What charcoal are folks using in there pbc?

[N227GB]

KBB with a moderate piece of hardwood. I use the lighting method stickied in the forum since to me this eliminated the charcoal taste associated with putting food over the coals before they are completely ashed over.

I've yet to use the Pro Kingsford for poultry in my PBCjr. To bump up the heat, I crack the lid open with a twig. This turns out great results down here in the tropical climate here IME.

[jecucolo]

I do the same thing. A small twig is just perfect to crack the lid.

[RustyHaines]

KBB or Kingsford Professional and sometimes 1 small chunk of either mesquite or apple.

[MBMorgan]

KBB for everything here. If lit properly the stinkiness problem isn’t a problem.

[Rfhd69]

KBB every single time. With the right rub and sauce (if needed) the finished product is great!

[cgseymour]

Thank you all for the insights.
I see I have some experimenting to do.
Appreciate all the suggestions.

Much appreciated

chris

[Duanessmokedmeats]

Kingsford blue/white bag, with 2 to 4 pieces of lump in the basket. (Just using the lump up)
May try lump on chicken cooks.

[Spinaker]

We did a webinar with Noah from PBC a while back. He actually mentioned that he had gone away from using KBB and he thought that Lump worked better.

I have yet to try that, KBB is just so easy to use and it is usually cheaper that most lump charcoal.

[jecucolo]

I tried lump in my pbc and didn’t like it.

[RichieB]

For my last cook on Saturday I did 2 racks of ribs and a tri tip. B&B in the basket and KBB in the chimney. To me it starts quicker with the KBB and less smokey in the barrel. Also it seems to perform better with temperature control and length of time.

[au4stree]

I use whatever I have on hand. Since I use lump in my BJ3, I tend to use Jealous Devil lump. I do like their briqs too, reminds me of Weber briqs

[fzxdoc]

Never been a fan of lump in the PBC. The few times I tried it, the temp swings were too annoying. I probably didn't have enough patience with it. I like the predictability of briquettes.

I still use KBB and Kingsford Professional (for poultry only) pretty much exclusively for short cooks. For longer cooks, I use KBB in the chimney and either Weber or B&B briquettes in the basket.

Kathryn

[jecucolo]

Same here. I wonder if Noah had a falling out with Kingsford?

[fzxdoc]

Perhaps he just wanted to try something different, jecucolo . Or maybe he got tired of people asking him if they can use lump in their PBCs, gave it a try, and liked it.

[johnec00]

I've used KBB almost exclusively in my PBC for over 9 years with no complaints. Recently, I've played around with the Kingsford hickory "flavored" briquets. They are very good so long as its not a real long cook (they burn faster). This morning, I'm cooking a brisket point and a small pork collar using the flavored briquets. No special lighting technique and running a solid 266º. We'll see how long they last.

[johnec00]

fzxdoc Worked out OK I guess, the pork collar had a mild smokey taste, the brisket not so much . . . . Smoking is not a PBC competency and the brisket fat sizzling on the coals pretty much covered any hickory smoke flavor. Got about 9 hours from full basket. I'm going to use what's left of the bag to do some bone-in belly on the kettle tomorrow or Friday. Likely won't buy more as its much more expensive than KBB. Worth the experiment though!

[johnec00]

PS . . . Previously did a tri-tip in the PBC, and the flavored briquets were quite good (not much fat dripping, so the smokey flavor shone through.). Also did picanha hung on the PBC skewers couldn't tell any difference between flavored and "regular" KBB.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks for all the great information, johnec00 . I've got a bag of the Kingsford Hickory from a local vendor who tossed it in with a large purchase I was making. Haven't tried it yet, which is why I was curious. I'll try it on my next tri-tip.

Kathryn

[2-7]

Used B&B briquets for the first time on my last cook of baby backs- was very happy with the results.

[hoovarmin]

Fogo black bag

[BFlynn]

I use the HEB Champions charcoal for everything. It works.

[Polarbear777]

B&B char logs and overfilling will get me 24+ hours at 225F without refueling.