How much charcoal does a Josper use? The weekly maths for a UK kitchen
Josper's own figures put daily charcoal use at 6–8kg for the HJX-20, 10–12kg for the HJX-25 and 16–20kg for the HJX-50. Over a six-day week, an HJX-25 burns 60–72kg, which is four to five 15kg bags of holm oak lumpwood. At our public retail price that's about £136–£163 a week, or roughly 28–34p per diner at the oven's recommended capacity. Trade prices bring that down.
Hexagonal briquettes in a restaurant grill: the operational case
Lumpwood gives you fast heat and flavour, but in a long service it burns down quickly and needs topping up. Dense hexagonal briquettes hold steady heat for hours. Kitchens that light the two together get the best of both: the briquettes carry the service and the lumpwood adds heat and flavour on top. On our own fuels, a 10kg bag of HazelHex cooks around 60 restaurant steaks against around 40 for a bag of lumpwood.
How much charcoal does a restaurant burn per cover? A working UK calculator
A working UK method for restaurant charcoal: portions per bag, weekly bags, cost per steak at trade prices, and how to size a pallet.
What charcoal do top UK restaurants actually use?
There's no secret brand. Here's the fuel system the UK's Michelin-starred and live-fire kitchens actually run, and the kitchens we supply.
What "restaurant grade" charcoal actually means (and how to check a claim)
"Restaurant grade" has no legal definition in the UK. Here are the five measurable checks that separate real kitchen fuel from a label: fixed carbon, moisture, ash, fines and burn data with the conditions stated.