We cooked burgers over charcoal the other night. This would be an otherwise mundane and pointless statement, but having been denied solid food for over a month this summer due to an unfortunate medical condition, I'm celebrating a new found appreciation for flavor. I say this also because I have this compact automobile-size, gas-fueled Weber contraption that I all too frequently resort to for its convenience, but invariably rue the decision once the protein has met the flame. This time I wanted taste.

Though typical modern "charcoal" actually resembles the real thing in little more than color, major producers are responding to public demand for a more authentic product, so you can find truer charcoal on the shelves these days.

We grilled the burgers over Royal Oak 100% Natural Wood Charcoal. It burns faster and a little cooler than the typical "briquette," but without that residual chemical bitterness.

I know I am not alone in my guilt for reaching for the gas knob when I could build a charcoal fire, so to those of you who share the feeling, grab a bag of real charcoal and let me know how much better that burger is.