Charcoal is a blackish-brown combustible material that is primarily composed of carbon.
If you enjoy grilling, we’re sure you’ve looked into the various varieties of charcoal available. After all, no one wants to spend a big amount and will wind up with a ton of unused charcoal, isn’t it true? If you are going to buy charcoal, it is very important that you already know what exactly you are buying and how its aroma reflects on the BBQ. What kind of timber is used to make charcoal, and how does it affect the flavour? Here you will get information about maximum types of charcoal for grilling which are easily available and also about their taste as per your needs.
Charcoal is essential whenever it comes to cooking and barbecuing. Most great barbeque grills and smokers are built around it. There are many various materials and fuels that may be used to make charcoal, and that’s why there’s so many different varieties of charcoal. Because some varieties of charcoal are more suited for specific applications than others, picking the proper one is crucial.
Contact Charcoal Supplier in UK.
If you’re interested in adding a little smoky flavor to your cooking, there are many options for charcoal.
1.Briquettes
Briquettes are a type of charcoal that is very economical and widely available. They’re affordable, simple to light, and reliable to cook.
Smoking chunks have a softer Smokey flavor than lump charcoal, and wood chips that usually used to smoke meat with it. Slow burning hardwoods like hickory or oak are used to make these pieces, which have a softer smoke flavor.
Frequently used Charcoal briquettes are made by crushing charcoal with binders and other substances like starch and limestone in regular shapes and sizes. Because of essences used in production, it will feel like petroleum odor at first light. Briquettes take a little longer to light than lump charcoal, However they flame more evenly.
Charcoal briquettes are a well-known type of charcoal used for cooking because they burn slowly and smoothly, are simple to light, and are available almost anywhere. They’re made with a mix of coal, coal dust and a variety of other substances that help the coals burn longer. Briquettes come in range of flavors, allowing you to add wood smoke flavor to your food if desired.
2. Lump Charcoal
Lump charcoal is created entirely of wood and has no additives. The wood char, or turns into carbon, when burnt in an oxygen free environment. Lump charcoal burns hotter and faster than briquettes, but it has a more smoky taste. Finding a product that doesn’t utilize any chemicals or fillers can be difficult.
Lump charcoal is made by burning wood wastes (mostly hardwoods) in a low-oxygen environment, removing all water, sap, and other impurities. It has no chemicals or tastes because it is a 100 percent natural product. Because lump charcoal burns incredibly hot and quickly, you’ll need to keep adding more as your barbecue progresses. Lump charcoal exists in a variety of sizes and shapes, however bags of lumps may contain some tiny fragments and dust. As a result, it takes more time to ignite than briquettes or hardwood, and when extinguished, it can leave some ash behind.
3. Natural Lump Charcoal
Natural lump charcoal is made up of fine hardwood that hasn’t been exposed to oxygen during the burning process. With no additions or fillers, the finished product resembles bits of black rock. Lump charcoal burns faster and at higher temperatures than briquettes, although it is usually more expensive. However, because you may reuse coals by spreading it out to cool after cooking, natural lump is an excellent alternative for several cooking techniques.
Natural lump charcoal begins as complete logs that are charred embers after being burnt in an oxygen-depleted kiln. As a result, the heating fuel is more pure than that contained in charcoal briquettes. Because lump charcoal comes in fairly uniform sizes, calculating how much you’ll need for your grill is simple. It requires about 20 minutes to start a chimney, so once all of lumps are covered with grey ash, it’s ready to cook. Depending on the conditions, a maximum load of lumps charcoal will burn for roughly 45 minutes until needing to be refilled. If it’s windy or cold outside, you’ll burn through it quicker than if you’re grilling on a calm day.
4. Wood Chips
Wood pellets are little wood discs that could be added in a barbecue to provide smoky flavor to food while it’s being cooked. These pellets are available in different flavors, like mesquite or hickory, to add more depth of flavor in your food.
Wood chips comprised little fragments of wood that are chopped or divided into smaller pieces by cutting or splitting them. They’re typically used as kindling for fires, but they also have a variety of other uses such as smoking meat, making mulch and even making paper. They’re often sold in bags at hardware stores or online retailers like Amazon. They come in various sizes from large chunks that are used as firewood down to tiny pieces called “dust” that would be used for smoking food or creating smoke bombs.
Wood Chips contain 100% kiln dried wood sawdust that is crushed under high pressure into a hard block without any chemicals added.
5. Hardwood Lump Charcoal
Hardwood lump charcoal is created entirely of hardwood logs, with no fillers or additives. This sort of charcoal produces a hotter flame. Other types of coal, like briquettes or charcoal logs, burn hotter and for longer.
Grilling with hardwood lump charcoal is a great idea because it burns cleanly and doesn’t include any artificial ingredients or petroleum products. When you’re done cooking, it also produces very little ash.
Because hardwood lump charcoal is free of chemicals and additives, it will not produce any disagreeable tastes when cooked with. This makes it an excellent choice for cooking fish on the barbecue, where aromas and flavors are easily detected.
6. Bamboo Lump Charcoal
Compressed bamboo sticks are used to make bamboo lump charcoal. It has a pleasant, sweet flavor and burns hotter than hardwood lump charcoal.
Bamboo lump charcoal is created entirely of natural resources such as bamboo, peanut shell, and other plants. The raw material is heated to 1000 degrees Celsius, then cooled and crushed by a high-tech equipment, resulting in a clean and environmentally friendly product. Potassium, sodium, calcium, and magnesium are all abundant in this substance.
Its key benefits include:
- No pollution
- No smoke
- Low ash
- Good burning time and capacity
- A high heat value.
Conclusion:
Some individuals make the mistake of assuming that grilling meats over direct heat requires hardwood charcoal. This can provide a smoky flavor, as well as an unpleasant tinge of ash from incomplete burning of wood debris. You should use softwood charcoal for this because it is made specifically for this purpose.
The type of charcoal you use will be determined by how often you cook and the type of grill you use. If you don’t grill frequently, briquettes are simple to fire and maintain a constant temperature. If you want more heat from your charcoal, lump is the way to go as it burns hotter when sprayed with lighter fluid. But when comes to grilling, both are excellent options, therefore your personal preference will usually be the deciding factor.
The particle size is the simplest way to distinguish them. The bigger the particles, the slower it will warm up, but it would also light more easily and burn for a longer time. Tiny molecules will ignite hotter and have a cleaner taste than larger particles.
Check Also: Top 5 Qualities of A Good Food Supplier
