Kamado charcoal

When using a YAKINIKU® Kamado, quality is paramount. And of course that includes quality products and accessories. That also includes charcoal. The charcoal we sell is the best quality charcoal for the Kamado; Marabu charcoal. This is a very pure, black charcoal which is economical in use. The origin of the Marabu charcoal is in Africa, Marabú is named after Cuban hardwood. Or yes, what you call Cuban. In any case, there is an interesting story behind it. Marabu is extracted from the Marabú plant. This is a plant that grows wildly and very aggressively into bushes or trees as tall as ten metres. Officially, the plant does not come from Cuba, or from the Caribbean per se: it was imported from Africa in the nineteenth century.

Kamado charcoal
When using a YAKINIKU® Kamado, quality is paramount. And of course that includes quality products and accessories. That also includes charcoal. The charcoal we sell is the best quality charcoal for the Kamado; Marabu charcoal. This is a very pure, black charcoal which is economical in use. The origin of the Marabu charcoal is in Africa, Marabú is named after Cuban hardwood. Or yes, what you call Cuban. In any case, there is an interesting story behind it. Marabu is extracted from the Marabú plant. This is a plant that grows wildly and very aggressively into bushes or trees as tall as ten metres. Officially, the plant does not come from Cuba, or from the Caribbean per se: it was imported from Africa in the nineteenth century.

History of charcoal
Now a brief history course: Cuba used to be supported financially by the Soviet Union because it was a communist state at the time. However, when the Soviet Union fell, financial support also stopped and Cuba was left alone. Therefore, when Cuba entered a severe economic crisis in the 1990s, many areas were left empty and the plant had free rein to grow, resulting in mass growth. Now, it is impossible to imagine the Cuban landscape without it. A beautiful gem, with the lovely flowers that grow on it. And then there is the heavenly charcoal. In any case, there is no shortage of raw materials. And for those who want to think of the environment, this is a fine product. Marabu has an almost pure percentage of charcoal. The difference between this and cheaper "standard" charcoal is that when charcoal still contains some volatile substances, these gases are released when the charcoal is lit and burned. You can see this by the smoke that takes place and you can smell the petrol-like odour that is released. Marabu charcoal is smoke and odourless. And you can taste the difference in your food. This charcoal lasts on average three times longer than charcoal bought at the supermarket or DIY store, because a higher carbon percentage means more fuel. Marabu has a high burn value and a long burn time. The cheaper coals often contain liquids to make them easier to burn. These liquids evaporate during combustion, and are then absorbed into the food you eat. So this Kamado charcoal is healthier too! Lighting Marabu charcoal is not as easy as lighting domestic charcoal. This is because its structure is more compact and it does not contain any liquids. 

Lighting Marabu charcoal
Marabu charcoal needs some time to get going. Once it burns, it burns for hours and hours. You will not run out of charcoal quickly. Truly a favourite charcoal for those wonderful long BBQ sessions on both open and closed BBQs. Also very suitable for baking pizzas on a Kamado. To keep it 100% natural, we also have special fire starters of the brand BBQ Flavour which do not contain toxic substances, firelighters. You light them just like a match and put it between the coals while burning. These firelighters have a burning time of 8 to 10 minutes. If you want to add a refined smoke flavour to your dish, you can add wood chips. You can do this dry or wet. If you use the wood chips wet, there will be more smoke and flavour development, and the smoke wood will give off an intensive smoke flavour.
A Kamado can be seen as a kitchen and charcoal is the fuel. Without good charcoal, you just can't get the most out of your cooking skills. And that would be a shame for your dish. When do you know if you have bought the right charcoal for your Kamado? First of all, it is important to use only natural products in your Kamado. The Kamado is sealed airtight and there is little oxygen on the inside. This is exactly the reason why you can use the charcoal in your Kamado for such a long time. However, the effect is that you taste everything in your dish that you use inside your Kamado. It is therefore extremely important to use only natural products. Do not use white chemical lighter cubes, lamp oil, turpentine, etc. to light your Kamado. Do not use briquettes as fuel, always use 100% natural charcoal in your Kamado. Briquettes contain binding agents (how else do you get a nice pressed block), charcoal grit (waste) is used and/or waste wood is used from uncontrolled sources. And this wood may well contain paint or impregnating agent. Don't take the risk, just use good charcoal in your Kamado. How do you recognise good charcoal? You can recognise its burning power by the density of the tree the charcoal is made from and the size of the blocks. The higher the density, the heavier a block of the same size will be, and the longer you can cook with it and the higher the temperature you can reach. So compare a 10x10cm block from a lighter tree species and a heavy tree species next to each other, you will see and feel the difference. You can also often tell by the bag: 10kg of heavy quality takes up less space than 10kg of light quality and is therefore packed in a smaller bag. Also look for large blocks, they will last longer in your Kamado and help to control the temperature more easily. In general, the charcoal you buy at a supermarket or hardware store is not Kamado quality because it is made from a lighter type of tree.