Grill or smoke foods to perfection when you are using the lump charcoals. There is a lot of information to know about when it comes to this topic that will help you to make the best choice.
The hardwood lump charcoal adds a smoky flavor to the foods that you are preparing. So, if you are looking for added taste and a more rugged choice of foods, this is the lump charcoal type to look for.
On the other hand, when you want to grill different foods, the lump charcoal for grilling is what you want to look at. When you pick the lump charcoal, you will find that grilling and smoking are easier.
The temperature is easier to control, and you get the right level of flavor for your foods. This ensures that the finished product is exactly as you desire.
Best Lump Charcoals
1. Jealous Devil Lump Charcoal for Smoking and Grilling
The Jealous Devil Lump Charcoal can burn for up to 30 hours, making it ideal for roasting and longer cooking times. It produces very little ash even with extended cooking times, so it is easy to clean up once you are done cooking.
It adds a good smoky taste to all of the foods that you cook. You can light the charcoal quickly so that you do not wait long to start cooking. Due to the size of the coals and their density, they maintain a consistent level of heat.
Many people talked about how hot this charcoal got. This made it easier to cook foods faster without the risk of cold or hot spots.
Other people talked about the smoke level. It was not excessive, so this charcoal was relatively comfortable to work with, even on very humid days.
This charcoal is relatively easy to work with. Once you light it, it remains ignited for a long time, allowing you to slow-cook meats so that they get fully infused with a smoky flavor.
Pros
- It provides an excellent smoky flavor
- This charcoal is the perfect choice for the big green egg
- Due to the low ash production, this charcoal makes cleanup a breeze
Cons
- It may be more temperamental compared to similar lump charcoal types
2. BIG CP Natural Lump Charcoal for Smoking and Grilling
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The BIG CP Natural Lump Charcoal is meant for the big green egg. You can use this charcoal whether you are smoking or grilling your food.
This charcoal is completely natural. Does not contain any nitrates, anthracite coal, treated wood, fillers, chemicals, limestone, or petroleum products. It is simply natural oak and hickory for a pure, smoky flavor no matter what you are cooking.
It burns cleanly and remains hot for a long time. You only need a few seconds to ignite this charcoal. Once you light it, it is ready to cook in about 15 minutes.
Many customers said that they liked that this charcoal contains no additives. This resulted in a pure flavor for all of their foods.
Several people said that it is the perfect charcoal for the big green egg. It ensures a consistent temperature for all types of foods.
This is the lump charcoal for the Big Green Egg. However, due to its composition and versatility, you can also use it for a variety of other smoker and grill types.
Pros
- A little bit of this charcoal goes a long way
- The pieces are relatively consistent in their size
- It burns slowly
Cons
- It creates more ash than similar types of lump charcoal
3. Rockwood Hardwood Lump Charcoal for Smoking
The Rockwood Hardwood Lump Charcoal uses a solid mixture of hardwoods to ensure a clean burn and an excellent flavor for foods. The charcoal is made from natural, renewable resources, making it the ideal choice for people who want eco-friendly charcoal.
All of the wood used for this charcoal is left over from milling timber. Even the bag is recyclable. The charcoal ensures minimal ash so that you do not have a lot to clean up once you finish cooking.
Since it burns hot and long, you get the right level of tenderness with the foods that you are preparing. This also ensures that you have a high level of control over the heat level you are using for cooking.
This charcoal lights up fast. Within 10 to 15 minutes of igniting it, you are ready to throw food onto the grill and start cooking.
Many people remarked on how easy it was to control the smoke level and temperature when they were using this charcoal. This made it easier for them to ensure that their foods were cooked exactly to their specifications.
Other people said that the quality is consistent. The pieces of charcoal are all about the same size, making it easy to work with whether you are grilling or smoking foods.
The combination of hardwoods in this charcoal ensures that it has a unique flavor. It also makes this charcoal easy to light and ensures that it will remain ignited for a long time.
Pros
- The medium-sized pieces ignite quickly
- This charcoal provides a good flavor for foods
- It burns cleanly
Cons
- It may have a little too much dust in the bag
4. Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal for Grilling
The Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal is meant for those who want to cook a variety of foods with a strong smoky flavor. Since it is all-natural, all you get is the smoky flavor you expect from smoking and grilling and no chemical aftertaste.
This charcoal lights up fast so that you are not waiting to get your grill ready for cooking. Once you light it, you can start adding food to your grill within about 15 minutes.
It maintains a solid temperature and burns for a long time so that you can cook without having to worry about issues like cold spots.
Once you are done using this charcoal, there is not a lot to ask to clean up. This helps to ensure that you can tackle your grill cleaning tasks within minutes.
Many customers talked about the little ash that this charcoal produced. This allowed them to clean up quickly once they were done using their grill.
Others discussed the rugged flavor that this charcoal added to their foods. They said that it was ideal for everything from beef to vegetables.
This charcoal is ideal for those who want foods to have a smoky and rugged flavor. It lights quickly and you can use it for both grilling and smoking.
Pros
- This charcoal lights quickly
- It adds a nice smoky flavor to foods
- You can use it for smoking or grilling
Cons
- The lump sizes sometimes vary too much
5. B&B Oak Lump Charcoal for Grilling
The B&B Oak Lump Charcoal is medium to large. This makes them easy to light and they remain lit for a long time. Due to this characteristic, you can easily use this charcoal for both grilling and smoking.
These charcoal lumps are completely natural. You do not have to worry about them imparting abnormal flavors to your food. This is due to the lack of fillers and additives in charcoal.
The Texas style of charcoal ensures a good smoky flavor for all of your foods. Everything has a rugged flavor that is noticeable but not overpowering.
This charcoal is also environmentally friendly. It produces little ash and it is easy to clean up once you are done using the grill.
Several customers said that this charcoal took their cooking to the next level. They remarked about the popping and crackling that occurs after you ignite the charcoal. It was said to help them know that the charcoal was lit properly.
Other people talked about the size of the chunks. They stated that they all burn consistently so that you are getting the ideal temperature from the charcoal.
These customers also said that this helped them to cook a variety of foods without worrying about burning the outside or cold spots in the middle.
This charcoal is ideal for grilling and smoking due to its extensive burning time. It is easy to make temperature adjustments as necessary so that you are getting the exact level of heat that you need for your foods.
Pros
- This charcoal provides a good flavor for foods
- It lights up quickly
- The charcoal burns for a long time
Cons
- The bag may contain more gravel compared to similar brands
6. Fogo Super Premium All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal for Smoking and Grilling
The Fogo Premium Oak ensures that your food has a pure and natural flavor. This is due to this product being all-natural and not having any added ingredients or chemicals.
They use high-quality hardwoods that leave a smoky flavor that you cannot get with lesser-quality woods. Once you light the charcoal, it only takes about 15 minutes to be hot enough to start cooking.
This is important because it means that you will not be waiting long to grill or smoke your food. The chunks are large, limiting how much you need to use with every cooking session.
Customers often talked about how easy this charcoal is to work with. Once you light it, it stays lit for a long time so that you do not have to keep checking it.
Multiple customers are happy about this lump charcoal being all-natural. The lack of added ingredients ensures that artificial flavors are not added to your foods.
This premium lump charcoal is easy to use. Due to it being natural, it does not leave behind excessive ash, so it is easy to clean up once you are done smoking or grilling.
Pros
- This charcoal is all-natural and does not add chemicals or artificial ingredients
- It burns hot and for a long time
Cons
- It may take longer to light compared to similar brands
7. Fogo Premium All-Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal for Smoking and Grilling
The Fogo Hardwood Lump Charcoal uses high-quality wood to make sure that the charcoal lumps burn slowly and hot.
This ensures that all of the foods that you prepare with this charcoal are easy to monitor since you will have a consistent temperature throughout all areas of your grill.
You get a smoky flavor when you use this charcoal. The flavor is not disturbed by chemicals or additives since this charcoal is completely natural. It can be used for meats, fish, chicken, and even vegetables.
When you ignite the charcoal, you can start cooking within about 15 minutes, so there is no need to wait a long time to start preparing your food.
Many customers talked about the flavor that they get when they use this charcoal. Whether they used it for grilling or smoking, the foods that they prepared had a distinct smoky flavor that they did not get when they tried other brands.
Other people talked about the limited ash that occurs when they use this charcoal. This made it easy for them to clean up once they were done preparing their meal.
This charcoal is easy to work with because you can light it within seconds. It maintains a steady temperature for a long time, allowing you to cook a variety of foods with great consistency.
Pros
- This charcoal burns for a long time
- It adds a delicious flavor to foods
- The charcoal is easy to work with
Cons
- The bag is smaller than brands with a similar price
8. Eco Charcoal Mexican Lump Charcoal for Smoking
The Eco Charcoal Mexican Lump Charcoal is made of only hardwoods, ensuring a high level of quality. It will light quickly and continue to burn for a long time. The size of the lumps is relatively large, so you do not need to use a lot to get consistent cooking.
Due to the high heat that is generated by this charcoal, you can use it for any food that will fit onto a grill. You can also cook a variety of foods at the same time without any inconsistency in the cooking.
Since this charcoal is all-natural, it does not add any unnatural flavors to your foods. Everything that you cook will have that fresh-from-the-grill flavor that you want.
Multiple customers talked about how easy it was to work with this charcoal. They said that it lights very quickly without the need for any additional chemicals. It also stays lit long-term.
Another thing many customers talked about was how hot it got. This made it possible for them to cook large cuts of meat faster than they could when they were using other types of charcoal.
This charcoal is ideal for multiple grill types. You can use it when you are smoking or grilling food.
Pros
- This charcoal generates a high level of heat
- It remains burning for a long time
- The charcoal is easy to work with
Cons
- This charcoal may spark more than similar types of lump charcoal
9. Kamado Joe KJ-CHAR Big Block XL Lump Charcoal
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The Kamado Joe Hardwood Lump Charcoal is ideal for multiple grill types and outdoor charcoal ovens. It uses quality hardwood to ensure a clean and natural flavor for your foods. This charcoal ensures that your foods have a smoky taste that is easy to distinguish.
Due to the Argentinian blend of hardwoods that make up this charcoal, you can use it three times before you need to replace it. This saves you time with cleaning and ensures a more eco-friendly cooking experience.
The pieces of charcoal are relatively large. This means that you do not have to use a lot for each cooking session. They are also heavy, ensuring that they burn hot, long, and consistently.
Multiple customers said that they like that you can use this charcoal with a variety of grill types. This versatility made it possible to only need one type of charcoal for multiple grills which saved them time and money.
The flavor was another thing that several people discussed. They said that the flavor is strong but not overpowering. It added a flavor to foods that they could not accomplish with other types of charcoal.
You can use this charcoal for a wide variety of grill types. However, it is especially ideal when you are looking for lump charcoal for a kamado grill. This is due to its features that ensure long burning and optimal consistency once you light it.
Pros
- This charcoal ignites quickly
- The bag is big
- The chunk size is ideal for several kinds of grills
Cons
- The flavor that this charcoal imparts on food may be too strong for some people
Tips on Choosing
A good lump of charcoal is meant for the type of cooking you plan to do with your grill. For example, grilling and smoking benefit from different lump charcoal types.
What Are the Benefits of Lump Charcoal?
It is important to understand the benefits of this type of charcoal so that you understand why it is the best kind to use for certain grilling and smoking situations.
The following are the benefits of this charcoal type:
- This type of charcoal usually lights very quickly.
- Compared to briquettes, it often burns hotter so that you get faster cooking times.
- You can make temperature adjustments as necessary when you are using lump charcoal.
- Most lump charcoals are all-natural, ensuring a pure flavor for your foods.
- In most cases, lump charcoal puts out little ash to make cleaning up faster and easier.
Consider What You Are Cooking?
When you are shopping for lump charcoal, you have to think about your cooking style.
For example, if you cook a variety of complex foods, you want one that allows for easy temperature control.
Those that use dense hardwoods are usually best for this purpose. This is because they tend to burn for longer and at a consistent temperature.
This will prevent any cold or hot spots in your food. You also want to consider this type when you are cooking larger cuts of meat that you want to ensure have an even temperature throughout every area.
What is All-Natural Charcoal?
When you are looking at lump charcoal, you will find that many brands state that they are all-natural. This means that they do not add artificial ingredients to the charcoal.
You are only getting the charcoal and nothing more.
This is the type you want to choose if you want your food to have the purest flavor possible.
Since there are no added ingredients or chemicals, you will not have to worry about abnormal flavors clinging to the foods that you are preparing.
How Quickly Does It Heat Up?
Some charcoals heat up faster than others. If you use your grill a lot or use it to prepare foods when time is limited, consider charcoal that heats up within 15 minutes. This means that once you light it, within 15 minutes it is fully ready for you to start cooking.
You can find various heating times for both grilling and smoking charcoals.
How Much Ash Does It Produce?
Ideally, you want to find charcoal that produces as little ash as possible. This prevents the ash from flying around and possibly landing on you or your food when you are cooking. Another benefit of limited ash is that you can clean up much faster once you are done using your grill.
As you explore different charcoals, look at the ash production level stated on the bag. You want to find those that promise little ash production. You should also look inside the bag because when there is little dust, the charcoal will usually also produce less ash.
Factors to Consider
Lump charcoal is essentially a charred wood that has not been formed into a briquette shape. In most cases, it is made from short logs and tree limbs that are burned without the use of any oxygen. This process produces charcoal that is purified. The result is black carbon.
Look at the Charcoal
All of the pieces should be of a similar size. This will show you that the manufacturer took great care when producing the products which indicates a higher level of quality.
You also want to make sure that there is limited dust in the bag. Limited dust typically means that the charcoal will have a longer burn time.
Consider the Sparking
The charcoal mustn’t produce excessive sparking when you light it. Limited sparking means that the charcoal will burn slower. It also indicates that charcoal is made from high-quality hardwood.
Charcoal Size
Examine the charcoal in the bag to ensure consistency. You want to avoid bags that have charcoal with an irregular shape or a lot of breakages.
Many people seem to prefer bigger chunks because these tend to allow for longer burning and greater temperature control when you are cooking.
Another option is to find charcoal that uses a mixture of big and medium chunks. This too will burn long, and the charcoal tends to ignite quickly so that you can start cooking as fast as possible.
Wood Type
You want to know the type of wood that is being used to produce charcoal. This information is usually displayed somewhere on the bag.
If you cannot find this information, it is typically best to avoid charcoal because it often means that the manufacturer uses lightweight wood that is low in quality. It is best to choose charcoal that uses hardwoods, such as mesquite, oak, or a combination of these woods.
This will put a solid smoky flavor on your foods. Hickory is another good choice that will burn slowly and give your foods a smoky, distinct flavor.
Conclusion
Grilling to perfection is the ultimate goal. One of the easiest ways to accomplish this is by using the lump charcoal. It is important to take your time examining the different lump charcoals on the market so that you can see what they are capable of. This will help you to narrow down your options to those that are truly the best.
Pay attention to the different charcoal types too. For example, if you smoke meats, the lump charcoal for smoking will be your focus. This will eliminate those not ideal for smoking so that the one you ultimately choose gives you the perfect level of smoke every time.
Using the right tips helps to ensure that you know necessary to make the best choice. Learning more about the lump charcoal on the market further simplifies the process.
When you pick the best one, you can rest assured that you will get the most out of every grilling experience. Your food will have the right flavor and it will be easy to maintain a consistent temperature throughout every smoking or grilling session.
