The Charcoal We Recommend Above All Others

Every serious griller has an opinion on charcoal. Most of those opinions were formed by habit, not by a controlled comparison. We spent the summer doing what nobody else seemed to want to do: buying twelve bags of lump charcoal, cooking identical cooks on the same kamado, and scoring each on the criteria that actually matter.

What We Tested For

We scored each brand on five criteria: ease of lighting, time to cooking temperature, maximum temperature achieved, burn duration, and — most importantly — flavor imparted to the meat. For flavor testing we used thick-cut chicken thighs, which are neutral enough to let charcoal character come through without the interference of heavy seasoning or marinades.

The Contenders

We tested Jealous Devil, Fogo Super Premium, Big Green Egg, Royal Oak, Cowboy, B&B Hardwood, Rockwood, Kamado Joe Big Block, Weber, Primo, ALDI's house brand (yes, really), and a small-batch mesquite lump from a Texas producer that only ships in 50-pound bags. Budget ranged from $0.60 to $2.10 per pound.

Clear Losers

Royal Oak and Cowboy were eliminated early — inconsistent chunk sizes made them difficult to light evenly and they burned out faster than any other brand. The ALDI bag surprised us with decent heat output but the flavor was flat and slightly acrid on the finish. Not worth the savings if you care about what you're cooking.

The Winner

Jealous Devil won, and it was not close. The chunks are large and consistent, lighting is easy, the temperature curve is steep and high, and burn duration exceeded every other brand in the test by 20 to 35 minutes at sustained high heat. The flavor profile is clean and neutral with a faint sweetness — it gets out of the way and lets the beef do the talking. At approximately $1.40 per pound for the 35-pound box it is not cheap, but the value calculation is easy when you factor in the extended burn time.

Runner-Up

Fogo Super Premium is an excellent second choice. Lighter smoke signature than Jealous Devil and slightly easier to find in stores. If your local retailer does not carry Jealous Devil, Fogo is what we stock as backup. B&B Hardwood is the best budget option — consistent, hot, honest flavor at a price point that makes bulk buying easy.