Charcoal usage this year

[Richard Chrz]

So, I really feel like I did not grill that much this year, but the evidence says different. I started the year with 30 bags of BB briquettes, 15 bags of Various lump in the 20 - 35 lb bag size, 3 large totes of oak splits, and bunch of pecan.

I currently have about 1/4 bag of lump, and 3 bags of BB briquettes.. and no wood.

[barelfly]

You have surpassed my lifelong use of charcoal in just a few months

[Richard Chrz]

Full disclosure, I sell a lot of bbq meals, so I often have 2 or 3 webers going at one time.

[Huskee]

You done good! I didn't use much charcoal this year at all. 100% of my "grilling" this year has been pellet cooker + searing on CI pan inside or on the griddle. The only charcoal I've used has been when doing a kettle/SnS low & slow smoke, and even that has been a touch less this year than typical.

[Andrrr]

Is the Silverbac still your main pellet pooper?

[Huskee]

Andrrr Yessir, it's a nice machine for me.

[rlozinak]

I have had the same bag for a while now. But only using the kettle for burgers and such and I re use my charcoal.

[hoovarmin]

I have no idea how much I've used this year. All I can tell you is that the owner of my local ACE Hardware really likes me and I think I know why.

[hoovarmin]

There's something wrong with you Panhead John 😂

[Panhead John]

hoovarmin Duh!

[Troutman]

Walking a tight rope here boys....walkin; a tight rope

[Finster]

I'm not sure exactly how much I've used.
Probably less than 10 bags of briquettes though since the beginning of the year.
That's certainly less than I anticipated when i stocked up last spring...lol.
I do almost no grilling in the winter though as it gets dark too early during the week. Longer cooks on weekends average maybe a couple of times a month all year long.
At that rate I have enough charcoal left on hand to carry me well into 2024 if not beyond... did I mention I stocked up last spring?

[Richard Chrz]

Yeah, I’m with you on winter grilling. I don’t care to light a grill and go inside, I enjoy sitting by a grill when cooking. I do so very little in the winter, mostly because of the dark, I don’t mind grilling in the dark in the summer, but 4:30 - 5 at night and dark is just depressing.

[jfmorris]

I certainly am using less charcoal than when I had a stockpile of about 80 bags of KBB and Weber cks taking up one wall of the old backyard shed. I've probably used 7-8 bags of B&B lump and 2-3 bags of B&B briquettes this calendar year. I've used propane more, between the griddle and the Genesis. Probably used the Genesis for grilling more this year than the past 2-3, out of convenience.

[Richard Chrz]

With the large family cooks that you do on your flattop, I can definitely see how that is used a lot for you.

I would use less charcoal if I had better access to wood splits.

[jfmorris]

Richard Chrz I've got a bunch of oak I've needed to use up for years, just been too lazy to cut it in half and split it more for use with cooking. It's all 16 to 20 inch logs for my fireplace and/or fire pit.

[FireMan]

My sediments exactly wiff Huskee, ya done good. My charcoal has been way down cuz I been rill bizzie and have not been home much. When I am I find I am usin my gasser mo this year than ever afore. It will change cuz it is a mental thing. I think I have to slow down, I move to fast, I wanna make the mornin last, so’s I can feel groovy.

[jfmorris]

Funny how its been the year of fewer smokes and more gas grilling for me too.

[Jfrosty27]

Holy smokes. (Pun intended)
That is a lot of coal. I had an off year in terms of cook volume. Just one of those years where other things took the time and attention away. I think I might have used about two 40# bags of pellets, two bags of KBB, and one tank of propane. FAR below my usual amounts. 🤷♂️

[J-Melt]

My charcoal use has definitely been up this year due to my new OJB. I have definitely switched over from grilling as much or more than smoking to mostly smoking. The chicken my OJB producers has changed our cooking game. I do at least 2 birds at a time, then we freeze the dark meat as is and shred the white meat for use in various other dishes during the next couple of weeks.

[Richard Chrz]

Current view

[Bbqmikeg]

She’s a beaute!

[Andrrr]

Opening the top vent like that gets things ripping hot in a hurry!

[Spinaker]

You should be proud of yourself.

Well, I am proud of you if that means anything at all.

[Jerod Broussard]

My charcoal has been sitting and watching a white bottle or two or three move around to accommodate my gas grill.

[STEbbq]

Let’s just say embarrassingly low but hey, that means I have HUGE upside for 2024.

I recently worked out that we were paying $30 a pound for the precooked bacon. And bacon consumption has gone up massively this year as all three kids seem addicted. So, maybe 2024 will be the year of homemade bacon repeatedly using ecowper ‘s maple pepper whiskey bacon recipe. Something new right?

[J-Melt]

It’s really good bacon too! I’ll let you know when I see it that cheap again.

[STEbbq]

ecowper Amanda is way ahead of you. She gifted me one for Christmas last year. I used it to make roast beef for sandwiches earlier this year and it worked great.

[ecowper]

that's awesome STEbbq ..... you're all set to turn a pork belly a month into bacon

[gboss]

2ea 18lb bags of kingsford pro from a costco sale, ~1.5ea 30lb bags of Jealous Devil.

I cook a decent amount, it's just that the Akorn is crazy-efficient, which is one of things I enjoy about it. I can load it up, cook a brisket at 250 for 12 hours, snuff out the fire and still have a decent amount of unburned lump leftover for the next cook.... It's like the 1997 Passat TDI (900+mi range on a single tank) of smokers.

[STEbbq]

That is a good point. The MB560 wasn’t very charcoal efficient and now I’ve replaced it with a BGE and a PK300 which I’d expect to be super efficient.