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Originally Posted by Seaver
Use the Chimney, it is hands down the best method. All you need is a brick base, a match, and a piece of paper.
As for charcoal, DO NOT USE BRICKETS. Even if it says "mosquite", it's maybe 1/100th mosquite. Brickets are mostly straw, bound together by inedible chemical or biological glues.
Get real charcoal, you should see them as chunks of black wood. It'll cost a few bucks extra per case, but it's well worth it. The smoke alone is beyond compare, it'll burn hotter and it'll burn for a much longer time.
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Brickettes aren't evil, actually they burn a lot more evenly than lump charcoal (the other type you describe). And they are in fact, mostly wood, well, sawdust anyway...
In fact, lump charcoal is VERY dissimilar from brand to brand, you really need to do your homework to find one that does what you are looking for it to do. Some brands work well as slow smokers, others are best for high heat grilling. Still others aren't any better than brickettes at either. Check out this link for more information than you need on different brands of lump...
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm
As for smokiness, there really isn't much smoke charictor in lump charcoal. The fact that it has been turned into charcoal means most of the wood/smoke flavor is already gone. There is a little, and a little is still more than the brickettes, but still not much.
The only real way to get good smoke flavor is to use unburned, untreated hardwood chunks. Soaked or unsoaked, wood is the only way to go, and large chunks also act as a fuel source.