Charcoal and Briquettes

As charcoal cooking gains popularity across Australia, it's essential to select the right solid fuel for your Spit Roaster, Charcoal BBQ or meat smoker. Not all charcoal is created equal – while some may seem cost-effective, they could be filled with oils and chemicals from recycled timber or imported mangrove charcoal, imparting unwanted smells and flavours to your food. 

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Charcoal cooking is once again taking the world by storm and Australians are really starting to enjoy the results of an Aussie smoking BBQ.  With a wide range of charcoal BBQ and meat smokers becoming available in Australia you also need to know the best type of solid fuel to use to achieve the best Aussie smoke results. Sadly not all charcoal is the same. Some natural lump charcoal can actually be recycled timber filled with oils and chemicals from its previous use such as redgum coal that in many cases in Melbourne is recycled railway sleepers that have had years of trains filling them with brake dust and oil.

Mangrove charcoal is another example of lump coal that is not the best for using in your charcoal BBQ or smoker, even though it is cheap, it is usually imported and can let off a smell of marshy swamp when burned, definitely not Aussie smoke in your BBQ! Just like you use different timber to achieve different smoke flavours, using different charcoal will give you different flavours and different types of charcoal will perform differently in your BBQ.

If you are looking for Melbourne Charcoal supplies then our retail showroom located in Seaford stocks natural charcoal from well-known, leading brands including Primo, Heatbeads, B & B, and Flaming Coals. If you are looking for a retailer that sells Lump charcoal made from Mallee root, River redgum, Hickory, oak, gidgee, mesquite and even blended charcoals then our Melbourne retail showroom is the place you need to visit. 

With staff that live, breathe and compete in smoking competitions worldwide, talk to us, the meat smoking professionals, to find out what type of charcoal is right for you and the type of charcoals BBQ you have, either via our live chat, email, phone or come and visit us in-store in Seaford Melbourne or let us ship the charcoal to you Australia wide.

Charcoal is one of the most popular fuels for grilling and barbecuing, as it imparts a smoky flavour to your food. 

There are two main types of charcoal: charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal. Briquettes are made from sawdust or other wood waste that has been dried and compressed. They typically contain binders and other additives, which can give them a longer burning time. One of the most popular types of briquette charcoal is HotRods by Flaming Coals. They are a  100% natural wood Japanese grade charcoal that burns with INTENSE heat and lasts much longer than regular lump charcoal

Lump charcoal, on the other hand, is made from whole logs that have been charred. It has a shorter burning time but produces less ash than briquettes. We highly recommend Flaming Coals Lump charcoal as it is pure hardwood coal that produces very little smoke and minimal sparks which makes it ideal for restaurants, indoor grilling as well as your home BBQ. 

Regardless of the type of charcoal you choose, be sure to light it properly and give it time to reach a high enough temperature before adding food to the grill.