In order for the meat to be perfect and taste good, you need the right charcoal. Among other things, you should make sure that the charcoal is of high quality and sustainable. This is the only way to ensure that the charcoal does not contain any hazardous substances. What else you should consider before buying your charcoal and what alternatives there are, you will learn in this article.
Our checklist should help you to find the right charcoal for your barbecue. The product recommendations, on the other hand, already show you concrete purchase examples, so that nothing will stand in the way of a barbecue evening with the right charcoal!
- Classic barbecue charcoal is available everywhere and has a short glowing phase. Thus, meat, fish and vegetables can be placed on the grill after a short time.
- The barbecue char coal is particularly suitable for sausages and relatively thin steaks.
- Briquettes have more staying power. These have to glow a little longer, but they also last a longer barbecue evening.
- High-quality barbecue charcoal consists of fine pieces of charcoal that are almost the same size. This burns quietly and evenly.
- If possible, you should let the charcoal glow to ash after grilling. This is because extinguishing it with water can cause the grill to warp.
- Charcoal attracts moisture. Therefore, if you do not have a place to store it, you should not buy it in stock. Do not leave open bags outdoors under any circumstances.
- Barbecue charcoal with the FSC seal comes from sustainable forestry.
- Beech charcoal is also considered very sustainable. It is relatively expensive, but has a very high calorific value and burns for a long time.
Table of contents
Recommended Barbecue Charcoals
We have compiled the best and most interesting barbecue coals. You can find the list with our product recommendations here.
Tip: Still looking for the perfect grill? Here you can find the best kettle grills.
The Best Sellers Of Barbecue Coals
In a list of bestsellers we have compiled the most popular barbecue coals for you.
Tip: Here you can find the most popular grill tongs.
Current Offers Of Barbecue Coals
You can find the best current offers of barbecue coals in this list.
FAQ About Charcoal
Barbecue charcoal is obtained from wood and is widely used for barbecuing nowadays. The barbecue charcoal is usually ignited with a lighting cube or a liquid barbecue lighter.
Once you have lit the charcoal, you should wait about 20 minutes until the embers are hot enough to start grilling.
As the name suggests, charcoal is made from wood. For this purpose, it is lit on fire and the moisture is extracted over a process that lasts for days. What ultimately remains is the charcoal as we can buy it in the hardware store.
Briquettes need a longer time to get hot (usually about 50 minutes). So if you need to cook quickly, briquettes are not recommended. Charcoal, on the other hand, takes only about 30 minutes to heat up. Nevertheless, the embers do not retain heat for too long. Therefore, it is advisable to use both types when grilling.
When the barbecue charcoal has cooled down, it must be disposed of in the residual waste garbage can. The charcoal does not belong in the organic waste garbage can, as it can no longer be composted. Sometimes at public barbecue areas or lakes there are even certain containers that are specially designed for the disposal of barbecue charcoal. You should use these if you want to barbecue together with your friends.
Most of the time, charcoal smokes if it has not been stored properly. Therefore, it is best to store it in a dry place. Mistakes can also be made when lighting the charcoal, if you use lighters that promote smoke. But also dripping fat can cause unpleasant smoke.
How much charcoal you need depends on the size of the grill and the number of people. For a smaller grill, you will probably need 1.5 kilograms of charcoal.
Barbecue charcoal can not expire, so manufacturers usually do not specify the expiration date. Nevertheless, improper storage can ensure that the charcoal may not burn too well after a long period of time.
After grilling, the ash can be extinguished with a little water. After that, you should let the charcoal cool down for a long time before finally disposing of it. Even if you don’t usually suspect it, the charcoal will continue to glow for a long time.
Keep in mind that your meat can only succeed if it is at the right temperature. Charcoal can heat up to 800 degrees after about 30 minutes.
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