The thing that makes any extra effort to use a charcoal grill over propane worthwhile is the charcoal. It's the whole point.
I'm talking about lump charcoal here. Not the briquettes and especially not the briquettes with filler and accelerants. That's just nasty. Lighter fluid is nasty too. Stay away from that.
Different charcoals have different tastes. I don't have smell-o-vision so I can't prove it here but if you believe hickory chips are different from mesquite chips then it's not such a leap to believe lump made from different wood will taste different. Maple Leaf is a nice brand in Canada. It's a mix of maple, beech and birch I'm told. It has a lovely smell. Basque or Nature's Own in the green bag is mostly maple. It's carried by Costco and it's unbelievably cheap. Both are good for grilling - direct or indirect.
For real BBQ - true low and slow - my absolute favourite is Dragon's Breath. It's a mix of hickory and oak and it smells like Texas BBQ. If you've ever been to Central Texas and come within 5 blocks of a BBQ joint you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's more expensive but sometimes the great things in life cost more.
It's not super easy to find in Ottawa but you can get it at Romantic Fireplace and BBQ in Orleans, Capital City BBQ in the south end, The Fireplace Store on Carling and Barbecue World in Kanata.
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