House coal should not be burned on a barbecue or bonfire. There are a few important reasons for this: House coal is not the same as charcoal – it will take a long, long time to burn on a barbecue. The smoke and combustion gases that are emitted from coal are toxic.

Can you cook with normal coal?

Coal smoke would make the food taste awful, and make people sick. It is not direct heat. It is used to heat the oven so the food never comes in contact with the fumes and all the bad stuff.

What kind of coal is used for BBQ?

Charcoal briquettes are probably what you picture when you think about charcoal. Typically the cheaper option, they're uniform nuggets of dense, packed sawdust, and they offer an even, predictable, long-burning heat that's great for grilling larger pieces of meat that take a long amount of time to cook through.