I Tested 7 Bags of Lump Charcoal—These 4 Are the Best for Whatever You’re Grilling

A charcoal grill is easily the best, cheapest way to start grilling. You can use a kettle or tabletop charcoal grill almost anywhere, and you don’t need any propane tanks or electricity to get them started—just charcoal, a chimney, some newspaper, and a lighter. Plus, charcoal is a great tool for learning basics like zone grilling and how to control the heat through vents and dampers. I’ve been writing about cooking outside for about 15 years, and a few years ago I tested and organized all the recipes for The Best Grilling Cookbook Ever Written by Two Idiots, so I’ve amassed a bit of a smoker and grill collection, but my charcoal kettle grill is still my favorite tool for grilling. 

I prefer to grill with lump charcoal over briquettes. Recently, a neighbor who just got into grilling asked for my favorite brand. I realized that I’d never given it much thought. So, over four weeks this summer, I set out to test seven popular brands of lump charcoal to find the best. Here’s everything I learned, plus my favorites you can find almost anywhere.

The Winners, at a Glance

Made from 100% acacia wood, The Good Charcoal Company’s lump charcoal has an ideal mix of large, medium, and small lumps that helps the charcoal light quickly and then burn evenly. It also had one of the longest burn times for low-and-slow cooking, and produced minimal ash.

A beloved brand for a reason, Big Green Egg’s bag of oak and hickory lump charcoal had a generous amount of large lumps mixed with smaller pieces. It was the quickest-to-light charcoal in multiple tests and got hot enough to produce gorgeous grill marks on beef burgers. But perhaps more importantly, this charcoal was the best-smelling and produced the best-tasting food of all the brands I tested.

I was shocked by the huge size of lumps of Jealous Devil Chunx XL Lump Charcoal in this bag, but it outperformed other bags in long, slow cooking, and got the hottest of all the lump charcoal brands I tested. This huge bag contains a fair mix of extra-large and large-to-medium pieces, and is best for experienced charcoal grillers who know when to use big “chunx” and when to sort out medium pieces.

While this charcoal has fewer extra-large pieces of charcoal (they are mostly large and medium), the combination of hickory, maple, and oak makes this a great pick for aromatic grilling. I really liked the Royal Oak lump charcoal for low-and-slow cooking, but it didn’t produce the hottest fire for searing large pieces of meat. 

The Tests

• General Use and Packaging Test: How difficult is each bag to move around? How easy is it to open? Can I efficiently lift the bag and fill a chimney? These are the questions I tried to answer while testing each bag of charcoal. I also measured samples of each brand's charcoal to see what size chunks were in each bag and how well those sizes were distributed.

• Low-and-Slow Test: To observe the lump charcoal’s ability to burn well at a low temperature and impart smoky flavor, I lit a charcoal chimney’s worth of each brand and used it to create a two-zone cooking environment for chicken leg quarters. Once the grill was stabilized at 225˚F, I added the chicken. While cooking, I used a wireless thermometer to monitor how hot the coals got (and stayed). I also timed how long it took them to cool once I was done, and noted the amount of leftover charcoal and ash after each test. 

• High Heat Test: The charcoal brands that performed best in the low-and-slow tests — The Good Charcoal Company Lump Charcoal, Big Green Egg Natural Oak and Hickory Lump Charcoal, Jealous Devil Chunx XL Lump Charcoal, and Royal Oak All Natural Lump Charcoal—were run through a high heat test. Again, I lit a two-zone fire with a chimney, and heated the grill to 475˚F before grilling quarter-pound burgers. After cooking, I closed the air vents and dampers to see how long each charcoal took to “turn off” and how much charcoal was left after burning, cooking, and cooling. 

What We Learned

What Is Lump Charcoal?

Unlike briquettes, which use a binder to turn bits of charcoal into an easy-to-light shape, lump charcoal is made from pieces of carbonized hardwood. Lump charcoal burns cleaner than briquettes (no binder means less ash) and lends more flavor to whatever you’re cooking. You can use it for grilling and smoking.

Packaging (and Good Storage) Will Extend the Life of Your Lump Charcoal 

Lump charcoal comes in two types of packaging: paper bags with a string pull tab or a water-resistant bag that requires scissors to open. Of the two, the water-resistant bags are rarer and harder to open; only FOGO Super Premium Lump Charcoal uses this type of packaging. Some brands, like The Good Charcoal Company and Jealous Devil, sell their charcoal in double-layered paper bags. These bags can get damp in humid conditions and worse in the rain, but are easier to pour from when filling a chimney because the paper is sturdy enough to act as a chute for the charcoal. When empty, these paper bags are great for starting your chimney. To make your lump charcoal last longer, you’ll need storage for your charcoal that is out of the elements, like a metal trash can with a tight-fitting lid. 

Large to Medium Lump Charcoal Chunks Are Best for Most Charcoal Grilling 

Bigger isn’t always better, and this is especially true when it comes to lump charcoal. While extra-large wood pieces are ideal for a super hot grill (or if you want to extend your cooking time over several hours by adding more lit charcoal to the grill), they take longer to light and struggle to stay lit in low air environments, like in my chicken leg tests. Some brands, like FOGO Super Premium Lump Charcoal and Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal, took longer than average to get burning and then quickly went out when I lowered the heat by restricting air flow. This caused cool spots in the grill, and it took the chicken longer to cook. 

In addition to inefficiencies, extra-large pieces had practical drawbacks too, as some were so large that they could not fit in the chimney for lighting! Even though one of my favorite brands, Jealous Devil, labeled itself as “XL Lump Charcoal,” it had a variety of charcoal piece sizes in the bag, and none of the pieces were too big for the chimney. 

By contrast, brands with a good variety of lump sizes, ranging from large to small, lit easily, burned evenly, and had a better range of temperature. Two of my favorites, The Good Charcoal Company Lump Charcoal and Big Green Egg Natural Oak and Hickory Lump Charcoal, had a nearly even mix of large to small pieces. This helped them light quickly and cook at both high and low temperatures. The only drawback to lump charcoal with some smaller pieces was more sparks in the first minutes of starting each chimney. 

Wood Variety Impacted Flavor, But Not as Much as You Might Think 

Most lump charcoal is made from hardwoods like acacia, oak, and hickory, but firing processes remove much of the distinct flavors that come from smoking with hardwood or chips. Most of the bags I tested noted that their charcoal was made from “premium hardwood,” but even these imparted a light smoke flavor in the low-and-slow testing. Big Green Egg was the only brand I tested that called out its specific wood type on its packaging and gave great smoke flavor in both the low-and-slow chicken test and the high heat burger test. 

The Criteria: What to Look for in a Bag of Lump Charcoal 

Since the most impactful criteria, a variety of lump sizes, will be hidden inside the bag of lump charcoal, here are some other ways you can determine if a bag of charcoal is good quality: 

• Disregard claims of “all-natural” or “premium” woods, because once processed, all lump charcoal is pretty much equal in terms of quality. 

• Examine the bag by picking it up. Is it sturdy enough to carry? Is it well-packaged? Holes or dust are indications that the bag may have been damaged in shipping, creating tiny charcoal bits that will create lots of little sparks when lighting. 

• Give the bag a few squeezes. You should be able to distinguish some large, medium, and small pieces that will make the charcoal more efficient in burning.

Our Favorite Lump Charcoal

What we liked: The Good Charcoal Company Lump Charcoal was the most evenly sized, clean-burning, efficient bag of charcoal I tested. With a variety of pieces ranging from large to small, there was a good mix of lumps. The small pieces lit quickly in the chimney and stayed lit, even with very little air flow in the low-and-slow test. The Good Charcoal Company charcoal had one of the longest burn times—two hours total—and produced minimal ash. 

What we didn’t like: Honestly, this charcoal burned a little too cleanly and imparted almost no discernible smoke taste. 

Key Specs

• Wood type: Namibia-sourced acacia

• Time to light: 20 minutes with a chimney

• Bag details: Non-waterproof; open with string pull tab 

• Bag sizes: 27.5 pounds, 15.4 pounds, and 8 pounds

What we liked: Evenly sized and incredibly efficient in lighting, Big Green Egg’s mixture of oak and hickory hardwood lump charcoal gave the best flavor of any bag I tested. While it didn’t burn quite as long as my other favorites, it reached high heat quickly and left minimal unburnt coals or ash after burning. 

What we didn’t like: Some smaller bits of charcoal in the mix made this one smokier and spark-prone when lighting. It's also one of the more expensive bags of charcoal per pound. 

Key Specs

• Wood type: Oak and hickory

• Time to light: 22 minutes with a chimney

• Bag details: Non-waterproof; bag is thin; includes lighting instructions; open with string pull tab

• Bag sizes: 17.6 and 20 pounds

What we liked: With a big variety of extra large, large, and medium lumps, this Jealous Devil lump charcoal is the one I’d recommend for more seasoned grillers and smoking aficionados. You can easily sift through the bag to get extra large pieces for slow smoking, or bypass the big “chunx” and use large to medium pieces to cook weeknight chicken. It takes longer than the other winners to light, thanks to its larger pieces, but it burned well after it got going, and produced minimal ash.

What we didn’t like: The huge bag is hard to maneuver and store. This charcoal might be disappointing for new charcoal grillers, as the larger pieces create a greater margin for error in the lighting and temperature control skills. 

Key Specs

• Wood type: Quebracho Blanco “hardwood” from Paraguay

• Time to light: 35 minutes with a chimney

• Bag details: Non-waterproof; open with string pull tab

• Bag sizes: 8, 10, 20, 35 pounds

What we liked: Made from a combination of hickory, oak, and maple, this bag of lump charcoal was particularly aromatic and gave a subtly smoky flavor to low-and-slow-cooked chicken. With mostly medium-to-large chunks, it was easy to light and keep hot by adding more pieces throughout cooking. 

What we didn’t like: Without any extra large pieces, the Royal Oak lump charcoal was hard to get really, really hot in the burger test. You can work around that by adding some unlit charcoal to the grill grate before dumping the lit chimney of charcoal. 

Key Specs

• Wood type: Hickory, oak, and maple

• Time to light: 40 minutes with a chimney

• Bag details: Non-waterproof; open with string pull tab

• Bag sizes: 10 or 15 pounds

The Competition

• FOGO Super Premium Lump Charcoal: I’d heard great things about this brand, but the lump sizes had too much variety. They were all over the place, with some ultra big pieces that would not fit the chimney as well as tons of tiny pieces that spit sparks, then burned out quickly. 

• Cowboy Hardwood Lump Charcoal: This lump charcoal took longer than others to light and then struggled to reach peak temperatures during the low-and-slow tests. 

• Masterbuilt Lump Charcoal: This bag of charcoal had all the makings for quality charcoal, like a sturdy bag and generous lump size distribution, but it put off a strong chemical smell in the chimney and on the grill, then struggled to stay lit during the low-and-slow test.

FAQs

How do you light lump charcoal? 

A charcoal chimney starter is one of the best tools you can buy for lighting charcoal. With a tall cylinder shape and a low-hanging basket, it creates the perfect environment for lighting charcoal with a few pieces of newspaper (or with my favorite, a paper grocery bag). Stuff the paper in the bottom, then fill the chimney with charcoal. Set the chimney inside your grill and use a stick lighter to ignite the paper. It will take 20 to 30 minutes for the coals to be ready. 

How do I know my lump charcoal is ready for grilling? 

After you light the paper under your charcoal chimney starter, things will start a bit smoky and then clear off. Your chimney is ready to pour out into the grill grate (wear grill gloves!) when all the charcoal, including pieces on top, are ashy and turning white. This takes 20 to 30 minutes, depending on your charcoal and chimney. 

What is the best way to store lump charcoal? 

The best storage for unused charcoal is in a metal bin with a tight-fitting lid. I like a 35-gallon garbage can for the cost and efficiency. Keeping the charcoal in its original packaging inside the can will add another layer of protection against moisture. 

Why We’re the Experts

• Meghan Splawn is a food writer and recipe developer who has worked in food media since 2006. 

• She worked for 10 years in the test kitchen with Alton Brown and has done projects for sites including Simply Recipes, TheKitchn, and Serious Eats. 

• Meghan was the recipe director for The Grill Dad for several years, including as the recipe tester and organizer for their best-selling book The Best Grilling Cookbook Ever Written by Two Idiots. 

• For this story, Meghan sweated over hot grills in the heat of a Tennessee summer over several weeks, cooking more than 20 pounds of chicken and dozens of burgers.