In the past few months I've been experimenting with various brands of charcoal that I've found deeply discounted. The one thing I've noticed is these various brands produce noticeably different smelling smoke while they are heating up. KBB has a bit of a rancid smell when it's producing while heating up. Embers (made by Royal Oak) does too. The funny thing about Embers is the actual Royal Oak hardwood brand produces pleasant-smelling smoke, much like Weber.
The reason I'm asking this question is laying 40 lit coals on top of a bunch of unlit coals results in a lot of charcoal smoke, much moreso than minion or fuse in a kettle, WSM, etc. Given how much charcoal smoke the PBC generates it would seem to me that the brand of briquette would matter.
Last night I cooked a whole chicken and quartered 2 large russets that were skewered and hung in the PBC. I lit a chimney of Embers (once it's fully lit, it's fine) and poured them over a layer of unlit Royal Oak. The potatoes picked up a REALLY nice, pleasant and soft smoke flavor, reminiscent of the last time I cooked with expensive lump.
Has anyone else noticed this?
The reason I'm asking this question is laying 40 lit coals on top of a bunch of unlit coals results in a lot of charcoal smoke, much moreso than minion or fuse in a kettle, WSM, etc. Given how much charcoal smoke the PBC generates it would seem to me that the brand of briquette would matter.
Last night I cooked a whole chicken and quartered 2 large russets that were skewered and hung in the PBC. I lit a chimney of Embers (once it's fully lit, it's fine) and poured them over a layer of unlit Royal Oak. The potatoes picked up a REALLY nice, pleasant and soft smoke flavor, reminiscent of the last time I cooked with expensive lump.
Has anyone else noticed this?
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