Which Type Of Charcoal Should You Buy? | Knox Ave BBQ

With different types of charcoal on the market, such as lump and briquettes, which type of charcoal should you be using??? Well, I would say it depends on your cooking style.
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[@knoxavebbq]

What's up, fam! Thanks for watching this video. Let me know below which charcoal style you prefer, what are you cooking on, and what's your favorite item to fire up!

[@PunkFace303]

I use primarily briquettes in my OKJ bronco pro since they’re so consistent. Hang a couple racks of ribs and you’re eating good!

[@patrickhenry236]

There are reasons to use each at different times, many of the points you went into. The other option to lump charcoal is using wood chunks to build your coal base. You can ignite them in a chimney, unlike lump charcoal you don't have a mix of unknown hardwoods since you can choose the type of wood you want for best flavor profile. When using briquettes, a chunk of wood will solve the "flavor" issue as well.

[@belavet]

Nice video! My added perspective on briquettes is I find them on sale and/or clearance a lot more often than I find lump. I tend to use briquettes a lot outside of an offset because I clear out lowes/Home Depot when they're a few bucks a bag 😂 I'm ready to stock up again though.

[@knoxavebbq]

Definitely stock up when you can!

[@BB-rs4sb]

I like half n half with the lump on top in the chimney starter

[@jaylanjones421]

So glad you put this out! I’m always so salty about how I’m “wasting” my briquettes. Now I know I got options

[@knoxavebbq]

Yup. I like having both.

[@adamtruhler8245]

This video is super helpful. Figuring out the best use cases for lump and briquettes helped me level up my backyard BBQ game.

[@knoxavebbq]

Great! Glad to help

[@ryanh.2049]

Perfect timing for this video. I needed a lump restock, so I decided to try the black bag FOGO. I could tell by feeling the bag the pieces were just the right size, and it didn’t seem like there were a lot of tiny pieces. Bought a bag and grilled last night. I like it. You sold me on it without trying to sell me on it👍This will be my new go to. Thanks for the video!

[@knoxavebbq]

Awesome. Glad I can help!

[@williamwhite1997]

Thanks, Joe. The other thing that I've found the ash left behind from brickets is much greater than the lump. 🤷‍♂️

[@knoxavebbq]

whatever works for you! i dont use the briquettes much but i'll keep that in mind.

[@barbecuefaq]

@@knoxavebbq That's a major reason most ceramic grills/kamado style grills like the BGE tell the user to use lump charcoal; Briquettes often contain additives like limestone (whitening agent), starch (binds the briquette), borax (helps release from the mold), sodium nitrate (aids in the ignition), paraffin (aids in ignition), petroleum solvents (light fluid - aids in ignition). Where-as lump charcoal is quite literally just carbonized wood. BGE themselves also only sell their "branded" lump charcoal and not briquettes - for that exact reason. There's also the concept of the ash collection system impeding airflow. If you look at the ash collection in most Kamado's there's usually a small base with very little room for ash. Not sure about others but I'm apt to be as lazy as humanly possible - meaning I don't want to clear my ash before every single cook (Weber's and SNS' detached systems are great for this reason).

[@Hopsnbarley]

I haven't tried the their briquettes , I always find myself using the lump, because like you said, it has a great flavor on the finished product.

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@jee77osu]

Appreciate your videos! I like to use B&B lump charcoal in my workhouse pits 1975 to get my coal bed established. You gave me an idea to maybe use the B&B char-logs as needed to help maintain the coal bed and keep even temps during the cook. Keep up the good work!

[@knoxavebbq]

It helps when you’re in a pinch, but I wouldn’t replace it for proper fire management. Haha.

[@BenFeldman-kz7gt]

Joe, Very helpful and interesting! You didn’t mention, but I have read and noticed that lump charcoal produces less ash than briquettes, which is helpful on drum and kettle style smokers. I have also noticed that not all charcoal brands are made equal. Jealous Devil, although typically more expensive, is far superior to other brands. It is much more solid and burns extremely well. Fogo is definitely still ok! You forgot one important element! Opening the bags correctly with that ridiculous string!😂 Where on earth did that packaging method develop? Keep up the great work!👍

[@knoxavebbq]

👍 thanks for watching

[@narbekalantarians6269]

I agree about mid size lump if only one choice. I've used both and also noticed a better flavor from lump and like to use a chimney of those to help start a fire for my offset

[@knoxavebbq]

Smart moves

[@cfro101]

Not complicated and easy to understand thank you. Typically have both but I spend way more time planning the meat of the cook than what fuel I’m going to use and why. Also with the lump sparking I typically use an electric starter directly in my firebox to speed up the process and not have the small pieces burn up or fall through.

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@oronajesse2008]

Thank you for all your awsome videos which have really helped me bring my BBQ and smoking confidence to a higher level. And my family thanks you as well since they have to eat whatever i cook. 🤣

[@knoxavebbq]

Hahaha. Glad I can help

[@Soplas_Chile]

I still can’t forget the time you said you’ve cooked up some good ribs on a WSM… we need a WSM rib cook by Joe yim, maybe compare it to an offset. Would be a cool video. Keep up the great content joe.

[@knoxavebbq]

I’ll think about it. I don’t want to clean it. Lol. Thanks for watching.

[@joeflaker]

As always, great way of explaining everything.

[@knoxavebbq]

Appreciate it. Thanks for watching, and feel free to share with others!

[@glennevitt5250]

Thanks Joe for the information 💯😎

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@marcusfabiousmaximus3463]

It’s good to see new content from you, I prefer jealous devil lump myself

[@knoxavebbq]

👍 happy to do it! Thanks for watching

[@Bayareabbq]

Both... whatever best quality charcoal or lump of my choice is on sale...and many are ...just have to look ..

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@jayro4803]

Thanks Joe, good video! Appreciate the info!

[@knoxavebbq]

Glad to help

[@bigstevessmokemchokembbq8746]

Njoyed the video sir...thank you. Do you ever use briquettes to start the fire in your offset? I prefer Kingsford blue because it's uniform and in my opinion does not offer any flavor that could interfere with the flavor of the wood im using.

[@JohnSmith-qy2wm]

👍. Missing those seasoned Korean newspapers. Lol. Good stuff my Kbro.

[@knoxavebbq]

Hahaha. I’ll be sure to talk about it once I hit a million subs

[@lazydog274]

My house has 2 lump charcoal…. 1st is a cheap lump. Mesquite. Used for my hot fast sears. 2nd is many brands of lump charcoal. Used for smokes and flavors of different woods. 0 briquettes used on my ceramic grills

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@matthewhunter6421]

I've noticed in a gravity smoker, briquettes and char logs are far more efficient and use less fuel than lump charcoal.

[@knoxavebbq]

I’ve never used a gravity smoker before but I believe you.

[@MrThespian4]

I use lump all of the time, in my offset , and grilling. If I had a Weber smokey mountain I would have briquettes I think.

[@knoxavebbq]

Smart

[@emmgeevideo]

I use a Grill Gun to start my charcoal. Fogo sparks really bad for me. Jealous Devil doesn't spark as much for me. Also I keep my charcoal in a large storage a container. Much better than the bag, both for storage and handling.

[@knoxavebbq]

Smart move. Thanks for watching

[@donscott6431]

Bought a 400 lb. lot of imported authentic binchotan charcoal, about 10 years ago. I was working for a restaurant that used a mix of binchotan and mesquite in their grills. Talk about CLEAN and HOT!! Can’t imagine trying to afford binchotan these days tho, at least not the real stuff. I use it very sparingly, for specific cooks. A little lasts a long time. I built a “yakitori”, long and narrow grill on my apartment balcony. I love that thing..❤ PS The place I worked at moved out of state and let me buy their last lot. I THINK I paid about $700.00 for 400 lbs. For longer cooks, I use a few sticks of the binchotan, and seasoned wood. No problem with coals and heat. I just add some wood chunks from time to time (this is on the apt. complex’s cheap grill). Works wonderfully😊

[@knoxavebbq]

Worth it! That’s a steal.

[@derekortiz1431]

Great video! Do you see an advantage to using lump to establish your coal bed versus building a log cabin of splits and letting it burn down into coals or is it just more convenient?

[@knoxavebbq]

I just find it more convenient and it’s just way faster.

[@gregnorris3403]

Great video, Joe! What do you do with the really small pieces? Can you sprinkle them on top of an existing fire?

[@knoxavebbq]

Definitely. I would just try to make sure not to dump all the really fine powered at the bottom of the bag

[@MrThespian4]

@@knoxavebbq I know this is probably controversial, but when I get down to that powder , and small chunks of lump, I roll the bag up tight, put it under wood, and use it to start the fire in my offset.

[@knoxavebbq]

@@MrThespian4id say that's smart!

[@WayAlpha101]

Aighttt time to try to do a whole brisket with lump and see what the taste difference is haha

[@knoxavebbq]

Give it a shot!

[@mikek1600]

Thumbnail had me singing “🎵 Charcoal mountain “ in Chuds voice.

[@knoxavebbq]

Can’t get that guy out of my head either

[@davidnelsen9971]

Where do I get the Korean newspapers to get it started, though?

[@knoxavebbq]

That’s top secret information that I’ll share once I get to a million subs.

[@Woodwardsbbq]

Is there any ability to “use” the lump or briquettes a “second” time? For instance, get done cooking, shut off all air flow on Weber and let it choke out. Still left with ashy looking charcoal. Can this be used again to start a new fire?

[@knoxavebbq]

If you shake off the ash, yes you can.

[@SmOakPointBBQ]

What would make the biggest difference is a Chud chimney. LOL!!!😂

[@knoxavebbq]

You might be right

[@tlc2011jlc]

I like el Diablo from Costco

[@knoxavebbq]

Dope. I’ve never used it or even heard of it before. Haha

[@jason5157]

So then what is the difference between using Korean news paper and American? 🤣

[@knoxavebbq]

That will be a video when I get a million followers subs

[@lazydog274]

And also need a review between American tequila and Mexican tequila

[@jason5157]

@@knoxavebbq you will get there! Love the content!

[@doctajuice]

It's a +10 buff to your flavor stat

[@SuperPfeif]

💪

[@knoxavebbq]

👍

[@DRMALIKIA]

🍖 Keep up the good work!

[@knoxavebbq]

Thanks for watching

[@MrThespian4]

Still waiting on that Awesome pork rib glaze recipe. HA HA!

[@knoxavebbq]

what pork rib glaze are you talking about. i dont remember.

[@MrThespian4]

@@knoxavebbq Something like Terry Black's. The wife loved their pork ribs in Austin last year.

[@michaelmattichiii1595]

Briquettes are simply way too expensive! KBB are just too small and they don't last long.I have 50 bags of NOS WEBER charcoal and they burn long and impart a nice flavor.Most lump charcoal gives food a nice Smokey flavor you just don't get from KBB !! And that is a fact. Also I always use lump in my WSM and it work's very well you just have to damp it down via gasket on the door ect. I believe lump charcoal is the wave of the future.KBB will price itself out of the market,noting it was not on sale at HD and Lowes around Father's day and the 4th of July in past years.Depending upon the lump you chose, it just gives food a better flavor. As an example I use Larzzai lump and it imparts a wonderful mesquite flavor to my steaks and chops.If you light KBB and let it burn, there is zero smell emitted from this stuff because it consists of coal and binders.Note I purchased the NOS WEBER charcoal for $3.99 per bag including shipping !

[@lazydog274]

Woof woof Thumbs Up 👍🏾 Everyone

[@philliplam2704]

Great video

[@knoxavebbq]

Thanks for watching

[@mikenicholson2548]

Great video.

[@knoxavebbq]

👍 thanks