5 Best Charcoal Briquettes for Smoking Dec(2024)

Here are the list of Best Charcoal Briquettes for Smoking..

I have discussed here different types of charcoal briquettes in accordance with your query…

You can find here-

• Best Overall
• Best Budget
• Best for High heat & Grilling
• Best for Home Grilling
• Best for Smoking & Grilling and more on.

To know more, take a closer look…;

Recommended Reading:
– Best Type of Wood Pellets for Smoking
– Kingsford Charcoal Smoking
– Best Way to Stack Charcoal Briquettes
– How Long Will Charcoal Burn in a Smoker
– Bear Mountain Pellets vs Lumberjack
– Kingsford Pellets vs Traeger Pellets

Best Charcoal Briquettes for Smoking

#1 Thaan Thai Style Charcoal

( Best Overall )

This is the original Thai charcoal, which is of the highest quality. Which takes less time to heat than regular charcoal briquettes.

The Bad

Takes a long time to warm up
It takes longer to heat up than regular charcoal briquettes.

The Good

This charcoal substitute is both less expensive and more environmentally friendly than traditional Japanese charcoal.
Although it is not as effective..

Long lasting
This form of charcoal burns at high temperatures for an extended period of time.

It provides the ideal sear for fish and other foods.

Low smoke
It provides ample burn duration for everything from traditional grilling of bacon and other foods to slow smoking.

Produce nice flavor
Thai Charcoal is one of the most popular varieties of charcoal on the market, with a pleasant fruity flavor.

Budget friendly
Its price is good in terms of quality. It is inexpensive and lasts for a long time.

Produce consistent heat
This charcoal continues to burn indefinitely, with no increase or decrease in temperature until it is totally consumed.

What do I love the most?

The main benefit of this charcoal is that it lasts a long period.

Another advantage is that it creates very little ash..

Quick info

Good 

• Good heat stability.
• Good price.
• Lasts longer.

Bad

• It takes a long time to heat up.

#2 Duraflame Cowboy Natural Hardwood Briquettes

( Best Budget )

This charcoal is another type of natural hardwood charcoal from Duraflame.

Let’s know more about Cowboy Natural Hardwood Briquettes.

The Bad

Expensive
Its cost per pound is high, which is compounded by the increase in waste product.

The Good

Good for Grilling and Outdoor Cooking
This 14-pound bag of all-natural hardwood charcoal briquets is ideal for grilling and outdoor cooking.

Flavor is included
It’s made to add a realistic wood flavor to anything you’re cooking.

Lasts for longer time
This charcoal also lasts a long time and constantly produces heat.

It operates admirably, with a long burn time that allows you to get the most out of each briquette

Natural charcoal
These charcoal briquettes are all-natural, meaning they don’t include any coal, chemicals, or fillers.

Unique form
These briquettes come in a “pillow” shape which does not bother with burning fire and producing heat..

What do I love the most?

It’s constructed completely of natural hardwood charcoal, which gives your food a terrific flavor without producing a lot of thick, gritty smoke.

Quick info

Good

• Provide nice flavor.
• Natural hardwood charcoal.
• Lasts longer.
• Pillow shaped charcoal.

Bad

• Little pricey.
• It would have been better if there was less dust in the charcoal bag..

#3 Royal Oak Premium Charcoal Briquettes

( Best for Long & High-heat Grilling )

These quality charcoal briquettes burn for longer and heat up faster than practically any other briquette on the market.

The Bad

Produces lot of ash
Royal Oak Premium Charcoal Briquets produce large amounts of ash..

The Good

Quality charcoal with nice shape
It has a distinctive ridge shape that improves airflow.

For optimal grilling, this shape encourages faster ash-over, hotter and more even burning.

Charcoal heats up quickly
These Premium Charcoal Briquettes heat up rapidly, allowing you to spend less time waiting and more time cooking.

Nice flavor
This product does not include any coal, only hardwood charcoal.

This means you’ll get a clean smoke that won’t give your food artificial taste.

It has a pleasant, natural smoke flavor that is by no means impressive.

What do I love the most?

If you enjoy searing, this is the brand for you because it burns hotter than most others. It also burns for a longer time.

It helps to balance the slightly higher-than-average price.

Quick info

Good 

• In 15 minutes, you’ll be ready to cook.
• Good for sear.

Bad

• Little pricey.
• It generates a significant amount of ash.

#4 Kingsford Original Charcoal Briquettes

( Best for Home Grilling )

The most famous name in the charcoal industry is undoubtedly Kingsford Original Charcoal Briquettes and it’s no surprise because the pricing is good and the burn is long and constant..

The Bad

Produce a lot of ice
The main drawback of Kingsford is that, because of the large amount of filler in their charcoal briquettes, they produce a lot of ash.

The Good

Included natural ingredients
Despite being the king of charcoal, Kingsford isn’t really a high-end brand.

All of the added ingredients are natural, and Kingsford’s charcoal briquettes include no dangerous chemicals or lighter fluid.

Awesome feature
The twin grooves on their charcoal briquettes enable lighting them easier and promote airflow between the briquettes.

This allows you to stack them without having to worry about them burning evenly.

It heats up quickly
Simply place them on the grill, wait 15 minutes for the heat to achieve its peak, and then begin cooking.

What do I love the most?

Good for beginner
This product is ideal for novice to intermediate grillers who want to enjoy some informal barbecues.

Quick info

Good

• Burn time is long and steady.
• Design with efficient twin grooves.
• Inexpensive.

Bad

• Generate lots of ash.

#5 FOGO Santa Bag of Coal With Premium Oak

( Best for Smoking & Grilling )

Cole’s Santa Bag with Premium Black Charcoal is ideal for any grill master..

The Bad

Expensive
The price per pound is the main downside of this otherwise great charcoal.

The Good

Burns for long time
It’s made of high-quality wood that burns for an extended period of time, even when compared to other hardwood charcoal.

Different sizes of charcoal
The bag contains pieces ranging in size from medium to small.

Charcoal burns quickly
This charcoal will fire rapidly and stay burning for a long period, making for an efficient and complete cooking method.

Good for daily use
All-natural hardwood lump charcoal in a 35-pound bag is ideal for everyday smoking and grilling.

What do I love the most?

Good quality
These charcoal are the best choice if you want to enjoy high searing temperatures quickly while using restaurant-quality charcoal.

Quick info

Good

• Lasts for longer time.
• Comes with different size.
• Good for grilling and smoking.
• Charcoal burns quickly.

Bad

• Expensive. 

# How Long do Briquettes Burn?

Different brands make various claims. Some manufacturers claim that a 3 hour or longer burn period is possible.

It depends on the briquettes quality or brand, as well as the type of food you’re cooking.

It also relies on the temperature of the grill or smoker you’re using and how you’ve set up the charcoal.

It’s always a good idea to estimate a burn time of 2 hours. I’m not sure how many brands support this figure.

If you use the Charcoal Snake, or Minion method for low and slow smoke, you can easily achieve 12 hours or more burn time with a full load of fuel.

# Conclusion

In conclusion, using the best charcoal briquettes for smoking described in this article is crucial for producing delicious barbeque flavors that are enhanced by smoke.

These briquettes provide prolonged burn periods, even heat distribution, and minimal ash formation to make smoking hassle-free..

They are excellent choices for low- and slow-heat cooking because of their high-quality components and effective combustion.

These excellent charcoal briquettes will produce the required results whether you are smoking chicken, brisket, or ribs..

You may maximize the results of your smoking efforts and produce delectable, savory dishes that will wow your visitors by selecting the proper charcoal briquettes.