural and cleaner lumps are versus briquettes.

I’ve pretty much used all the various brands of charcoal on the market when I began my BBQ journey and determined I prefer lumps over briquettes.”