Briquettes are a popular choice for grilling and barbecue. But are they the best option for getting that perfect sear on your steaks or smoking a rack of ribs low and slow? There are a few factors to consider when deciding between briquettes and other fuel sources like natural lump charcoal or wood.
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What are briquettes?
Briquettes are uniform chunks of compressed charcoal dust combined with various binders and fillers. The most common brand of briquettes is Kingsford, which uses starch as a binder. Other additives can include sawdust, limestone, borax, and sodium nitrate. These help control the burn rate and extend the usable lifespan of the briquettes.
Compressing the charcoal dust into pillow-shaped briquettes allows them to burn consistently and makes them easier to stack and arrange in your grill or smoker. The standardized shape and size also promotes even heating and cooking.
Pros of using briquettes
There are some key benefits that explain why briquettes became so popular for backyard barbecuing in the first place:
- Consistent, even heat: Thanks to their uniform shape and composition, briquettes tend to burn steadily at a predictable rate. This makes it easier to maintain consistent temperatures inside your grill for the duration of a cookout. The heat output is reliable and controllable.
- Long burn time: Kingsford and other major brands engineer their briquettes to burn for an impressively long time. A single chimney starter full of briquettes can sustain cooking temperatures for 60-90 minutes or more. You don’t have to constantly add more fuel during a cookout.
- Easy temperature control: Arranging briquettes in specific piles or spreading them out allows you to regulate heat zones and cooking temperatures. More briquettes concentrated under the meat means more heat. A sparse single layer generates lower temperatures for smoking or indirect cooking.
- Compact storage and transport: The square pillow shape allows bags of briquettes to be stacked neatly and efficiently. And the uniform chunks don’t crumble into dust or break down into small messy pieces when transported in a car or wheelbarrow.
- Affordable price point: Pound for pound, briquettes are generally cheaper than specialty lump charcoal or wood chunks for fuel. Budget-conscious backyard cooks can get a lot of grilling time out of a smaller investment in briquettes.
Cons of using briquettes
While the pros are significant, there are some notable drawbacks with briquettes that may make natural lump charcoal or wood a better choice in certain situations:
- Contains non-wood fillers and binders: Purists argue that the additives and “filler” used in briquettes taint the pure wood flavor you get from real lump charcoal or natural wood chunks. Some also dislike the use of chemical binders during production.
- Burns fast at high heat: If you arrange a full chimney of briquettes closely together for intense direct heat, they tend to burn fast and hot. You’ll go through fuel quicker than lump charcoal at very high temperatures.
- Temperature spikes: As they burn down, briquettes have a tendency to flare up and spike in temperature right before they extinguish. This can lead to accidental burnt spots.
- Ash production: The uniform shape and tight composition of briquettes causes them to break down fully into fine powdery ash. When combined with the binders used, this creates a lot of flaky ash that must be cleaned out of the grill regularly.
- Less smoke flavor: Lump charcoal and wood chunks produce more visible smoke that coats food with extra smoky flavor. The controlled burn of briquettes generates smaller amounts of smoke.
Uses for briquettes
Here are some of the best applications where briquettes really shine and take advantage of their strengths:
- Low and slow smoking: Arranged in a thin layer for indirect heat, briquettes can smoke ribs, pork shoulders, brisket and other barbecue cuts for 8-12 hours at a rock steady 225-250°F.
- Grilling at medium heat: A standard two-zone fire with briquettes on one side of the grill and the food on the other allows you to cook over direct medium heat in the 300-400°F range.
- Single-level fire grilling: Piling all the briquettes under the food is an effective way to create a simple direct grilling setup for thinner foods like chicken breasts, burgers, vegetables, fish fillets, etc.
- Pizza on a grill: Briquettes spaced evenly across the entire grill surface produce the consistent, widespread heat needed for crisping up pizza crust nicely.
- Searing steaks: Use a full chimney of lit briquettes dumped tightly together to generate extremely high heat for searing steaks over direct heat.
- Smoking with water pans: The long steady burn works well for smoker setups using water pans. Keeping a water pan full and heated indirectly requires stable long-lasting briquette heat.
Briquettes vs. lump charcoal
Lump charcoal is the main alternative to using standard briquettes. Here’s how they compare:
| Briquettes | Lump Charcoal |
|---|---|
| Made from compressed charcoal dust and fillers | Pure wood charcoal chunks, no fillers |
| Burns consistently at steady heat | Burns hotter but less consistently |
| Easy to arrange and control heat | Irregular chunk shapes and sizes |
| Ashier coal, more filler byproducts | Less ash, more natural wood flavor |
| Lower cost per pound | Pricier than briquettes |
Lump charcoal reaches hotter temperatures and imparts a woodier, smokier flavor. But it burns faster and less predictably. Briquettes provide superior heat control and duration for low and slow smoking or medium heat grilling.
Briquettes vs. wood chunks
Here is a brief comparison between using briquettes and real wood chunks:
| Briquettes | Wood Chunks |
|---|---|
| Made from compressed charcoal | Split chunks of various wood types |
| Burns consistently for hours | Relatively short burn time |
| Lower smoke production | Heavy smoke flavor from real wood |
| Steady, controlled heat | Heat output varies |
| Long shelf life | Fresh wood chunks needed each cook |
Real wood chunks provide intense smoky flavor. But they burn hot and fast. Briquettes are the better option when you need steady low heat and a long cook time.
Best briquette brands
If you opt to use briquettes for grilling, these are some of the top brands to consider:
- Kingsford – The most popular brand started by Henry Ford. Inexpensive and readily available.
- Royal Oak – Competitor to Kingsford that burns slightly longer.
- Maple Leaf Charcoal – Made in Canada with Eastern maple wood. Provides a hint of sweetness.
- Kamado Joe Big Block – Larger briquettes designed for ceramic kamado grills. Extended burn time.
- Rockwood – Made from Missouri oak for a 100% natural briquette with no fillers.
- Wicked Good Charcoal – Small Maine company using local maple and oak.
Environmental impact
One downside to briquettes is they have a larger carbon footprint compared to lump charcoal. More non-renewable fuels are used in compressing the dust during manufacturing. And some binders create additional smoke and ash waste when burned.
However, companies are improving sustainability practices. Kingsford uses sawmill scraps for some of its charcoal dust now. And briquettes remain far more environmentally friendly than using gas grills.
Cost of briquettes
A standard 15-20lb bag of Kingsford or other leading briquette brand costs $9-15. Given the long burn time, you get a lot of grilling mileage per pound compared to lump charcoal or wood. It’s the most budget-friendly grilling fuel option over the long run.
How to light briquettes
Using a charcoal chimney starter is the best way to light briquettes evenly and efficiently. Place the proper amount of briquettes in the chimney and ignite the bottom newspaper or kindling. In 15-25 minutes, the briquettes will be fully lit and ready to arrange in your grill.
You can also use electric starters or solid fuel cubes. Avoid lighter fluid – it can impart a chemical taste on food.
FAQs about briquettes
Are briquettes bad for your health?
There are no proven direct health risks to using briquettes. However, they do produce carbon emissions like any charcoal fuel that should be avoided inhaling. Burn them in outdoor well-ventilated areas. Their ash also contains trace fillers and binders.
Can you reuse briquettes?
Unused intact briquettes can be reused for later cookouts. Make sure they are fully extinguished first. However, you cannot really reuse briquettes that have fully burned down to ash and remnants.
Why do briquettes turn white?
The white ash coating that develops on briquettes as they burn is caused by the limestone and starch binders used in production. Pure wood charcoal remains black as it burns.
Do you soak briquettes?
There is no need to soak briquettes, as you would with wood chunks to prevent flare-ups. The compressed composition of briquettes prevents them from absorbing much moisture when soaked.
Can briquettes be extinguished and reused?
Yes, unused fully intact briquettes can be drowned or suffocated to extinguish them, then saved for future use. Avoid reusing partially burned briquettes.
Conclusion
Briquettes are a proven product for reliable heat control and duration during barbecue grilling and smoking. While they lack some of the flavor advantages of real wood smoke, the consistency and convenience of briquettes make them the go-to source of fuel for most backyard cookouts. Going with a premium brand without artificial fillers provides a good compromise between performance and natural wood flavor.