Question Mark, Round Thirteen

Q: I have lived most of my life in apartments, so could never have a grill. But I just moved to a house with a small yard, and bought myself a kettle grill. I am wondering about what to use for fuel: some places advice using hardwood charcoal, others go for charcoal briquettes. What’s your advice? – Alex

A: Each has advantages. Hardwood charcoal, which is just wood burned in a low-oxygen environment, lights more easily, burns hotter and cleaner, and leaves much less ash residue. Charcoal briquettes, which are basically compressed charcoal dust mixed with binders and sometimes other chemicals to enhance burning, do have one advantage: they burn more slowly, so the fire lasts longer. What I have ended up doing myself and recommend to others is using hardwood charcoal alone if cooking something like a steak, that only spends a few minutes over the fire, and using a combination of half hardwood and half briquettes for anything else; that way you get the advantages of both. If you want to get a little fancy, add a small log of some hardwood, which will last even longer and give more smoky flavor. – Doc