How much charcoal do you need for your BBQ cook?

When you are ready to grill your meat, two scenario can hit you. Either you have too much charcoal that you may end up wasting or you have lit a few pieces hoping that there’ll be enough to last the whole cook, which may not be the case. It would be great to have some kind of formula to help you maximize your charcoal. Here is how you can work out how much fuel you need when lighting a charcoal BBQ.

• 1. Measuring charcoal for your BBQ

Here’s how much fuel you really need. It is important to first note that the volume ratio of charcoal briquette to lump is about 1:1.5kg. Therefore, in terms of heat output and burn time, one would need 11/2 amount of lump to get the equivalent performance from a product that has compressed briquette charcoal. So having worked that out, the rule of thumb is that the ratio of BBQ charcoal to meat needed is 1:1. Hence for every kilogram of meat, a kilogram of briquette charcoal or 1.5 kilograms of hardwood lump would be needed.

The 1:1 ratio works for any kind of meat cut, whether the meat has bone, like a lamb leg or ribs, or boneless cuts like brisket. The amount of charcoal needed should be calculated based on the overall weight of your uncooked protein.

• 2. Looks can deceive 

If you’re using briquettes for your cook,following our guideline, and it looks like you don’t have enough charcoal for your quantity of the meat, do not worry. Keep in mind that the heat output will be higher when using briquettes than a lump charcoal.

• 3. How long does BBQ charcoal burn? 

In any open type of BBQ application, such as direct grilling, rotisseries or skewers, most lump charcoal products burn for 2-3 hours while briquettes will go on for 4-5 hours, depending on the quality of fuel used. If you like to mix briquette and lump, you should expect burn time of approximately 3.5 – 4 hours, assuming the mix is half-half. One thing to note is that every BBQ is different and the burn time will depend on your fire management and how well you can control the airflow.

• 4. Adding more charcoal during cooking

If your BBQ is losing heat midway through the cook, here are some tips on adding more charcoal. In an open grilling situation, do not lay new un-lit charcoal over the top of your hot, lit charcoal. It is recommended that you light a new batch of charcoal separate to your operating grill, for example in a charcoal chimney starter. When it is white hot, add the prepared charcoal to your cooking grill