Are you wondering what the best lump charcoal for smoking meats is?
You’ve come to the right place!
In this TheGrillingDad.com guide, you will learn:
- Which are the top lump charcoal options for smoking
- Techniques for using lump charcoal effectively
- Lump vs Briquettes
- And much more!
Not so long ago, you had a simple choice to make when it came to grilling: gas or charcoal?
Gas guzzlers love the convenience it brings, but it’s hard to argue with the flavor you get from burning charcoal.
Today, charcoal is still as popular and tasty as ever, but the list of options can be overwhelming.
That’s why I’ve tested just about all of them on the market–to help you choose the right lump charcoal option without wasting time or money!
While you can still go and buy a bag of briquettes, most grill gurus and competition BBQ’ers will tell you that lump charcoal is where it’s at if you want to get serious about getting the most out of your grilling or smoking experience.
Read More >> Top 5 Best Smokers For Beginners (2021 Review)
Below is a quick list of all our top products. Keep scrolling to learn more about how to choose and use the best lump charcoal for smoking. Here we go!
| Image | Product | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Our Top Pick  | Our Top Pick | Fogo
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| View on Amazon |
 | Kamado Joe
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| View on Amazon | |
 | Jealous Devil
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| View on Amazon | |
 | Marabu
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| View on Amazon | |
 | Royal Oak
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| View on Amazon |
Table of Contents
Top 5 Lump Charcoal for Smoking Options
In a hurry? Check out our top 5 lump charcoal options! Keep reading to discover more about our top picks.
Why is Lump Charcoal the Best Choice for Smoking?
First, just what is lump charcoal (also called hardwood lump charcoal or all-natural charcoal), and why should it matter?
Isn’t it all just going to burn away anyway??
Sure is, but the most important factor here is how it burns.
Briquettes
Think of briquettes as concentrated pucks of sawdust and other leftover wood scraps. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but it means they need a lot of additives to make them more effective.
Lump Charcoal
Now compare that to how lump charcoal is made: by taking actual chunks of wood and sealing them in a vacuum until they’re completely dry, and you’re left with pure charcoal.
Briquettes Vs Lump Charcoal
Practically, what this means is that making the switch to hardwood lump charcoal gives you:
- Faster lighting time
- Hotter overall temperature
- Easier to adjust the temperature
Read More >> 5 Best Woods For Smoking Brisket (2021 Review)
Is Lump Charcoal Better Than Regular Charcoal?
Remember how briquettes need all those additives to stay compressed and light easier and smoke more?
If you’ve ever used briquettes and thought you noticed a chemical smell, that’s why.
Lump charcoal is all-natural. That means it doesn’t need any of those additives to retain the great properties you want out of your fuel.
Additionally, you won’t get any of that chemical smell in your grill or in your food.
Briquettes take a long time to light and come up to the temperatures necessary for grilling most foods.
And when it’s all said and done, you’ll have a big pile of ash to clean up and get out of your grill.
Using all-natural lump charcoal eliminates both of these issues.
It’s remarkably easy to light, it gets your grill to the temperatures you need, and it does all this much faster than briquettes.
Also, while you’ll inevitably still have some cleanup to do afterward, the amount of ash created by natural lump charcoal is significantly less than the huge pile left by briquettes.
Read More >> Top 5 Woods For Smoking Chicken (2021 Review)
One example of why lump charcoal is better than briquettes:
Let’s say you want to cook something that really benefits from using two different cooking temperatures.
A good example and popular option is the “reverse sear” method of cooking steaks.
Reverse searing is where you cook the meat at a low temperature until you reach the desired internal temperature, then turn the heat up to high to sear the outside locking in all that juicy goodness.
Lump charcoal is going to give you the ability to change those temperatures quickly and more efficiently than briquettes.
By focusing on where they lie and how much charcoal you’re using, you can raise or lower the temperature in a hurry.
Read More >> Top 3 Woods For Smoking Ribs (2021 Review)
Top 5 Lump Charcoal For Smoking Reviewed
You’ve got a ton of options when looking for the best lump charcoal for smoking.
I’ve narrowed them down to the 5 best lump charcoal options.
1. Fogo
The first one we’ll look at is Fogo Super Premium Lump Charcoal.
This lump charcoal is specifically selected for its large-sized chunks.
These are going to give you a better result in ceramic grills, larger kettle-style cookers, and smokers.
Big chunks give you a longer burn time, which means you maintain your temperature longer and have to add more fuel less often.
Compare this to their ‘Black Bag’ option, the FOGO Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal, which is more suitable for smaller and mid-size grills. This contains more consistently medium-sized pieces of lump charcoal.
2. Kamado Joe
If you’re doing a lot of smoking, or just planning on some ‘all-day’ grilling, you might need an even larger chunk. This brings us to the Kamado Joe Big Block Argentinian XL Premium Charcoal.
Right up front, you know what you’re getting. K
amado Joe states this is the “World’s Largest” lump charcoal product, and that you can use the chunks up to 3 times, burning for as long as 18 hours!
If you’re planning on any kind of long cook times, especially for smoking thick meats like brisket, you have to look at this one.
3. Jealous Devil
We can’t talk about lump charcoal without talking about Jealous Devil.
It’s hard to ignore the 100% all natural hardwood inside, as they claim it gets you temperatures of over 1170F, with a burn time of around 4 hours on open grills.
This just might back up the statement on the bag: “pure as heaven, hotter than hell.”
Speaking of the bag itself, it’s one of the few lump charcoal brands that offers a waterproof and resealable bag, which can be a boon to some outdoor cooking enthusiasts.
4. Marabu
A new entry that is putting out consistently good reviews and results is Marabu All Natural Lump Charcoal.
This lump charcoal is made using a “restaurant quality” blend of exotic woods including: White Quebracho, Caoba, Guayacan, and Aromo.
What that means is this is a product that typically would have been made and held back for larger clients like restaurants and commercial uses are now available for home cooks.
The big factor Marabu pushes here is consistency and quality.
That comes with a price tag, but a lot of home BBQ’ers are willing to pay for the performance it delivers.
5. Royal Oak
Lastly, one of the oldest names in charcoal is Royal Oak.
Some pitmasters swear by this brand and claim it’s never done them wrong.
It’s also a good option if you’re on a budget and just starting your journey into lump charcoal.
Royal Oak puts a focus on using renewable oak, hickory, maple, and walnut wood in their lump charcoal, and is 100% all-natural with no chemicals or additives.
Just make sure you’re getting the lump charcoal, as they also make a line of ‘all natural’ briquettes too.
Final Thoughts on Choosing The Best Lump Charcoal for Smoking
When you choose lump charcoal, it’s because you’re wanting to create an amazing BBQ experience.
Don’t forget why you’re looking into these options in the first place — you want to smoke some great food!
Long smokes require quality coals and you can’t go wrong choosing any of the options we’ve listed in this guide.
Learn More About Grilling
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