Am I Using The Right Charcoal?
When you are new to barbecue you often get confused while choosing the charcoal type. And that can be a thing to worry about but honestly, it is a very easy process.
Firstly, there are 2 types of charcoal:
- Briquette
- Lump
Now, lets understand their purpose and use.
Briquette
A Briquette is a block of coal used for rekindling the fire. It is made of sawdust and leftover wood. It has additives so that it has a clean block-like shape which makes them easier to store.
Briquettes can be a good option as they maintain a steady temperature for smokers and burn for longer periods of time. It is also cheaper than lump charcoal.
But keep in mind that you need to take care of its ash production, which you can clean up later.
Note: Briquettes may take longer to light up. Be patient with them!
Lump
These are made when the wood is burned without oxygen. This slow-burning makes these lumps.
Lump charcoals have no additives added to it which makes it smoking cleaner and much safer. They burn hotter and faster than briquettes. Experts usually use these as they can be controlled via air vents as they act according to the presence of oxygen.
It is more expensive than briquettes and even burns faster which may cause your food to burn so be careful while using lumps.
Experts say that it is much safer to use lumps than briquettes, as they are much cleaner, safer, and, efficient but still some prefer briquettes. It is up to you! You can try these and decide for yourself.