When I first began to smoke meat over coal, I did not understand and did not think that there was a difference in the brand of charcoal that I used.
I just bought what was available, and in most cases ... I bought the cheapest one. Most of the time, it was the Wal-Mart line of Sam's Choice coal or Kingsford brand. Only in my research on bbq and the experience of the competition, I learned that in Charcoal there is a big difference.
Different coals affect your barbecue differently. To understand the difference in charcoal, you must first know what it is used for.
Charcoal is a byproduct of a plant substance burned in a low oxygen environment that removes moisture and other substances, leaving behind pure carbon. Since I prefer to cook with wood briquettes, and this is what I will discuss here.
Briquettes are made by removing residual pieces of wood and paper, making them at high rates with low oxygen content and using binders and often other materials to form a uniform size of charcoal. And these are other materials that are added to carbon to make charcoal, which makes most national brands undesirable when cooking meat for competition.
Most wood briquettes sold in the market are made from trees such as cedar, fir and alder. These trees are used because they are commonly found in the regions where companies are located. I do not know about you, but I would not smoke my meat with this type of wood, and I also do not want it in my charcoal.
With most of the charcoals sold on the market, you can find other materials, such as: limestone, sawdust, sodium nitrate, and even borax. They add limestone to create ash on the coals, because most inexperienced chefs need to SEE this ash in order to know that the coals are ready to cook. Sawdust & Nitrate Sodium helps coal shine faster, and Borax is used in the production process to help coal get out of shape more easily.
Of course, not all charcoal brands use these added ingredients ... and these more “natural” brands are the only ones I want to use when smoking and making good quality barbecues.
I found charcoal, which is produced only with Oak & Hickory Hardwoods, and then held together with a starch binder. That is all that is in it ... oak, hickory and starch. It produces very little ash, excellent heat and gives your meat a good aroma when cooking on the grill or smoking.
The charcoal brand I personally use is Chef & Delight Oak & Hickory Charcoal. It is sold locally in Memphis at a charcoal store, but it may be available in your area. Some of the best barbecue restaurants in Memphis use the same coal.
If you spend money on expensive cuts of meat and donate hard work to get meat with competitive quality, you want to use the best charcoal you can find.
I suggest looking for a local coal storage or a restaurant store. You can either give them a call, or just stop and ask about the different types of charcoal they can offer.
If they don't have Chef & Delphic Oak & Hickory Charcoal, they probably have a comparable brand. Believe me, it's worth spending a little extra time to find out what's in the charcoal you are using ... and find a brand you can trust.
And be careful ... just because some national brand calls them charcoal as "natural" does not mean that it is ideal for smoking and grilling. Just because they remove the added chemicals, this does not mean that they use oak and hickering forests to produce this charcoal. So take your time and read the labels.
