Charcoal is a black substance that resembles coal and is used as a source of fuel. Charcoal is generally made from wood that has been burnt, or charred, while being deprived of oxygen so that what's left is an impure carbon residue. While charcoal is used in the manufacture of various objects from crayons to filters, its most common use is as a fuel.
One of charcoal's most common fuel uses is for cooking. Charcoal produces a heat that is hotter and burns cleaner than wood, making it ideal for cooking. Though charcoal as a heat source has been around for centuries, Henry Ford is credited with cornering the US market for mass produced charcoal for backyard grilling.
Many people debate the use of gas versus charcoal heat for grilling foods, but a vast number of people prefer charcoal. Commercially, charcoal for grilling comes most frequently in the form of briquettes, small pre-formed blocks of charcoal. These are made cheaply, often from sawdust bound together with a type of glue and then charred in ovens. More expensive grilling charcoal can be found, made of hardwood without the glue, and some people prefer it to avoid a flavoring they believe comes from the glue residue that remains in the cheaper made forms. Some charcoal is also self-lighting, meaning it is already infused with lighter fluid, which some grilling gurus will tell you also affects the flavor of food.