Charcoal Bricketts vs Charcoal logs or lumps??
I have been using a Traeger Pellet smoker for a few years, but recenty inherited a Weber Grill. I would like to start mastering this grill because I believe it will give me better flavors than the Treager. My Treager has been awesome and I still plan to use it for long cooks. With that said, I reverse seared a Ribeye on the Weber recently and it was amazing....... My question is regarding briquettes vs the lump coal? Im not sure what it is called. I have heard that the briquettes are the leftovers off the floor and probably not worthy of a good smoke. The Weber came with some very large chunks of Mesquite Charcoal logs??? They seem to work well, but added a little too much smoke and are too large for the small portions I smoke. Maybe I didnt let them burn down enough before I threw my steak on. Anyway, I am looking for advise on what to buy on my next trip to BBQ Island, They have many choices and hopefully many flavor options.
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I use the Kingsford briquettes in the blue bag. Kingsford does the job for me real good. They have a green bag its hickory and a red bag its apple. But I just use the blue bag its the original. I am like that I like my coffee black and well you get my point.
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Kingsford Blue work perfectly fine for all types of cooks. I particularly like them for smoking because they don't burn as hot or as fast (the last time I used lump it burned a LOT faster than Kingsford) as lump.Comment
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I've used lump almost exclusively for over 20 years in my kamados. I've also burned a fair amount of KBB in my life and I've used KBB in my kamados on an occasional basis. I don't know where this statement of KBB burning longer than lump comes from. It has been my experience that both burn about as long as the other. Maybe it's because I know and buy good lump. If you buy bad products, you get bad results.
For your kettle, I'd burn KBB in a SnS. If you don't have an SnS for your kettle, I'd urge you to get one!
Enjoy your kettle. I've always enjoyed my cooks on kettles and hope you do as well!Comment
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JeffJ I've experienced the same issues as CeramicChef with Royal Oak, and I get bags that are mostly dust. I also get bags that are mostly ok. Too unpredictable. I'm also trying Fogo and so far ZERO issues. -
JeffJ being available locally at a great price is what made me try Royal Oak. Unfortunately after a few bags the problems started. I'm glad you're happy with it. My Home Depot has 15.5lb bags for around $13.
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Richie Many of us use & trust Kingsford Original for charcoal kettle grills, it's not garbage as some might lead you to believe. Us mods use it, Meathead uses it, and many pros on the competition circuit use it, such as Chris Lilly. If anyone tells you it's trash they're quite simply a snob and they're not telling you the whole story. Check out this article of Meathead's on Kingsford and how it's made. I wouldn't trust store brand/generic briquets, I've had bad experiences with them, your mileage may vary. But Kingsford Original is good, cheap and available everywhere. Lump is good too. Lump is more necessary in kamados such Big Green Eggs and Primos, etc. Briquets or lump will treat you well in your Weber charcoal grill. Lump burns hotter, generally. Briquets are more measureable & predictable, generally. My personal view- stay away from 'wood flavored' charcoal, like Kingsford Apple or Mesquite. Use the cheap ubiquitous Original and add a couple real wood chunks. Best of both worlds and it's your cheapest option to boot.Comment
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Huskee - well said! There is a reason KBB is the market leader and it was spelled out in your post. KBB was the only thing I burned in my kettles; it was the only thing my Father used. If I ever have another kettle on my patio, I'll burn KBB in it. It's just flat dadgummed good! -
Richie, I use Blue Bag and Comp/Pro for briquettes and get good results. I'm also liking the Fogo lump suggested by @CeramicChef.
I tried a few bags of B&B briquettes and liked them, less ash but they don't hold together. Plus they're hard to find around here. But they cook well.
My $.02 worth.Last edited by billg71; June 25, 2016, 12:59 PM.
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I will add that almost all recipes written with the kettle in mind are also written with Kingsford blue bag briquettes in mind. Consistency is one of the secrets of success.Comment
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I've only been using my kettle for a few weeks, but in my short experience KBB is flavor-neutral, and that many lump charcoals are not, but rather have a smokiness of their own.Comment
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Mosca - you are so right. That's why I use FOGO most of the time. It has a very mild oak aroma. For cooks when I absolutely want/need a neutral aroma from my lump, I use Komodo Kamado Coconut Lump. Virtually no aroma at all.
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Thanks everyone for your advice. I bought a bag of The Good One, mixed hardwood charcoal. It seems to burn well and didn't over flavor the chicken I cooked. Reverse Sear is the best. Anyway, it has some good size chunks as well as slivers of charcoal. Unfortunately they fall through the grate. I guess thats another good reason to use Kingsford? Until I runout of this bag, any tips on keeping the small chunks from clogging the holes or to stop them from falling through?Comment
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Do you have another grill's grate that you could set on top of you current charcoal grate, oriented opposite? That would help. Another option, if you've ever considered ordering a Slow 'N Sear, is to get the SnS Plus, it has a grid to help hold in the small pieces. Or if you're a tinkerer, you could cut a piece of expanded metal to lay down on your charcoal grate.Originally posted by Richie View PostComment
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I have a Primo. In the past I have used KBB for steaks but today I opened a Fogo Black. It ruined my steaks and made them taste like ash. Has anyone else experienced this using lump charcoal on steak?
For steaks and burgers, going back to KBB.Comment
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I use both. I use briquettes for low n slow and lump for hot and fast. You want that consistency for the low and slow and you that high heat for the burgers and hot dogs. Now I do think you can do both with either, but that's typically a good rule of thumb.Comment
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I use Royal Oak All Natural, this is not the orange bag RO. https://www.royaloak.com/products/al...coal-briquets/Comment
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Fan of char logs for low and slow. They seem to last much longer...haven't tried them for hot and fast, because their density and shape certainly doesn't make sense for that.
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I just used some char logs in my 26†Weber Kettle last night for some chicken thighs. I was very impressed with how long they lasted. I put around 18 of the B&B char logs in the SnS arranged standing vertical and used maybe 15-20 KBB briquettes lit in the chimney to start them. I was able to run 300 degrees for 7 hours using my Fireboard and Pit Viper fan. I was very impressed, I’m thinking if I would run at 225 It would have lasted much longer!!
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Mosca I used it again today and got 8 hours out of it. I did 2 racks of ribs when those were done added two tri tips. After those were finished I did some sausage. So for the amount I’m using and the length of burn time I’m getting with it I would definitely say it’s worth the cost. I do think it leaves more ash than KBB though But it didn’t seem to bother the air flow a lot. I knocked the ash off once during the entire cook.
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I've not used lump charcoal much, but when I have the biggest difference I noticed was less ash.
Not sure what kind of Weber you have, but use Kingsford original with a couple chunks of your favorite hardwood and see how that does.
Adjust from thereComment
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