Best Grilling Charcoal of 2026
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Grilling charcoal is a popular fuel source for outdoor cooking enthusiasts. Made from natural hardwoods like oak, hickory, and maple, it produces a distinct smoky flavor that enhances the taste of grilled meats and vegetables. Grilling charcoal comes in various shapes and sizes, including briquettes and lump charcoal. Briquettes are uniform in shape and size, making them easier to light and maintain a consistent temperature. Lump charcoal, on the other hand, is irregularly shaped and burns hotter and faster than briquettes. Both types of grilling charcoal are readily available in most grocery stores and online retailers.
At a Glance: Our Top Picks
Top 10 Grilling Charcoal
Kingsford Original Charcoal Briquettes
Kingsford Charcoal is an all-natural grilling charcoal that is perfect for your next barbecue. It is made with 100% natural ingredients and real wood, providing an authentic smoky, wood-fired flavor to your favorite foods. The charcoal briquettes are designed to catch the flame quickly with grooves that provide air channels for fast heating and even burning, allowing your food to be ready in just 15 minutes, which is 25% faster compared to other nationally available charcoal brands. Each 16-pound bag generates about 4 uses, making it perfect for backyard parties or tailgates. Kingsford Charcoal is made in the USA with natural ingredients from North America, ensuring quality and authenticity in every bag.
Jealous Devil Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Jealous Devil Hardwood Lump Charcoal is a 100% natural and ultra-dense South American charcoal with no chemicals, fillers, or scrap material. It is perfect for grilling, smoking, or kamado, and offers superior burn with low ash, no sparking, and no popping. It has twice the cooking power, hotter temperatures, and longer burn time. The mild flavor-enhancing aroma makes it ideal for enhancing flavor profiles without overpowering them, and can be used alone or blended with your favorite wood.
Fire & Flavor Lump Charcoal
Fire & Flavor Charcoal is a top-quality lump charcoal ideal for grilling and smoking. Made from a blend of oak and mesquite, it burns longer, stays hotter, and produces less ash. The big lumps ensure consistent heat without small chips. Hand-picked and kiln-fired, this charcoal provides professional-level results, offering a gentle smoky flavor to your meats without overpowering them. Whether you're using a smoker, charcoal grill, or kamado-style grill, Fire & Flavor Charcoal guarantees a flawless grilling experience every time.
Fogo Super Premium Oak Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Experience restaurant-quality grilling and smoking with Fogo Super Premium Oak Hardwood Lump Charcoal. This all-natural charcoal offers large pieces of 4 inches or larger, which fill at least 80 percent of the 17.6-pound bag. This charcoal is perfect for long cooks and ceramic-style Kamado Grills like Big Green Egg, Primo, Kamado Joe, and more. With its fast and long light-up time, you can enjoy longer burn times and reach high searing temperatures with ease.
Thaan Thai Style Charcoal 5lbs
The Thaan Charcoal 5lbs offers a fresh new look with its updated packaging but keeps the same reliable quality you expect. You can reuse this charcoal by simply extinguishing and reigniting it, making your grilling sessions more economical and eco-friendly. It provides a long-lasting burn, giving you up to five hours of consistent heat, so your cooking process is uninterrupted. Plus, the low smoke output means your food’s natural flavors take center stage without being overpowered by heavy smoke. This charcoal is a great choice if you want reliable, clean, and flavorful grilling every time.
FOGO Premium Oak Lump Charcoal
FOGO Oak Charcoal is a 35-pound bag of premium blend hardwood lump charcoal that's perfect for everyday smoking and grilling. The charcoal is versatile and can be used for Kamado Grills like BGE Minimax, Kamado Joe Jr, Weber Kettle, Weber, Smoky Mountain, and more. It contains 70% medium size and 30% small pieces that light fast and long and makes it easy to reach high searing temperatures quickly. FOGO Oak Charcoal is restaurant quality and can efficiently cook your food for an efficient and thorough cooking process.
Mr. Bar-B-Q Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal
The Mr. Bar-B-Q Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal is made from 100% natural hardwood blend and produces very little ash. It burns hotter, longer and cleaner than other charcoals, and is easy and quick to light. It gives a pure smoky flavor to the food because it is made from all-natural hardwoods.
The Bincho Grill Binchotan Charcoal 11 lbs
The Bincho Grill Charcoal offers a superior grilling experience by burning hotter and longer than typical lump charcoal, reaching temperatures up to 1,200°F. This means you can achieve perfect sears and rich flavors when cooking yakitori or other grilled dishes. It produces almost no smoke or odor, so your food’s natural taste shines through without unwanted chemical smells. The charcoal is also reusable—if you take care of it by safely extinguishing and drying, you can use it multiple times, saving you money and reducing waste. Crafted from premium oak using traditional Japanese methods, this charcoal is trusted by chefs worldwide for its high quality and consistent performance.
Duraflame Char-Logs Premium Hardwood Charcoal 14 lb
The Duraflame Char-Logs Charcoal is designed to give you longer-lasting and hotter heat, making it ideal whether you're quickly searing steaks or enjoying a slow, all-day cookout. Its special cylinder shape with a hollow center improves airflow, which helps keep the heat steady and the logs burning longer. You’ll appreciate that these logs burn cleaner since they’re made from real hardwood charcoal and a natural vegetable starch binder, without any synthetic chemicals. Plus, the blend of oak and hickory woods adds a rich, smoky flavor to your food, enhancing your grilling experience every time.
Fogo Eucalyptus All Natural Charcoal
Fogo All Natural Charcoal is the perfect ingredient for your BBQ. Made out of Eucalyptus wood, it is all natural without any chemical additives. It burns hot and long, making it perfect for hot and fast cooks. Fogo believes charcoal is not only a fuel, but an ingredient, and this charcoal is the first ingredient. Whether you are grilling or cooking Rodizio style, this premium hardwood charcoal will not disappoint.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How long do you leave charcoal burn before cooking?
After lighting the charcoal, it's recommended to let it burn for at least 15 minutes. This allows the charcoal to heat up and reach a gray and ashy appearance, indicating that it's ready for cooking.
2. What is the proper way to cook on a charcoal grill?
For direct heat cooking, arrange the lit coals on one side of the charcoal grate for a hot zone. Sear the food over the coals and then move it to a cooler area for slower indirect cooking. Make sure to place the cooking grate in position and close the lid throughout the cooking process.
3. How long does charcoal stay hot in a grill?
Charcoal products, such as lump charcoal, typically last around 2-3 hours, while briquettes can last for 4-5 hours. The duration may vary depending on the quality of the charcoal used.
4. Do you leave the lid open or closed when heating charcoal?
When arranging and lighting the charcoal, keep the grill lid open. Once the coals are well-lit, you can close the lid. It's important to note that most charcoal grills tend to be hotter immediately after lighting.
5. Should I wait for charcoal to turn white?
Yes, it's recommended to wait until at least two-thirds of the charcoal have turned white and the charcoal has stopped smoking. This ensures that the charcoal has burned evenly and reached the desired temperature before adding any meat to the grill.
6. Do you have to let charcoal burn before cooking?
It's advisable to let the charcoal burn until it's covered with white-gray ash. This process usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes for high heat and 25 to 30 minutes for medium heat. Waiting for the charcoal to reach this stage ensures optimal cooking conditions.
During our grilling charcoal research, we found 24 grilling charcoal products and shortlisted 10 quality products. We collected and analyzed 56,578 customer reviews through our big data system to write the grilling charcoal list. We found that most customers choose grilling charcoal with an average price of $24.78.
The grilling charcoal are available for purchase. We have researched hundreds of brands and picked the top brands of grilling charcoal, including Kingsford, Jealous Devil, Fire & Flavor, FOGO, Thaan Charcoal. The seller of top 1 product has received honest feedback from 215 consumers with an average rating of 4.5.
Bryan Hicks is a professional gardener and a writer who lives in North Texas with his family and his dog. Bryan has spent more than half of his life surrounded by garden products. He has extensive experience in garden makeovers and maintenance and lawn care. His areas of expertise include outdoor decoration, gardening and garden design.
Grilling Charcoal Comparison Table
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| Brand | Kingsford | Jealous Devil | Fire & Flavor | FOGO | Thaan Charcoal | FOGO | Mr. Bar-B-Q | The Bincho Grill | Duraflame | FOGO |
| Scent | Natural Wood | Natural Wood Scent | Subtle Smoky | Oaky Wood | Mild fruity | Natural, Woody, Oaky Smoked | Natural Wood Scent | No Scent | Natural Wood Smoke | Smoky |
| Flavor | Natural Wood | Natural Wood | Mesquite | Natural Wood | Fruitwood | Natural Wood | SMOKEY | Natural Wood | Oak & Hickory | Natural Wood |
| Item Form | Charcoal Briquettes | Chunks | Chunks | Lump Charcoal | Log | Lump | Lump | Mixed sizes | Stick | Lump |
| Item Weight | 16 pounds | 35 pounds | 20 pounds | 17.6 pounds | - | 34.4 pounds | 8 pounds | 11 pounds | 16.78 pounds | 17.6 pounds |
| Material | Charcoal | Wood | Oak Wood, Wood | Wood | Wood | Wood | 8lb | Oak Wood | - | Charcoal |
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