The best lump charcoal will make cooking your food over a barbeque or grill easy as it will keep the heat consistent and allow gentle flames to sear your meat. Grilled meat is a great treat to serve family and friends, and nothing beats the satisfaction of enjoying perfectly tender and juicy steaks hot off a charcoal grill.
There are many ways to fire up your backyard grill. However, through our years of grilling and barbecuing, we have found that the best heat source for that one-of-a-kind backyard grilling adventure is lump charcoal.
You can check out our top 3 picks for the best lump charcoal by clicking on the links here or find out more detail about each brand further down the page.
- Fogo 35 Pound All Natural Premium Lump Charcoal – Our top pick
- Primo Natural Lump Charcoal
- Kamado Joe Big Block XL Lump Charcoal
Lump charcoal burns hotter, lasts longer, and produces less ash. It gives you the high heat that makes for perfect searing to enhance the flavors of your food. Best of all, lump charcoal is less expensive compared to other forms of heat sources.
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Best Lump Charcoal for Grilling
Lump charcoal for grilling is made by burning wood slowly in the absence of oxygen until all the natural sap, moisture, and chemicals are removed.
There are many brands of lump charcoal available and choosing which is the best can be confusing. Let us help you to find the best lump charcoal that is perfect for your barbeque. We looked for lump charcoal that lights quickly and easily, burns hot, long and clean and was good value.
Things to Consider When Buying Lump Charcoal
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when buying lump charcoal…
For the best lump charcoal for smoking, size matters, Medium-sized chunks provide a more even and longer burn time.
The source of the charcoal is also crucial. High-quality hardwood can provide the high temperatures needed for the best charcoal for grilling steaks.
Lastly, it may also be a good idea to find a charcoal brand that comes in suitable packaging as the best way to store charcoal is to reseal the bag tightly and keep it in a cool, dry place. That way, you can enjoy more barbecues with your family whenever you want.
Our list of the Best Lump Charcoal
FOGO All Natural Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal Bag
FOGO All-Natural Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal – 35 pound bag -is manufactured by Kebroak, a company that believes that the lump charcoal is not only a fuel source but the first crucial ingredient in great tasting barbecues.
The FOGO Lump Charcoal comes in large bags that weighs 35 lbs. Since the bag is larger, it also contains larger pieces.
You need not worry though, as there is a fair mixed proportion in the pieces of charcoal. Around 32% are large pieces, around 53% are medium pieces, and the small ones are about 10%, with around 5% of chips and dust.
Lighting the charcoal is quite simple, there was no sparking and just a few popping. The charcoal burns with a moderate smoke and gives off a distinct and pleasant smell.
The FOGO charcoal burns at a maximum temperature of 859 degrees, hot enough to give you that spectacular sear. It also burns longer and produces less ash compared to other more expensive brands.
Primo Natural Lump Charcoal, 20-Pound bag
The Primo’s 608 Natural Lump Charcoal is an exceptional choice as it does not have tar or other harmful chemical additives to give you food that is bursting with smoky flavor without the nasty fuel taste.
It lights faster, burns hotter and longer, and can be used several times. It can burn for up to 36 hours with slow cooking and can last up to 35 grilling sessions. You can also combine it easily with your favorite wood chips for that added level of flavor.
Primo is fast burning and long-lasting so you can cook up a grand feast for your whole family and even half of your neighborhood. It presents a relatively good mix of charcoal sizes, large ones around 11%, medium ones around 34%, small pieces comprise around 44%, with the remaining 9 % made up of chips, dust, and uncarbonized bark.
Lighting this charcoal is easy, with almost no sparking or popping and it gives off that distinct hardwood smell,
Maximum temperature reaches 940 degrees F, which will give your steaks the desired sear. It burns longer and produces little ash so less clean-up. We really like this charcoal.
Kamado Joe XL Lump Charcoal
Kamado Joe XL Lump Charcoal is made from a blend of three South American trees, the Guayacan, Guayaibi, and White Quebracho.
The Kamado Joe lump charcoal comes in a 20-pound bag with the ideal size distribution of around 17% large chunks, around 66% medium-sized chunks, around 12% small pieces, and less than 4% chips and dust. You get the right combination of quick-starting small pieces and long-burning large chunks for low and slow cooking.
This all-natural lump charcoal burns hotter, allowing you to reach maximum temperatures of 983 degrees F, excellent steak-searing temperatures. You do not get sparking or popping as the fire grows, and it gives off a reasonably mild odor.
What is remarkable about this lump charcoal is that it can burn for up to 18 hours, and can be reused up to 3 times.
One drawback is that it is a bit difficult to light up but once it does, you can barbecue and grill to your heart’s desire.
Marabu All Natural Lump Charcoal
Marabu All Natural Lump Charcoal is an all-natural lump charcoal manufactured from high-quality White Quebracho, Caoba, Guayacan and Aromo hardwoods. You do not get the papery bark that burns too quickly and produces too much ash.
What you get is clean-burning charcoal traditionally used in steakhouses that will give you a constant and reliable burn with minimal sparks and smoke. It gives you a quicker start, longer burn, and the easiest clean-up ever.
Marabu All Natural Lump Charcoal is light in weight but heavy on quality. The longer firing process removes water and other natural moisture and impurities, giving you lump charcoal that meets the highest standards of quality.
Its maximum temperature can reach an impressive 1,117 degrees F, searing your steaks to perfection. This is unparalleled by any other average brand in the market today.
It is a bit more expensive than other brands but it remember the old saying – “You get what you pay for”.
FOGO Super Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal
FOGO Super Premium Hardwood Lump Charcoal is made from solid Central American Hardwoods. Every bag contains only hand-selected pieces so you know that you are getting the very best charcoal around.
FOGO lights up quickly, your grill can be ready in as little as 15 minutes. It burns very hot, produces very little ash, and lasts longer. It is an all-natural charcoal without added ingredients and will infuse your food with exquisite flavors, making your grilling experience truly enjoyable.
When you use FOGO, the first thing you will notice is the mild and distinct fragrance that gives great aroma and flavor to your food. Steaks and any other meats come out juicy and perfectly cooked.
FOGO comes with mostly large pieces that burn hotter and longer to quickly seal in the moisture and flavor of the meat. The bag contains little to almost no dust and chips of charcoal. Some consumers, however, are turned off by the size inconsistencies.