Charcoal or Briquettes? Expert Tips for Grill Table Users
Successful use of your grill table starts with choosing the right charcoal or briquettes. Charcoal and briquettes differ not only in composition but also in burning behavior. When you understand their properties and know how to use them appropriately, you ensure consistent heat and optimal results for your food.
Charcoal and Briquette Size – Why Does It Matter?
Large hardwood charcoal and big briquettes are designed specifically for larger grills. They require more airflow to ignite properly and burn optimally only in bigger charcoal containers. The grill table’s compact charcoal container doesn’t provide enough space for them, which slows down ignition and results in uneven heat.
The grill table works best with smaller briquettes and charcoal, which ignite faster, burn evenly, and produce just the right amount of heat for the duration of your meal.
Charcoal – High Heat and Flavorful Results
Charcoal is made by burning wood, which leaves the wood’s natural aroma and porous structure. This makes it lightweight and quick to ignite. Charcoal reaches high temperatures quickly but burns for a relatively short time.
Tips for Using Charcoal:
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Ideal for quick grilling, such as steaks, sausages, shellfish, and vegetables.
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The optimal time to start cooking with charcoal is when the surface has turned completely gray – at this point, burning is even and there’s no flaming.
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You can stir the charcoal during grilling if you want to temporarily increase the heat.
Briquettes – Consistent Heat and Long Burn Time
Briquettes are made from compressed charcoal dust and binders, which makes them dense and long-burning. They ignite more slowly than charcoal, but the achieved temperature remains stable for hours.
Tips for Using Briquettes:
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The best choice for foods that require long cooking times, such as ribs, whole fish, chicken, or root vegetables.
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When lighting briquettes, use plenty of firelighters or starter cubes to ensure the entire container ignites evenly.
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Once the briquettes are glowing evenly, you usually don’t need to add more during grilling.
Teemu’s Tips for Using the Grill Table
Teemu, the creator of SocialBBQ’s Grill Table, emphasizes that the grill element’s charcoal container is optimized for exactly one grilling session. This makes it easy to use and ensures that the heat stays consistent throughout the meal. Due to the size of the charcoal container, we recommend small briquettes or small charcoal. Large hardwood charcoal and big briquettes are specifically designed for larger grills and require more airflow to ignite properly. By using small charcoal or briquettes, you can light them directly in the charcoal containers.
Teemu’s Recommendations:
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The charcoal container should always be full of charcoal or briquettes. During lighting, the container can be so full that the grates rise slightly.
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Briquettes are the most recommended option, as they burn longer and hotter. Additionally, charcoal can release ash that floats onto the food being grilled.
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Use plenty of starter cubes or firelighters to light the briquettes. According to Teemu, a chimney starter is not necessary, as briquettes light well in the grill table without it.
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New users of the charcoal version shouldn’t be alarmed by smoking. It’s important to wait long enough – about 15–20 minutes – for the charcoal or briquettes to be ready to use. The grill table won’t smoke when you’re eating.
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If the charcoal or briquettes smoke excessively and won’t ignite, they may have absorbed moisture. Always store charcoal, briquettes, and firelighters in a dry indoor space.
Recommendation for Grill Table Users
For use with the grill table, we especially recommend Prowood briquettes. They are high-quality briquettes made without harmful binders that burn long and evenly. Prowood briquettes are an environmentally friendly option, and their size is optimized to fit perfectly in the grill table’s charcoal container.
👉 Order Prowood briquettes easily from SocialBBQ’s online store and ensure a successful grilling experience!
👉 Watch a video on how the Grill Table works and what you should burn in it here!
Charcoal grilling doesn’t get easier than this – watch the short video here! The Grill Table makes grilling effortless, safe, and delicious – every time.
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