Since the author is considered an expert in the art of barbecue, he is often asked what kind of charcoal or firewood do I use? I’m not sure I have the experience to be considered the barbecue guru for people, but this is a question I can answer from experience.

Let’s recap the difference between broiling and broiling. For purists, barbecue is ‘low and slow’ cooking. The ideal smoking temperature is 225 to 250 degrees F. Now, there are some people (particularly Myron Mixon with the Jacks Old South BBQ crew) who cook high and fast with outstanding results. In fact, as of this writing, I think Myron is tied for the most barbecue championships in Memphis in May with Big Bob Gibson’s Chris Lily. Most guys still subscribe to cooking at lower temperatures for the best barbecue.

Grilling, on the other hand, is done at a much higher time. A typical charcoal grill can run at 350-450 degrees and a ceramic cooktop (Big Green Egg) can top 1000 degrees. This is great for cooking steaks, pork chops, and burgers. In fact, I still use an old Weber-style charcoal grill for my quick cuts of meat. My gas grill has been in need of a new burner for the better part of 18 months, but I haven’t downsized my outdoor cooking at all.

Charcoal briquettes (we all know Kingsford well) are great for cooking hot and fast. Briquettes generally ignite faster and burn reasonably well. The burning gives off enough flavor to make it better than cooking it in the oven or in a skillet. I rarely use briquettes any longer, simply because whether or not I actually taste them, I subconsciously taste the chemicals. Briquettes use binders and fillers when pressed to hold their shape. The biggest drawback to using briquettes is the amount of ash left at the end of firing. In my experience the ash left behind is at least 5 to 1 compared to using wood.

That leads me to use firewood for cooking. Wood for cooking really comes in two forms. Real wood logs or chops and what is known as hardwood lump charcoal. Large barbecue smokers can hold logs with no problem, but that is not feasible for smaller smokers or grills.

The best option is hardwood lump charcoal. This is where the pieces of wood are pre-burned and then cooled and then packaged for sale. What you have is real wood, but easy to light and burn. Hardwood lump charcoal emits tons of smoke (as much if not more than if you were burning whole logs), and it tends to burn for long periods of time (at the right temperature) and with consistent weather. A big advantage of using lump charcoal is the small amount of ash that is generated. Because there are no fillers, binders, or chemicals, there isn’t much left in the end.

I recently fired up my smoker for 5 days in a row and only used about 40lbs of lump charcoal. In the end, there was less than a quarter-sized bowl of ash left. Using lighters, I would have measured in gallons. This can especially be a problem with a smaller smoker. Too much ash buildup can limit the amount of air entering and make it difficult to maintain consistent temperatures.

The good thing today is the high availability of lump coal. Hardwood chunks are sold by almost any Wal-Mart or other big box store. During peak barbecue season, you can find it at home improvement centers like Home Depot or Lowes. The three most common brands found in Alabama are Royal Oak, Cowboy Lump, and Rancher. I have had success using all three, but Royal Oak is the easiest to come by. If you’re like me, I tend to use my smoker year-round and availability during the winter can make it pretty sparse. I tend to stock up for the winter right before Halloween, when the Christmas stuff starts taking up space in the garden center.

Please don’t think you need a smoker to cook with lump charcoal. It’s been at least 10 years since I last used briquettes. I only use lump charcoal now, even on my charcoal grill when cooking burgers, steaks and the like. No lighter fluid necessary. To get started with lump charcoal, your best bet is to look for a charcoal fireplace. Some newspaper and a lighter is all you’ll need to start a big fire.

Cooking with real wood requires another article to be published soon. For smoking, wood is the preferred energy source. In my smoker, I use clods to build a good fire and supplement it with wood logs. They come in all types, including oak, walnut, peach, apple, and mesquite, to name a few. I’ll go over each one in detail in my next article, including how to make your own lump charcoal if you want.

Happy smoking!