289678 Wed Jun 26 15:17:58 -0700 2002 10 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1569357 My son said he saw "chunk charcoal" mentioned on a recent Food Network show. He said it was supposedly healthier and better than charcoal briquets. Has anyone seen this episode or have more information about the Brand name or exact name of this type of Charcoal? I saw "Lump charcoal" (their own brand) at Barbecues Galore, but my son doesn't think that is what they were taking about on the Food Network. Thanks. Wed Jun 26 15:17:58 -0700 2002 0 Ciaohound 1 1569360 I don't know anything about health benefits from lump instead of briquette charcol, but I recently made the switch to lump because the food tastes better. Lump gives the food a more pronounced smoke flavor. I got my lump at Trader Joes. Wed Jun 26 15:31:12 -0700 2002 1569357 0 Deven Black 1 1569361 I believe Alton Brown referred to it on Good Eats (the grilled tuna episode). The most prevalent brand, at least here in the Boston Area, is Cowboy Brand. The advantage to chunk charcoal is that it burns hotter and more consistently, I use a chimney to light it and it ignites quite easily. It also doesn't have any of the starches or other fillers which briquettes have, so it gives more of a true charcoal taste. Given the opportunity, I would simply use wood chunks, at least for BBQ (vs. grilling), but the chunk charcoal is fine. Wed Jun 26 15:38:55 -0700 2002 1569357 0 Alan H 2 1569365 My experience w/ the Whole Foods and also (I dimly recollect) Cowboy brand is that they include lots of reject molding, etc. And then tend to burn away very quickly. I use Big Green Egg's lump charcoal (komodo-style smoker company), but mainly b/c I live near their store. I've had good results from Nature's Own and I believe Nature Glo. Wed Jun 26 16:28:52 -0700 2002 1569361 0 ted 3 1569366 It is the nature of chunk charcoal that it burns both quicker and hotter than briquettes. Cowboy Brand is made with a lot of mill scraps, but wood is wood as far as I am concerned. Wed Jun 26 16:46:43 -0700 2002 1569365 0 Alan H 4 1569399 Well, I'd beg to disagree. I can fill a chimney starter with the Big Green Egg lump, light it, and walk away for 15 min or so til it's completely lit. I've done the same w/ the Whole Foods, and the result was that half the chimney had already gone to ash by the time I came back. Maybe it's the size of the chunks. I've also thought that the molding scraps are made of a less-dense wood (poplar, maybe?). You can feel the difference in heft between the two. Whatever the reason, one burns better/longer than the other. That's the one I use, and I thought the info might be useful to others. Thu Jun 27 12:24:22 -0700 2002 1569366 0 ted 5 1569401 OK, what I meant was oak is oak, etc. Whether it is milled or just cut up pieces from the tree itself. Yes, the size of the chunks would affect the burn rate. Thu Jun 27 13:12:51 -0700 2002 1569399 0 Alan H 1 1569363 Lump charcoal indeed is a much better and modestly healthier product; there are many brands. Wed Jun 26 16:05:04 -0700 2002 1569357 0 Karl S. 1 1569367 I believe "Lump Charcoal", "Chunk Charcoal" and "Natural Chunk Charcoal" are all the same thing. Grilling afficianados seem to think hardwood lump/chunk charcoal is far better than charcoal briquettes (primarily because briquettes have other "stuff" in them giving out "off" flavors when burnt). I havent done any tests myself, but have been told chunk charcoal also burns hotter than briquettes. I have been using the Lazzari brand mesquite charcoal, which is commonly available at Safeway here in the San Francisco Bay area, with pretty good results. See attached link. Link: http://www.lazzarifuelcompany.com/mesquite.html Wed Jun 26 16:50:56 -0700 2002 1569357 0 Joy 1 1569382 Both lump and briquets have their place. If you're cooking something that you want to cook quickly (like a steak or a burger or hot dogs or kabobs of almost any sort), the lump is better because of its higher heat. However, for any chicken recipe where the bird is still on the bone, even just parts with bone-in, I'd recommend briquets. That's because if you used the hotter lump charcoal, you'd have a charred exterior before the interior is done. Likewise, briquets would be preferred for anything else that takes more than 10 minutes to grill, or whenever you use the indirect technique. (There is a work-around if all you have is lump: build a "two-stage" fire, with a higher density over coals under half the grill and a lower density of coals under the other half. Once the bird is satisfactorily caramelized on both sides, move it to the cooler half of the grill to finish cooking. In fact, the two-stage fire technique may still be advisable with briquests) What you definitely want to avoid is self-lighting briquets. While regular briquets do have some "binder" material, that really don't impact flavor; self-lighting briquets, however, impart an awful smell to food. Wed Jun 26 23:56:21 -0700 2002 1569357 0 Bob Libkind 1 1569396 Chunk and lump charcoal are the same. We use Lazzari and get it right from the source (on Industrial, off Bayshore -- just south of Geneva near the Daly City/SF border.) They also sell high quality hardwood briquets. You can also get large bags of Lazzari lump charcoal at a good price at Smart and Final or Beverages and More. The supermarkets sell the smaller bags at a much higher price. Link: http://www.lazzarifuelcompany.com/index.html Thu Jun 27 09:54:16 -0700 2002 1569357 0 Nancy Berry