Lump Charcoal VS Briquettes – What is the best charcoal for a tandoor?

Lump Charcoal:

Lump charcoal is produced by burning wood in the absence of oxygen. This not only removes the natural chemicals and sap out of the wood but also leaves the lump dry with no moisture. Thus, this type of charcoal, also known as natural hardwood charcoal, is favored by cooks for its purity.

To begin with, lump charcoal is made from specific woods that upon burning leaves a wonderful essence in your food. Also, it burns with the least amount of ash and saves you from multiple respiratory health issues. Thereby, you get the sought after smoky smell and taste in home-cooked food that you normally find in restaurants.

Apart from this, charcoal of this type burns hotter than any other which makes it perfect for searing meat. Since lump charcoal is also very responsive oxygen, you can easily control the temperature of your grill. This is especially made possible if your grill contains adjustable air vents.

Another positive feature of lump charcoal is that it does not include any additives or lighter fluids. Therefore, it makes sure you get the best flavor in your meat with no added chemical aftertaste. Thus, this charcoal remains to be the most organic option in the market.

Lump charcoal has another advantage that it lights up faster than briquettes. Since chefs often find the time it takes to start up the grill very frustrating, many have switched to lump charcoals to save them. However, this also has a drawback. This charcoal burns out faster and needs to be constantly replaced.

Another disadvantage of lump charcoal is that it comes in varying sizes which makes it harder to grill. With inconsistency in sizes in each bag, there is also the hazard that small pieces and dust might block air flow in your grill.

Pros:

• No additives
• Lights faster
• Natural
• Burns hotter
• Lesser ash production

Cons:

• Burns out faster
• Inconsistent
• More expensive

Briquette:

Similar to lump charcoal, briquettes are also made by burning pieces of wood in the absence of oxygen. However, additives are added in the manufacture of briquettes compared to lump charcoal which is all natural. Also, it is produced from wood by-products instead of solid blocks of wood.

Additives are used to hold the material in the blocks of wood together. Thus, you get uniformly round shaped chunks of wood that are even easier to stack. Apart from this, briquettes are often made using lighter fluids and various chemicals to make starting the grill easier and quicker.

Even though adding chemicals in the charcoal might give you multiple benefits, people still prefer organic options over synthetic ones. Such charcoals give a distinct chemical smell and many users have complained of tasting the additives in their food.

On a positive note, briquettes are known to burn more consistently than lump charcoal. This enables you to control the heat and maintain the temperature for a longer time. Also, you do not have to handle these as much as lump charcoals.

In addition to this, this type of charcoal burns for a longer time and requires replacement less frequently. Since briquettes are also cheaper than lump charcoal, you can save a lot of cash at every barbecue.

Even though there are a lot of positive points to this charcoal, there are a lot of drawbacks too. Firstly, upon burning, briquette produces a lot of ash. Not only is it irritating, but it is also quite harmful to people with respiratory diseases.

Secondly, it takes much longer to light and hence can be very frustrating for chefs. However, one of the major disadvantages of briquettes is harmful additives. Due to this, cooks have started switching from briquettes to lump charcoal.

Pros:

• Can maintain a stable temperature
• Cheaper
• Uniform shape
• Burns longer

Cons:

• Contains additives
• Produces a large amount of ash
• Produces a chemical smell
• Lights up slowly

Lump Charcoal VS Briquettes – The Ultimate Debate

Although we have discussed both types of charcoal above in great detail along with their pros and cons, most of you must still be confused about which one to opt for. To further help you out, we have compared some of the most important features in the following table.

Source – https://www.bbqqueens.com/lump-charcoal-vs-briquettes/