When I used to light the bbq, no thought was given to charcoal. My mother probably bought it at the supermarket and took what was there.

However, in recent years there has been such a great evolution and there are more varieties available than ever before, partly thanks to the BBQ web shops

I understand that you can't see the forest for the trees (get it?)

Because if you happen to have the wrong bag, it will definitely have an impact on your BBQ session because either it won't get hot enough, or it will burn too quickly,…

And just like with food, every BBQ session also starts with the choice of your fuel: So depending on what you are going to make, you choose a different type of fuel.

Whether you cook on a Kettle or a Kamado.

In this article I will only discuss charcoal, and not briquettes or other fuel.

The reason: there is a lot of choice in charcoal, both in terms of specifications and smoke and taste. That makes it complicated enough.

The main choice you have to make is:

• are you going to do a regular session (hot & fast) ,
• or rather a low & low
• or do you go hard and long to bake pizzas, for example?

Because if you take the wrong type, it can become annoying:

• it takes too long to get up to temperature to quickly grill a steak
• or is it burned out too quickly during a low & slow session.
• Or do you need to refill and restart halfway through a pizza session?

So you get the idea: with a low & slow session you use the hardest wood as a base for your charcoal because it burns longer. It usually takes a bit longer to get it going.

For a regular session, it is better not to use the hardest type, which will allow you to grill faster.

Ok Tom that makes sense, but what types of wood should we use?

There is European hardwood and non-European hardwood. There is also fruitwood.

And let me just start with that.

Fruit wood is certainly not very hard and therefore not suitable for a low & slow session

But it is very good to use on vegetables. It gives a lovely soft smell and a slightly sweet grilled taste that works well with vegetables, or even fish.

Every country or continent has its own way of BBQing and that is also based on their local fuel (read wood type). That also makes it fun to combine other styles with other charcoal or wood types and that is why I have made an overview of the more well-known charcoal types per continent below.

Europe

Charcoal from Europe is mainly beech and oak, but can also contain hornbeam and birch.

Beech and oak are hardwoods and will burn longer than, for example, birch.

We all know that this burns well and is also good for lighting your barbecue, whether it is a kettle or a kamado.

Africa

Black Wattle : this is often encountered and is also very good.

Made from Acacia wood in South Africa and well suited for both grilling and low and slow.

Works very well for kettle as kamado.

Is harder than European charcoal and therefore extremely suitable.

Is slightly softer than the American hard varieties.

Asia

Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus gives a hard charcoal that guarantees long sessions. Also sold in combination with acacia which makes it a bit easier to start. Also a topper for low and slow. Lovely scent too

Binchotan

Extremely hard and dry wood. Very tight and smokeless. Mainly used in a table bbq in Japan. Is expensive, but a whole experience!

North America

Hickory

This is charcoal from a heavy, strong American Oak.

Strong flavour too, and ideal for Low and Slow for firmer meats

Mesquite

Very similar to Hickory in terms of hardness and burn time

Good for low and slow on firmer meats.

Central and South America

White Quebracho

Lately White Quebracho has been making a big comeback, and is also easy to find.

White Quebracho is a very hard oak. Personally I think this is also a very good charcoal. For grilling as well as low and slow

Marabu

Most types of charcoal can be used for both grilling and low and slow, but marabu is a very heavy and hard type of wood. It is made from branches, rather than trunks. This charcoal is really hard and is also a bit harder to light, but once it is lit you can do a huge low and slow session on it

So there are enough types that you can use for a low and slow session, but also for just grilling. The European types will burn a bit faster, but you will only notice that if you do longer sessions. Just remember that hard types take more time to get to temperature, so if you want to bake pizzas you have to be patient but from then on you can also bake straight through.

If you feel like you can't cope at all right now, don't panic.

I suggest you get 2 types: one that is accessible for everyday use like oak or black wattle, and one for longer sessions, or pizzas like White Quebracho

From there you can start, and if you want something different you can always try it out

At some point you found “your house charcoal.”

Until then, be sure to read the packaging carefully to see what types of wood are inside.

Now that this is clear, I can now also indicate in recipes what a suitable charcoal is, if this information is necessary.

Tasty!