Choosing the right charcoal can make a real difference to your BBQ. Whether you're grilling steaks, cooking burgers, using a kamado or smoking meat for several hours, the fuel you choose affects how your BBQ lights, how the heat develops and how easily you can control your cooking temperature.
Two of the most popular options are lumpwood charcoal and charcoal briquettes. Both have their advantages, but they're not necessarily suited to the same cooking jobs.
At Armstrong Country Store, we supply a wide range of premium BBQ charcoal, including birch, oak, Marabu, White Quebracho and charcoal briquettes.
In this guide, we'll explain the differences between lumpwood charcoal and briquettes, when to use each and how to choose the right charcoal for your BBQ.
What Is Lumpwood Charcoal?
Lumpwood charcoal is made by heating wood in a low-oxygen environment, removing much of the moisture and volatile material and leaving behind carbon-rich charcoal.
The result is natural pieces of charcoal in different shapes and sizes.
Good-quality hardwood lumpwood charcoal is popular with BBQ enthusiasts and professional chefs because it can produce strong heat and respond relatively quickly to changes in airflow.
Advantages of Lumpwood Charcoal
• Can reach high cooking temperatures
• Generally lights faster than dense briquettes
• Responds quickly to airflow adjustments
• Ideal for direct grilling and searing
• Available in different hardwood species
• Often produces relatively little ash, depending on quality
Things to Consider
Because lumpwood charcoal consists of natural pieces of wood, the size and shape of each piece can vary.
Smaller pieces tend to light and burn more quickly, while larger, denser pieces can be particularly useful for longer cooking sessions.
The quality of the wood, carbonisation process and charcoal grading also make a considerable difference.
What Are Charcoal Briquettes?
Charcoal briquettes are manufactured from compressed charcoal material, usually combined with a binder to hold their shape.
Unlike natural lumpwood, briquettes are made in relatively consistent sizes and shapes.
This makes them popular for BBQ cooking where predictable heat and a steady fuel bed are important.
Advantages of Charcoal Briquettes
• Consistent size and shape
• Useful for maintaining steady cooking temperatures
• Often suitable for longer cooking sessions
• Easy to arrange in a charcoal BBQ
• Particularly useful for indirect cooking
Things to Consider
Briquettes can take longer to light than lumpwood charcoal, depending on their composition and density.
They may also produce more ash, although this varies considerably between products.
It's worth choosing good-quality briquettes rather than assuming all briquettes perform the same way.
Lumpwood Charcoal vs Briquettes: The Main Differences
1. Lighting Time
Lumpwood charcoal generally lights more quickly than traditional briquettes.
This makes it a convenient choice when you want to get the BBQ up to temperature without waiting too long.
Briquettes, particularly dense varieties, can take longer to establish a proper bed of glowing fuel.
A charcoal chimney starter is useful for lighting either type.
2. Heat Output
Lumpwood charcoal is an excellent choice when you need high temperatures.
It's particularly popular for cooking steaks, burgers, kebabs and other foods that benefit from direct heat.
Briquettes can also produce plenty of heat, but their more consistent shape often makes them easier to arrange for steady cooking.
3. Burn Time
Burn time depends on the charcoal's density, size, quality and the amount of oxygen reaching the fire.
Standard briquettes are often chosen for longer cooking sessions because they provide a relatively predictable burn.
However, premium dense hardwood lumpwood charcoal, such as Marabu or White Quebracho, can also perform extremely well during extended cooks.
It's a mistake to assume that briquettes always burn longer than lumpwood charcoal.
The particular product matters more than the category alone.
4. Temperature Control
Both lumpwood charcoal and briquettes can be used for controlled cooking.
Lumpwood responds well to changes in airflow, making it popular in kamado BBQs and other adjustable charcoal cookers.
Briquettes are useful when you want a more uniform fuel arrangement, particularly in kettle BBQs and traditional charcoal grills.
5. Ash Production
Ash production varies depending on the fuel.
High-quality hardwood lumpwood charcoal often produces relatively little ash.
Some briquettes produce more ash because of their composition, although premium briquettes can perform well.
In BBQs with restricted airflow, excessive ash can become an issue during longer cooks.
Which Charcoal Is Best for a Quick BBQ?
For a quick family BBQ, we'd generally recommend good-quality lumpwood charcoal.
It's particularly useful when cooking:
• Burgers
• Sausages
• Steaks
• Chicken
• Kebabs
• Vegetables
Lumpwood is convenient when you want to light the BBQ, build up a good cooking temperature and get grilling.
Our premium birch and oak charcoal are both worth considering for this type of cooking.
Which Charcoal Is Best for Low and Slow BBQ?
Low-and-slow cooking involves maintaining a relatively low temperature over several hours.
This method is commonly used for:
• Beef brisket
• Pulled pork
• Pork ribs
• Beef ribs
• Larger joints of meat
For these cooks, consistency and fuel management become particularly important.
Good-quality briquettes can be an excellent choice, especially in kettle BBQs and smokers designed to use them.
However, dense hardwood lumpwood charcoal is also extremely popular for long cooking sessions.
Marabu Charcoal
Marabu is a dense hardwood charcoal that is particularly well suited to longer cooks.
It can take a little longer to get properly established, but once burning, its density helps it provide sustained heat.
It's a popular option for BBQ enthusiasts who want to cook for several hours without constantly adding fuel.
White Quebracho Charcoal
White Quebracho is another dense hardwood charcoal, widely used for restaurant grilling and professional BBQ cooking.
It can provide strong, sustained heat and is worth considering for demanding cooking sessions.
Marabu Hexagonal Briquettes
Our Marabu hexagonal briquettes offer another option for cooks who want a dense, uniform charcoal fuel.
Their consistent shape makes them particularly useful where a predictable fuel arrangement is important.
Lumpwood Charcoal or Briquettes for a Kamado BBQ?
Kamado BBQs, including ceramic charcoal cookers, are designed to retain heat and control combustion through adjustable airflow.
Good-quality lumpwood charcoal is generally an excellent choice for these cookers.
The natural pieces allow air to circulate through the fuel bed, and dense hardwood varieties can provide extended cooking times.
Premium oak, Marabu and White Quebracho are all worth considering, depending on the cooking style.
For high-temperature cooking, lumpwood can provide the heat needed for searing steaks or cooking pizza.
For low-and-slow cooking, larger pieces of dense hardwood charcoal can work particularly well.
Always follow your kamado manufacturer's recommendations, particularly regarding the use of briquettes.
What About Restaurant Charcoal?
Professional kitchens need charcoal that performs consistently under demanding conditions.
Restaurants, steakhouses and commercial BBQ operators often look for charcoal that provides:
• Strong heat output
• Good burn duration
• Reliable quality
• Suitable piece sizes
• Manageable ash production
• Consistent supply
Premium hardwood charcoal such as Marabu and White Quebracho is particularly popular in restaurant and professional grilling applications.
At Armstrong Country Store, we supply restaurant-grade charcoal for both commercial customers and home BBQ enthusiasts.
You don't need to run a restaurant to benefit from using good-quality professional charcoal.
Does Lumpwood Charcoal Give Food a Better Flavour?
There's a common belief that different charcoal species produce dramatically different flavours.
In practice, the flavour of BBQ food is influenced by several factors, including cooking temperature, dripping fats, combustion conditions and any smoking wood used.
Good-quality charcoal should burn cleanly once properly established.
If you want a more noticeable smoky flavour, smoking chips or smoking chunks are generally a better way to introduce specific wood-smoke characteristics.
Smoking Chips and Chunks
At Armstrong Country Store, we stock a range of smoking woods, including:
• Apple smoking chips and chunks
• Oak smoking chips
• Hickory smoking chips and chunks
• Cherry smoking chips and chunks
• Whiskey smoking chips and chunks
• Apple and cherry wood chunks
• Hardwood smoking chunks
Smoking chips are smaller and tend to produce smoke relatively quickly.
Smoking chunks are larger and generally release smoke more gradually, making them particularly useful for longer cooks.
Both can be used alongside suitable charcoal to add another dimension to your BBQ.
Can You Mix Lumpwood Charcoal and Briquettes?
Yes, in many BBQs you can use lumpwood charcoal and briquettes together, provided the cooker manufacturer permits both fuels.
Some BBQ enthusiasts prefer lumpwood for its quick lighting and high heat, while using briquettes to help maintain a steady fuel bed.
However, there's no need to mix fuels if one good-quality charcoal already gives you the performance you want.
For most cooks, learning how your BBQ responds to a particular fuel is more useful than constantly changing between products.
How Much Charcoal Do You Need for a BBQ?
The amount of charcoal required depends on several things:
• The size of your BBQ
• The type of charcoal
• The number of people you're cooking for
• The food being cooked
• The cooking temperature
• The length of the cook
• Weather conditions
A quick session grilling burgers and sausages will generally use much less fuel than an eight-hour brisket cook.
Dense hardwood charcoal may also behave differently from lighter lumpwood varieties.
Rather than relying on one fixed quantity, it's worth getting to know how much fuel your particular BBQ needs.
For longer cooks, having additional charcoal available is always sensible.
Birch, Oak, Marabu or White Quebracho: Which Should You Choose?
At Armstrong Country Store, we offer several hardwood charcoal options, each worth considering for different cooking requirements.
Birch Charcoal
A useful choice for everyday grilling and BBQ cooking, particularly when you want responsive heat and a relatively quick cooking session.
Oak Charcoal
A versatile hardwood charcoal suitable for a wide range of BBQ cooking, from grilling to longer sessions.
Oak & Hornbeam Charcoal
A hardwood blend worth considering for cooks looking for a premium alternative to standard lumpwood charcoal.
Apple Charcoal
Another option within our hardwood charcoal range for BBQ enthusiasts who enjoy trying different charcoal varieties.
Marabu Charcoal
A particularly good option for longer cooking sessions where dense charcoal and sustained heat are important.
White Quebracho Charcoal
Popular for restaurant-style grilling and demanding BBQ applications where strong, lasting heat is required.
The best choice depends on your BBQ, cooking method and personal preference.
What About Braai Wood?
Charcoal isn't the only option for outdoor cooking.
Traditional South African-style braai cooking often involves burning suitable wood to produce a bed of hot embers.
At Armstrong Country Store, our Braai Wood range includes:
• Kameeldoring (Camel Thorn)
• Swarthaak
• Mopane
Braai wood offers a different cooking experience from using charcoal straight from the bag.
It's particularly appealing to people who enjoy cooking over a live wood fire and managing their own embers.
How Should You Store BBQ Charcoal?
Charcoal should be stored somewhere dry and protected from the weather.
Although charcoal itself is carbon-rich, moisture can affect how easily it lights and how it performs.
For best results:
• Keep charcoal bags off damp ground
• Store in a dry shed, garage or suitable storage area
• Protect opened bags from rain
• Avoid leaving charcoal exposed outdoors
• Keep charcoal away from ignition sources
Good storage helps preserve the quality of your fuel between BBQ sessions.
Our Recommendation: Lumpwood or Briquettes?
There isn't one answer for every BBQ.
If you're cooking steaks, burgers and other foods over direct heat, premium lumpwood charcoal is often the most convenient choice.
If you're using a kettle BBQ for extended indirect cooking, good-quality briquettes can offer useful consistency.
If you're cooking low and slow in a kamado, dense hardwood lumpwood such as Marabu or White Quebracho is well worth considering.
And if you're running a restaurant or cooking regularly on a professional grill, the quality, density and consistency of the charcoal become particularly important.
The biggest mistake is buying charcoal based on price alone.
A cheaper bag isn't necessarily better value if it doesn't provide the heat, burn duration or quality you need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is lumpwood charcoal better than briquettes?
Not always. Lumpwood is particularly useful for high-temperature grilling and responsive heat control, while briquettes can be useful for consistent, longer cooking sessions. The quality of the individual fuel matters.
Does lumpwood charcoal burn hotter?
Good-quality lumpwood charcoal can reach very high temperatures, making it popular for searing and direct grilling. Actual temperatures depend on airflow, fuel quantity and BBQ design.
Do briquettes last longer than lumpwood charcoal?
Some briquettes provide longer, more predictable burns than lighter lumpwood charcoal. However, dense hardwood lumpwood such as Marabu can also offer excellent burn duration.
What is the best charcoal for a kamado BBQ?
Premium lumpwood charcoal is generally a good choice for kamado cooking. Dense hardwood varieties are particularly useful for longer cooks. Always check the manufacturer's fuel recommendations.
What charcoal do restaurants use?
Many professional kitchens use premium hardwood restaurant charcoal, including dense varieties such as Marabu and White Quebracho.
Can you use smoking chunks with charcoal?
Yes. Smoking chunks can be used with charcoal in suitable BBQs and smokers to introduce wood smoke during cooking.
Is restaurant charcoal suitable for home BBQs?
Absolutely. Restaurant-grade charcoal can be an excellent choice for home BBQ enthusiasts, particularly those who grill regularly or enjoy longer cooking sessions.
Shop Premium BBQ Charcoal at Armstrong Country Store
Whether you're looking for lumpwood charcoal for a weekend BBQ, briquettes for a longer cook or premium restaurant charcoal for professional grilling, Armstrong Country Store has a wide range to choose from.
Explore our selection of hardwood charcoal, charcoal briquettes, smoking chips, smoking chunks and Braai Wood, all available to order online.
Find the right fuel for your next BBQ and enjoy cooking with quality charcoal.
Shop BBQ Charcoal at Armstrong Country Store.