The best charcoal is essential to grilling with even heat and great flavor. Here are the best charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal for grill season.
Managing and monitoring the heat while cooking over charcoal can be tricky. Just like you wouldn’t start barbecuing without the right grill brush and durable grill gloves, you need to consider the best charcoal for your grilling style.
In addition to our decades of testing the best charcoal grills, we spoke with several experts to find out what makes the best charcoal and why. Our top pick is Royal Oak Ridge Briquettes because they’re affordable and burn at high temperatures for a long time to grill your dinner perfectly. For an additive-free option, consider B&B Competition Oak Charcoal Briquettes. They’re pricier than most but all-natural and burn hot and slow.
Learn more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products.Our top picks for grilling charcoal
Best overall: Royal Oak Ridge Briquettes — See at Webstaurant Store
Best value: Kingsford’s Original Charcoal Briquettes — See at Amazon
Best splurge: Prime 6 Sustainable Charcoal — See at Walmart
Best additive-free: B&B Competition Oak Charcoal Briquettes — See at Ace Hardware
Best lump: Fogo All Natural Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal — See at Amazon
Best for ceramic grills: Kamado Joe Natural Lump Charcoal — See at Amazon
Best binchōtan: Jealous Devil Onyx Binchōtan Charcoal — See at Webstaurant StoreBest overall
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Burns fast
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Burns hot
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Long-lasting
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No bad taste imparted to food
con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Contains sawdust
Royal Oak Enterprises started as the Bradleyville Charcoal Company in Missouri in 1953 but changed to its current name in 1983. Today, the family-owned company is one of the largest charcoal producers in North America. The popular Royal Oak Ridge Briquettes promises to be hot and ready for grilling in 15 minutes. The special ridge shape (which you’ll find in plenty of other charcoal briquettes) allows for better airflow and peak performance.
This charcoal burns hotter and longer than most of its competitors, and it leaves little ash behind. Although it may not be completely additive-free, it doesn’t leave a strange aftertaste on your food, either. As with any of our best charcoal picks, you’re going to have an easier time with one of the best charcoal chimney starters.Best value
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Grills well
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Classic briquette style
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Widely available
con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Lots of ash
con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Additives
Kingsford’s Original Briquettes are probably what your dad — and mine — have used for every backyard barbeque he’s ever held. Kingsford is classic grilling charcoal that you can buy anywhere for a reasonable price. Although Kingsford’s charcoal isn’t fancy or innovative like some of our other picks, it’s made from natural ingredients and real wood.
Each briquette has the company’s Sure Fire Grooves for quick, easy lighting, so you’ll be ready to cook in about 15 minutes. The briquettes create a lot of ash and burn much more quickly than some of our other higher-quality best charcoal picks. But if you want that signature charcoal-grilled taste and don’t want to fiddle around with the fancy stuff, Kingsford has been satisfying backyard grillers for generations. — Malarie GokeyBest splurge
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Burns three times longer than hardwood lump
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Additive-free
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Compact
Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. One tree planted per package sold
con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Pricey
con icon Two crossed lines that form an ‘X’. Medium difficulty to light
Whether you’re looking for something slow-burning, compact, or to some degree eco-conscious, Prime 6 is the best charcoal we’ve found for all of the above. We discovered this brand thanks to butcher Pat LaFrieda, who is so passionate about the brand he sent some our way to try out for ourselves. Prime 6 also plants one tree per package of coals sold.
These hexagonal tubes burn about three times as long as any hardwood lump charcoal I’ve tested. They also come in a long, slim box that makes for compact storage and can stack together nicely, so if you’re limited for space and want to confine a stash of charcoal tidily, I haven’t encountered a better solution.
Additive-free, Prime 6 is made from nothing but compressed hardwood sawdust. This makes it notably difficult to light, but vertical placement in a charcoal chimney starter and a few pieces of newspaper or a good firestarter will get these tubes glowing nearly as fast as any hardwood lump.
