The BBQ community asked and (Ta Da!) here it is: Self-starting charcoal! But is self-starting charcoal one of those things that will have you wondering if you should have wished for a lottery win instead? Do the benefits of a quickly ignited barbecue outweigh these disadvantages? You make the decision.

Benefits:

The briquette is completely covered in a combustible material, generally petroleum, which allows it to ignite without the use of lighter fluid. And we all know that lighter fluid poses its own set of problems, including flare-ups, and subsequent storage of a highly flammable (or inflammable - which makes no sense at all, but who are we to argue with the grammar police) liquid in a can that is prone to spillage and leakage. Quick ignition of the briquettes and more even burning, resulting in even distribution of heat.

Disadvantages:

You’ve got to burn off all of the petroleum before you can cook your food. The smoke emanating from the briquettes is not what you would call aromatic. And because you need to wait for the briquettes to become ashy before you can start cooking your food, that’s going to be a lot of smoke time (bit of advice: stand downwind). The foul smelling smoke will give your “delicate” foods (like fish or shrimp) a funny flavor, too… “Is that hickory?” asks one of your guests. “No” you reply, “It’s petroleum. Eat up!”