The use of charcoal for cooking and heating can be a major source of air pollution and lead to a wide range of health outcomes. The aim of this study was to experimentally quantify and characterise the gaseous and particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions from charcoal combustion in a typical brick barbecue grill. The gaseous emission factors were 219 ± 44.8 g kg−1 for carbon monoxide (CO), 3.01 ± 0.698 g kg−1 for nitrogen oxides (NOx expressed as NO2), and 4.33 ± 1.53 gC kg−1 for total organic carbon (TOC). Particle emissions (7.38 ± 0.353 g kg−1 of dry charcoal burned) were of the same order of magnitude as those from traditional residential wood burning appliances. About 50% of the PM2.5 emitted had a carbonaceous nature while water soluble ions accounted, on average, for 17% of the particulate mass. Alkanes (C11–C16 and C23), hopanes, steranes and alkyl-PAHs accounted for small mass fractions of PM2.5. Phenolic compounds and saccharides represented the major particle-bond organic constituents. The high proportion of either resin acids or syringyl and vanillyl compounds is consistent with emissions from charred coniferous wood. The ratios between anhydrosugars for charcoal are much lower than the values reported for lignite combustion, but overlap those from other biomass burning sources. •Speciation of PM2.5 in flue gas from charcoal combustion was obtained.•The carbonaceous content represented almost 50% of PM2.5 mass.•Potassium, sodium and chloride were the dominant water soluble ions in PM2.5.•Anhydrosugars constituted the dominant organic class in PM2.5.•Retene represented >50% of PAHs global mass in PM2.5.