Charcoal questions

DandD2015 wrote:
My wife and I grill about every 4-5 days, whether we're at home or on the road. At home, we have a Char Broil infrared gas grill that does pretty well. For the road, we bought a highly rated portable gas grill from Home Depot, with a 10 lb tank. That proved to be more than we were willing to carry in our Chinook Concourse (plus now you have a greasy grill in your living space etc.), so we reverted to charcoal.

I use a Weber chimney to quick start it in the campground fire ring. So far, so good. But what I find is that with the coals on the ground, it doesn't stay hot enough long enough.

A couple possibilities come to mind. First, I suspect that this is because the coals cannot get enough air. I wonder if I could suspend a grate over some rocks to allow air to feed it from below. Is anybody doing this or working around it another way?

Second, maybe we need better charcoal (we get the cheap stuff at Big Lots). Does anybody have any preference for brand?

Primarily, I cook on a portable fire place and Weber Go Anywhere using lump charcoal and/or wood. Preferred everyday lump charcoal is Royal Oak. Sometimes I buy Rockwood if I can find it (regional product).
I only use charcoal briquets to start a fire since it lights and burns faster. As long as the briquets are inexpensive and aren't match ready I have no brand preference.

I prefer lump over pressed briquet charcoal because it lasts longer which is great for smoking and low + slow cookery. It also works nicely for grilling and can be re-used as long as you work your vents.

I'm a little confused by your first question so please bear with me: Are you saying you cook in the fire pit, in the charcoal starter or use something else?