Sometimes, one may hear that charcoal briquette is a pure „chemistry” or „a barbecue fast food”, and hence shouldn’t be really considered when grilling. It would allegedly has a negative effect on the food taste and cause a health hazard.
The commonplace opinion about the harmfulness of briquettes came to us from across the ocean. In the US, the so-called “composition briquettes” are extremely popular. Their advantages are, among others: the ability to be produced in various shapes, ability to apply marks (like trademarks), easy lightning and a very long burn time. It’s also significantly cheaper than charcoal. The price for this, however, is the long list of ingredients. Apart from charcoal, water and starch, this kind of briquette is also a mix of a variety of other ingredients, like: mineral coal and char (for heat rising and extending of burning time), limestone (for creation of pretty, white coating of ash), borax (to easily separate briquette pieces; in Europe used as a detergent), saltpeter (sodium nitrate; as an ignition agent), sawdust (ignition aid).
Luckily, European standards doesn’t allow selling this kind of briquettes.
Our charcoal briquette is manufactured from only three, natural, ingredients: deciduous hardwood charcoal, wheat starch and water. Thanks to that, it is completely safe and does not have any negative effect on the flavor and taste of the grilled food.