Briquettes VS Lump

[David Parrish]

Let me start off by saying I believe lump charcoal is better than briquette charcoal like Kingsford Blue Bag when it comes to cooking in a Kamado. Lump produces less ash and generally has less bad smoke during the lighting and warming up process.

That said, I am wondering if there is a new sheriff in town. I present to you Kingsford Lump Briquettes. Sounds like a contradiction, right? I tell you though, I've been using these for a couple of months now and have to say I really, really like them. They burn hot and fast when you give them a lot of air and they can burn low and slow consistently for a long time time when you restrict the airflow. They're a no brainer in a kettle, but after using them in my BGE a few times I'm beginning to wonder if this is a fuel I can use that works great in both kettles and Kamados.

It's been laced with Mesquite chips. They give a light smoke flavor during low and slow cooks and very little or no flavor during high heat sears. Overall, the wood chunks you use for smoke will be far more powerful than any smoke created by the Mesquite in the briquettes.


If you've used this charcoal I'd love to hear from you. If you haven't, I'd love for you to give it a try (Kamados especially but other cookers would be great too) and let me know what you think of it.

[ribeyeguy]

Saw them in the store the other day and was intrigued but I opted for the standard blue bag. Maybe next time I'll give them a try.

[CeramicChef]

David Parrish - I've been looking for these and can't find them anywhere around here (OKC). I'd like to give them try. What concerns me as far as I'm thinking is the mesquite in the briquettes. I've just never developed a taste for mesquite. Funny seeing as how I was raised in Oklahoma and Texas. If I can find a bag or two I'll give 'em a try. Thanks for the pointer.

[David Parrish]

You bet. Can't wait to hear what you think! The mesquite is barely noticeable.

[Spinaker]

You would if you had it from the KBQ!

[Huskee]

Am I putting the pieces together correctly that this is the 'perfect' briquet, which is how briquets should've been made to begin with? I am a huge fan of KBB for it's predictability, consistently great results and available everywhereness. That said, I'd give a bag of these a go.

[David Parrish]

Am I putting the pieces together correctly that this is the 'perfect' briquet, which is how briquets should've been made to begin with? I am a huge fan of KBB for it's predictability, consistently great results and available everywhereness. That said, I'd give a bag of these a go.

I think they just might be. I want to hear from others... see what they think.

[David Parrish]

CeramicChef try WalMart. They're in stock at my local store pretty much 24/7. I've also found them at my local grocery store.

[RonB]

I'm very interested in this New, (to me), product. However, I have 6 or 7 bags of KBB, so it will be a while...

Edit to add - my local Walmart has it in stock for $9.63 for a 10.6 lb bag.

[DWCowles]

David Parrish Do you think that I can get 12+ hrs using them in my WSM with the party Q?

[Clint Cantwell]

I have gotten 12+ hours out of them on a WSM (without an air control device) just using the Minion method of putting 6 or so lit coals in the center of a full charcoal ring.

[DWCowles]

Sounds good thanks @ClintCantwell

[badf00d]

Kingsford's site has the mesquite variety described here (with an interesting bad review among a lot of positive ones):

https://www.kingsford.com/products/100-natural-lump-briquets/

​It wasn't the mesquite version, but on Sunday I went to Costco and saw twin packs of 18.5lb bags of the 100% natural "Professional" briquets for ~$15. I bought 74lbs of briquets for ~$30. Pretty awesome. Looked them up on AR and found this recent thread:

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/charcoal/147270-kingsford-professional-charcoal

[boftx]

I'll give these a try if I find them. I greatly prefer lump for long cooks (if not burning logs) because of the lower ash buildup over time.

[mhalbrook]

I tried these last year, wasn't impressed. No imparting of flavor from the "infused" mesquite, it's only surface deep, and was gone by the time the coals were ready. They seemed to burn faster than the blue bag as well. Maybe a little hotter, don't remember on that front.

[RonB]

Could you tell a difference in the amount of ash?

[mhalbrook]

Hi how don't remember..

[Jerod Broussard]

How long a burn time do you get with the SnS? David Parrish

[Breadhead]

Hmmm... I pay $0.45 per pound for lump coal that I'm very happy with. It's the ONLY brand of lump I've ever burned in my BGE. It's 100% mesquite and with about 5 pounds of it I can cook for 24 hours or more at 225°. I'm sticking with my inexpensive lump for my BGE!

However... David Parrish forced me to buy a 26" Weber kettle when he invented his Slow & Sear...😆 So if I stumble across this new & improved briquette stuff sometime I might snag a bag just out of curiosity for the kettle & SnS. Even though it's so expensive.😆

[David Parrish]

Forced? lol

[Breadhead]

Yes... Forced!

If you invent something so fantastic that I MUST have it and it won't work on my BGE, I was forced to buy an adequate cooker to accommodate it.😎

[David Parrish]

The lump briquettes burn MUCH hotter than Kingsford Blue Bag (KBB) and ash over more quickly. They do burn faster at hot searing temps, but that's expected. They're hotter.

The Mesquite flavor is very subtle and really only noticeable when cooking low and slow. I consider this a feature, not a detractor. I'd rather use my own wood for smoke.

I have not done a time test but they seem to last at least as long as KBB when cooking low and slow.

They have more ash than lump but less ash than KBB. I've found it's very easy to clean out my BGE after using them and I don't have to worry about pieces of rock (found in most bags of lump charcoal) clogging up my intake grate.

[badf00d]

David Parrish - I wonder if the Professional briquets are essentially the same as the Lump briquets, but just not exclusively mesquite wood - both are 100% natural. For a typical hot & fast cook with the SnS, you recommend 40 briquets of KBB. How would you revise that for the Lump briquets?

This article surprised me, as it shows the Professional briquets burning slightly longer in their test and with less ash:

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productrevi...ompetition.htm

I would have expected the Lump briquets to be similar.