What Kind of Charcoal is Best for a Pizza Oven?

The love for pizza among the British public keeps growing and growing. Research released in 2022 revealed that it is now our most popular choice for a takeaway meal, while more than half of us admit to indulging in some pizza at least once every ten days.

With greater popularity comes a greater demand for quality, so whether you’re making pizza to sell to others or you’ve taken to making your own at home, it’s worth putting in the effort to make it as memorable as you can.

You should already know that the best pizzas are made in a charcoal-fired oven, because good quality coal burns both hotter and longer than the alternatives. That enables your pizzas to be cooked quickly, right through to the middle and with that delicious smoky flavour everyone loves.

But there’s a lot of cooking charcoal out there to choose from, whether it’s cheap bags of BBQ charcoal available from DIY stores and petrol stations or specialist bags like those you can get from us here at KG Smith & Son. 

But which is best in terms of both value and results?

Different types of charcoal for pizza ovens

• Lump charcoal

Made from hardwood, these coals are easier to light and burn hotter than many other options, while they’re also great for imparting a delicious smoky flavour. However, because they’re irregular in size and shape, it’s harder to get that consistent heat that allows for turning out perfect pizzas time after time.

• Charcoal briquettes

Briquettes take a little longer to reach optimum heat than lump charcoal, but once they get there, the heat they produce is both impressive and reliably consistent. Meanwhile, they also keep going for much longer than other coals. Our pizza oven charcoal briquettes are regular in shape and size to produce that consistent heat, while extra heat is generated by the middle cavity that allows air to flow and keep the flames fed with oxygen. And because they’re 100% natural with no additives, they also give a mouth-watering smoky flavour and aroma to your pizzas. Charcoal briquettes are usually better value than many other choices, especially if you’re turning out multiple pizzas at a time. 

• Standard BBQ charcoal

While you may find that the bags of BBQ charcoal you get from DIY stores and petrol stations are much cheaper than those we’ve listed above, if taste and flavour are in any way important to you (and if you’re reading this article, we’re guessing that they are!), then this type of charcoal is best avoided. It’s generally loaded with additives and chemicals – intended to make the charcoal catch fire quicker than it would otherwise do – and the smoke it produces (of which there will probably be a lot) will pass on a chemical tang rather than the natural smoky flavours you get from 100% natural charcoal.

Professional cooking charcoal delivered fast

If you want to cook better-tasting pizza, then why not talk to the team at KG Smith & Son to discover how you could benefit from our high-quality pizza oven charcoal, available for fast and free delivery right now?

Our charcoal is used by chefs and restaurants across the UK, but it’s also ideal for amateur cooks looking to recreate that professional taste experience at home.

Get in touch with us now to find out more or you can order your cooking charcoal online now.