Spring and summer days are the most common to pick up the phone and meet friends and family for a joint meal. In fact, it is normal for a barbecue to be prepared that day to enjoy the good weather and a meal that is not made every day. But, an essential element in all of them is charcoal for barbecue.
Have you ever considered if you really use the most appropriate or the best? Do you know that there are many products on the market and some are better than others? Find out now and hit the coal. It is possible that your food comes out richer and it takes much less time to enjoy sitting at the table with your loved ones.
Top 1. The best charcoal for barbecue
Pros
- Full embers in 15 minutes.
- Suitable for short barbecues.
- Easy to light.
Cons
- Small pieces of charcoal.
- Much smoke.
Selection of charcoal for barbecue
Doesn't that first choice serve you? Don't worry, here are some others that may be interesting for you.
Charcoal Briquettes | 3kg container
It is ideal for barbecues, grills and roasts. It has a high calorific power, hardly leaves ashes and also does not generate smoke.
LotusGrill Charcoal 2,5 kg in Bag
It is made of 100% beech wood and has a high calorific value. In addition, it will offer you an autonomy of between 50 and 60 minutes.
CarbonKo BBQ – Barbecue Charcoal, Made from Premium Coconut
Ecological product that comes from deforestation. It does not contain chemicals and is durable and stable.
It allows to maintain a stable heat for up to 4 hours. It does not produce smoke or smell and will preserve more of the flavor of the grill.
FERRETERIA LEPANTO Premium Pure Vegetable Charcoal 9kg
With perfect and fast combustion, it is produced in Extremadura.
The good thing about it is that you will get 3 bags of 3kg each, a total of 9, so you can handle it with less weight. It has a high calorific power and hardly generates smoke or ashes.
Weber 17594 – 8 kg bag of briquettes
It is a bag of 8 kilos of coal briquettes of the Weber brand. There is not much more information about him.
BBQ Charcoal Buying Guide
In case you don't know, barbecue charcoal can influence the food and the duration of your barbecue. For example, if to eat at two o'clock you have to start fighting with the barbecue at one o'clock because if not at that time it is not hot, then you have a problem with the coal. Or if it's too smoky and you don't want to smoke the meat too.
There are many types of charcoal for barbecue on the market and choosing the best one is not easy, we already told you. But if you know what there is and what you can do with it, things change. And that is what we have set out to do next, to show you what features can help you make the right purchase. And these are:
Type
We could say that the types of barbecue charcoal is the main key to a good barbecue. And it is that in the market there are many kinds, but if we condense them into groups you will find:
- Charcoal. It is the most used for a barbecue and is easily found in stores. Some are of poor quality (those sold in supermarkets, gas stations..., but there are good quality ones, which affects the heat they give off and how long they last. In addition, the latter will cause there to be few ashes and the smoke will also give you a special flavor to food.
- Mineral carbon. It is the least recommended because it is polluting and generates a lot of smoke that affects the environment and the taste of food.
- Charcoal briquettes. It is an intermediate solution, because it will last less than charcoal and also the smoke that comes out is not flavoring for the food, quite the contrary.
Another classification can leave us smokeless, natural coals, of different types of components...
Price
As for its price, the truth is that it will depend a lot on the quality of the coal because, for one euro, you can already find some in supermarkets. But of good quality they will be around 15-20 euros.
What type of charcoal is used for a barbecue?
If we had to recommend a charcoal among all the types that there is then there would be no doubt: the oak. It is one of the best for barbecues and it is also very easy to find, but it is difficult to make it of quality and above all, it complies with the fact that it is made of oak.
In supermarkets, department stores and stores it is easy to find this type of charcoal, but sometimes it is not of good quality. How do you know if it is? Thanks to its granulometry. That is, the larger the pieces of charcoal, the better quality it will be.
In the bag you must check that it really says that it is oak (and not 25, 40, 60%, 100%). And then look a little at the size of the pieces in the bag. If they feel big, it's good.
Others are of the opinion that the best is charcoal (in general) because it helps not to pollute the environment and is ecological. Or charcoal, which is ideal for red meat.
In these you will have a barbecue of guaranteed quality.
What is the best charcoal for barbecues?
As we have mentioned before, charcoal for vegetable barbecues is one of the best. But there are many types. So which of them should we choose?
Our recommendation is the holm oak, as we have said before, but as long as it is of good quality. Others that are also very good for barbecues are white and marabou quebracho, which are of high quality together with oak.
Where to buy?
Now that you know a little more about charcoal for barbecues, the next thing you should ask yourself is where you are going to buy it. Here there is not so much problem in knowing where but the quality that you can find. That's why we give you several stores.
Amazon
It is where you have more variety and ease to find quality coal. But in terms of prices, these may not be the most appropriate and pay more. So the best thing is that, when you know the one you want to buy, compare with other external stores to find out where it will be cheaper (without losing quality).
Carrefour
Something similar to Amazon happens in Carrefour: they have many types of charcoal for barbecues, many of them through external sellers. Therefore, you have to check that the prices are adequate and you do not have to pay more.
Mercadona
In Mercadona it is not that they have a lot of variety, because it is not like that. But they are cheap, and that makes them one of the most consumed. As for its quality, it is not high, rather low or medium.
Leroy Merlin
At Leroy Merlin they don't have many items to choose from either, although they do have different prices, brands and qualities. Some of them are very good, although the price is high compared to the others.
Lidl
Something similar happens to Lidl than to Mercadona barbecue charcoal: its price is quite affordable but it is of low or medium quality. It will work well on barbecues, but not as well as better charcoals.
Have you already decided on the barbecue charcoal that you are going to use from now on?