Best charcoal for smokers

Of all the types of charcoal, lump charcoal has its share of fans. There are several reasons you might want to spend a little or a lot! The main difference between lump charcoal and formed charcoal briquettes is that lump is whole pieces of wood that have been exposed to high temperatures, which drives out volatile chemicals best charcoal for smokers leaves only the carbon. With briquettes, that carbon is processed further.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. When the smoke cleared, we found the best briquettes and lump charcoal. Jump to a Section. Wood burned in a low-oxygen environment yields charcoal, which burns hotter and longer than its original component.

Best charcoal for smokers

Apart from your smoker itself, the fire is the base of your barbecue. But, with a huge number of different types and brands of charcoals out there, choosing a fuel for smoking can get confusing really fast! Forget trial and error. This list of the best charcoal for smoking is designed to make your life easy. You can literally choose any of these options and be confident that they will perform just as they should, every time you light up. Burning Brisket is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read our affiliate policy to learn more. Each and every one of the products recommended here has been carefully tested and selected. After all, your food is being doused in the stuff for hours on end so you want it to be as clean as possible. Often people do forget that charcoal is just charred wood and the type of wood used to make the charcoal can have a huge impact on how the food tastes.

After the burn-in, we re-lit the smoker, noting the time it took to come to temperature and stabilize for cooking. Keep reading to see our top picks, the close seconds, and the also-rans based on the results. Use profiles to select personalised content.

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more. After 50 hours of testing 13 charcoal smokers, we found four favorites. Jump to a Section. Some prefer the ritual of a stick-burner, while others want the hands-off approach of a smart pellet grill.

SmokedBBQSource is supported by its readers. We may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you i f you buy through a link on this page. Learn more. A well-built charcoal smoker can hold a steady temperature for hours without much attention. After testing a range of charcoal smokers, we recommend the Weber Smokey Mountain. If you want to try something a little different, the Pit Barrel Cooker is worth checking out.

Best charcoal for smokers

Not all lump charcoal for smoking is created equal, and some of it even has the potential to harm your health with dangerous chemical additives. We like how it doesn't give out sparks, pops, or snaps when lighting. This may be the most interesting type of premium-quality lump charcoal for smoking that we came across when doing our research, as these are more on the denser side.

Pendik medicana

Create profiles for personalised advertising. The Best Value Lump Charcoal. Somewhere in the middle lies the charcoal smoker. Our testing mimicked the consumer experience as much as possible by working through the steps the average person would take upon buying the product. List of Partners vendors. Burning Brisket is one of the leading, independent authorities on all things barbecue. Instead, a mix of oak, hickory, maple and pecan is collected from timber milling leftovers to create this slow-burning, low-ash lump charcoal. Understand audiences through statistics or combinations of data from different sources. As with charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal is ready to use for grilling when the top layer is lightly glowing with a pale, ash color. Sustainably sourced Popular wood blend for smoking Burns slowly with steady heat. This is a big plus and makes cleanup after grilling or smoking easier.

Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review.

We also observed very little ash, and what was produced seemed to evaporate with a light breeze—it made cleanup especially efficient. Cons: The string closure for the bag could present challenges for people with strength issues. The chicken was flavorful and moist, not rubbery. Best High Volume:. Made from a simple and effective blend of oak, hickory and maple, you get the best of both worlds with a slow and steady heat plus a deeper, richer flavor that gives off that typical Southern-style BBQ flavor. Use profiles to select personalised advertising. Straight to the Point The best lump charcoal is quick to light, burns steadily, and produces minimal ash. We have burned a considerable amount of charcoal in our test kitchens, however, and we currently recommend Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal Amazon for smoking, though you may prefer a different type or blend of woods for flavor. The Best Overall Lump Charcoal. We found the smoke barely perceptible, which meant a very mild flavor.