In person I mean.
*Sigh. Not charcoal. Real coal.
Don’t go to a lot of BBQs, I take it?
Charcoal isn’t coal. There are several types of natural coal and charcoal, and they all have slight differences in density and chemical composition; so they probably all look a bit different when burning. Just like how different brands and types of charcoal can also look slightly different when burning (such as one kind throwing off sparks while it ignites and another that doesn’t).
I’ve never seen natural coal burning. But I’ve seen at least 3 types (not just brands but actual differences in how they are made) of charcoal burn, and they all give quite a different “show” as they do.
It might have a bit of coal in it, but it’s not coal.
https://zgrills.com.au/coal-vs-charcoal
Coal is a natural mineral that forms over the span of millions of years while charcoal is a manufactured product created from wood. While coal in its natural state is never used alone in a barbeque or smoker, it is commonly added to charcoal briquettes to increase the energy density.
A lot of homes where I grew up still had coal fires, so yes, a lot, but its been a long while since I have seen a coal fire. Charcoal as the other commenter said i still see regularly on bbq’s .
We used to have a coal fire when I was growing up, so routinely in the winters.
I did an hour of a metalworking class at scout camp in the 80s.
Do bituminous and anthracite burn differently? Visually or otherwise?
If you’re in the field maybe your can also say how you pronounce bituminous. I’ve always heard bitch-you-min-us, but I recently heard beh-tu-min-us.
