So you got a new Big Green Egg, which ignited your interest in grilling as a whole, right? Now you’re probably wondering what you need to go inside the Egg to make the most of your live fire experience. What’s the best charcoal for the Big Green Egg, and what does lump charcoal do for the flavor profiles of the meals you want to cook, anyway?
If this sounds like you, you’ll want to save this Big Green Egg charcoal guide to return to time and time again. Or, at least until you’ve learned it front and back—which might happen sooner than later once you get warmed up!
Our Secret Ingredient for Live-Fire Cooking
We offer premium lump charcoal to ensure you have the best live-fire cooking experience possible. When you use Big Green Egg charcoal, you’ll get a better flavor profile and grill performance with confidence that you’ll experience total compatibility with your Egg every time.
Big Green Egg lump charcoal is 100% natural and free of additives, chemicals, and petroleum. They burn hotter, cleaner, and with minimal ash and are perfect for elevating the flavors of your food.
Lump Charcoal Flavor Profiles
But first, how does the type of lump charcoal change your food's flavor profile? There’s a lot of science behind it. Basically, the charcoal gives a neutral smoke flavor from the type of wood used while also providing specific mild flavors that enhance the kind of food you’re cooking.
Smoke infuses flavor. Because each type of wood gives off a different flavor profile, the aromatic smoke from the chips (or chunks) delicately adds flavor to the food as it’s grilled.
This Big Green Egg charcoal guide will walk you through each variety so you know exactly which one you want to use when cooking with lump charcoal.
Big Green Egg Lump Charcoal Flavor Profiles
When choosing the best charcoal for the Big Green Egg, start with one of our three varieties: 100% Natural Oak and Hickory, 100% Natural Hardwood Charcoal, and Natural Canadian Maple. Each Big Green Egg lump charcoal has a different flavor profile, which we detail in the Big Green Egg Charcoal Guide below for quick reference.
100% Natural Oak and Hickory
Our Oak and Hickory premium lump charcoal is (what we consider) our “workhorse” and most popular charcoal. It offers a bold, distinctive live-fire taste that BBQ pitmasters and grillers love, using two of the most popular smoking woods (oak and hickory). Its flavor profile is moderate, so you can still taste the natural flavors of the food you’re cooking, making it an excellent pairing with a versatile range of meals like beef, pork, and chicken. For a classic, but delicious meal made with Natural Oak and Hickory, try out our Spiced Chicken Wings.
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Flavor Profile: Moderate
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Best For: Beef, pork, and chicken
100% Natural Hardwood Charcoal
Our Natural Hardwood premium lump charcoal is restaurant-quality charcoal made especially for steakhouse-style beef cuts or delicate fish and pork. The finished flavor profile is mild, with a neutral eucalyptus flavor. To switch up the flavor, you can pair it with smoking chips and chunks for even more flavor varieties. It lights quickly and burns hotter and longer than most other types of wood. Try something new—our Grilled Octopus is a great place to start.
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Flavor Profile: Mild and neutral
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Best For: Steak, fish, pork, and recipes where ingredient flavors shine
Natural Canadian Maple
Our Canadian Maple premium lump charcoal is the mildest of our charcoal flavors. It provides a subtle, sweet flavor, that is especially delicious with seafood, pork, or poultry—delicate dishes that appreciate a sweeter profile. It lights quickly and burns hot and fast. You can taste the difference when it’s used to cook unique recipes, like pizza.
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Flavor Profile: Subtle, sweet, and mild
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Best For: Seafood, pork, and poultry
Why Choose Big Green Egg Lump Charcoal?
Grilling with Big Green Egg lump charcoal will enhance your cooking experience and the flavor profile of your foods. But there is so much more to it, so we always recommend picking up a bag (or two) at your local dealer.
Big Green Egg Lump Charcoal is eco-friendly. Each type of Big Green Egg lump charcoal is made from premium hardwoods. It’s never made with fillers, chemicals, or petroleum by-products. Our Eucalyptus Natural Hardwood Charcoal uses only sustainably grown wood using soil and water preservation techniques with no deforestation.
Big Green Egg Lump Charcoal offers efficient performance. Our lump charcoal varieties light quickly, burn hotter and longer, and produce less ash for minimal cleanup. This makes cooking (and cleaning up) easier and quicker.
Big Green Egg Lump Charcoal enhances flavor. You may have heard your favorite chef call the Big Green Egg charcoal the “secret ingredient.” It enhances all Egg-made meals, giving them the signature Big Green Egg flavor and juiciness.
You can pick up Big Green Egg charcoal online and at our local dealers. When not pouring the charcoal into your Egg, store it in our Weather-Proof Charcoal Storage Bag for an indefinite shelf life.
