So which is Better, Lump Charcoal or Briquettes?

Each has its partisans. I personally prefer lump charcoal on account of its purity and naturalness. The drawback to lump charcoal, however, is that it burns hot at the beginning, starts to lose its heat after thirty or forty minutes, and provides a less consistent heat than charcoal briquettes.

The charcoal briquette is designed to maintain a consistent temperature of about 600°F for a specific amount of time, usually one hour. The disadvantage of briquettes is that when not fully lit, they emit an unpleasant acrid flavor. However, as I’ve noted earlier, most of the contestants in the big barbecue contests use charcoal briquettes.