Fuel & Fire Starters

Use 100% natural lump hardwood charcoal (no chemical additives, no briquettes)

Because briquettes often contain additives, produce more ash, reduce air flow and impair temperature control — and can negatively affect flavour and the ceramic interior.

The recommended practice is to fill the firebox to the top (to the rim of the fire basket) for each new cooking session.

Yes — if the charcoal is still in good chunks and the ash or small pieces haven’t obstructed air flow. Before a new session you should clear out ash and then top up with fresh fuel.

If you’re doing a very long cook (many hours) you can add more charcoal mid-cook. The correct method: gently slide hot coals aside, add fresh fuel to the other side so the fire spreads naturally — don’t dump fresh charcoal on top of blazing fuel.

For low & slow (≈225 °F/≈110 °C) you might get 10-18 hours from a full load in a properly set up BGE. For high-temperature direct grilling (≈500 °F/≈260 °C) the burn time is much shorter (2-4 hours).

Yes. Using a poor fuel (additive-rich briquettes, damp charcoal, small/crumbly pieces) can impart off-flavours, more smoke, more ash and inconsistent cooking results.

Yes — you can add wood chunks or chips in addition to lump charcoal for flavour/smoke. But they shouldn’t replace the charcoal base; the BGE is designed primarily for charcoal heat.

Keep it dry, protected from rain and humidity. Damp charcoal will burn poorly and reduce the BGE’s temperature performance.

Small pieces and excessive ash can obstruct airflow and reduce performance (harder to get up to temp, less efficient burning). It’s good practice to remove fine debris and ash before each session.

Generally no. The manufacturer emphasises natural starters and warns against chemical accelerants, since the ceramic absorbs flavour, and chemicals can taint food.

While some might experiment, the consensus is that the BGE is optimised for lump charcoal. Using large logs or wood chunks as the main fuel can complicate temperature control and airflow.

The manufacturer links correct fuel (natural lump charcoal) with optimal operation; using inappropriate fuel (e.g., briquettes with lots of ash) may lead to performance issues or increased maintenance.

Because temperature in the BGE is primarily controlled by airflow and fuel base, using clean-burning natural lump charcoal helps deliver consistent temperatures. Poor fuel (lots of ash, low burn) makes control harder.

Use a full load of good lump charcoal, ensure ash is cleared, set up your indirect configuration (e.g., convEGGtor) for airflow, and you often won’t need to add much (if any) fuel during the cook. Forums confirm that with good fuel and low airflow settings a long cook can be done without topping up.