The quest for the best charcoal briquettes

[bigssa]

If you ever run across the "BBQ Flavors" brand of hardwood briquettes, buy it.

Are you referring to these?
https://www.bbqwf.com/briquets-2/

[captjoe06]

I would have guessed the outcome correctly and having consistently hitting the two for one Memorial, Labor Day and Fourth of July sales on KBB, for my needs that cost savings swings the purchase decision to KBB.  Those Weber Briquettes are the best I've used but the cost factor sways me to loading up on those consistent sale dates. If cost was equal per pound it would be Weber briquettes. Has anyone detected a pattern when the Weber briquettes went on super sale lite the one at Target?  I missed that one but my suspicion is that that was more a random inventory clearing event rather than a planned yearly sale on which us enthusiasts can pretty much bank on.

Having said all that, if there's another super sale on Weber briquettes and I can get away from work to take advantage of it, I'd back up the truck and buy up to 20 bags if they'd let me.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[LightningBoldtz]

@Troy this deserves front post exposure, you think?

[addicted-to-smoke]

If you ever run across the "BBQ Flavors" brand of hardwood briquettes, buy it.

Are you referring to these?
https://www.bbqwf.com/briquets-2/

Yep, that's it. I think they are regional at best and sell under a few different label designs but the "BBQ Flavors" logo should still be included somewhere on the bag.

Found it when I lived in GA, at Publix (big grocery store chain from FL) in a smaller, "8.3 lb" resealable bag for like $6. Low odor when starting up, plenty hot, decent staying power and low ash.

I have no experience with the larger bags they advertise on that site nor with their lump.

********

If you do get some coconut (like Coshell) I think you'll find that it takes noticeably longer to get started and burns noticeably hotter. I wasn't a fan overall, but there are some here that love it like no other. A few years ago when Lowe's carried it, it got exposure on WKC. Amazon is another source: http://www.coshellcharcoal.com/

Keep in mind your goal re: smoking; I don't know that coconut charcoal would be best there? Re: the gimmick. It really is more environmentally better, but that's a separate consideration for most of us.

[bigssa]

If you ever run across the "BBQ Flavors" brand of hardwood briquettes, buy it.

Are you referring to these?
https://www.bbqwf.com/briquets-2/

Yep, that's it. I think they are regional at best and sell under a few different label designs but the "BBQ Flavors" logo should still be included somewhere on the bag.

Found it when I lived in GA, at Publix (big grocery store chain from FL) in a smaller, "8.3 lb" resealable bag for like $6. Low odor when starting up, plenty hot, decent staying power and low ash.

I have no experience with the larger bags they advertise on that site nor with their lump.

********

If you do get some coconut (like Coshell) I think you'll find that it takes noticeably longer to get started and burns noticeably hotter. I wasn't a fan overall, but there are some here that love it like no other. A few years ago when Lowe's carried it, it got exposure on WKC. Amazon is another source: http://www.coshellcharcoal.com/

Keep in mind your goal re: smoking; I don't know that coconut charcoal would be best there? Re: the gimmick. It really is more environmentally better, but that's a separate consideration for most of us.

Thanks for the info. I actually live in SC and we have plenty of Publix grocery stores around here so I am going to go and check if they have any in stock. I also contacted the company directly through their site to see if they can give me any info.

As far as the coconut charcoal, I checked quite a few stores around me and none have it in stock. I did however find it on Bed Bath and Beyond's website for $3.99 for a 3.3lb bag, so I went ahead and ordered one so I can run the experiment again and update the post.

I will do my best to find any other suggested charcoal and run the experiment on it and update this post with results.

I appreciate the positive feedback from you guys.

[bigssa]

I would have guessed the outcome correctly and having consistently hitting the two for one Memorial, Labor Day and Fourth of July sales on KBB, for my needs that cost savings swings the purchase decision to KBB.  Those Weber Briquettes are the best I've used but the cost factor sways me to loading up on those consistent sale dates. If cost was equal per pound it would be Weber briquettes. Has anyone detected a pattern when the Weber briquettes went on super sale lite the one at Target?  I missed that one but my suspicion is that that was more a random inventory clearing event rather than a planned yearly sale on which us enthusiasts can pretty much bank on.

Having said all that, if there's another super sale on Weber briquettes and I can get away from work to take advantage of it, I'd back up the truck and buy up to 20 bags if they'd let me.

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

The Weber super sales were just the end of summer clearance prices. Which is great if you hit it right and you can get an amazing deal on the Weber. But for my area, in SC, the price never really dropped much because they were able to sell most of their stock during the summer and therefore only dropped by a few bucks. I really hope that the $12/ bag price at Lowe's is permanent. $20/bag is just unrealistic for someone who goes through a lot of charcoal.
I'm with you on the KBB price. You know when it is coming, so you can count on it being half price and if you buy enough and time it right, you will never run out and never pay full price. But at the regular price per pound, I have to say that there are better choices.

[Foster Dahlet]

If you ever run across the "BBQ Flavors" brand of hardwood briquettes, buy it.

Are you referring to these?
https://www.bbqwf.com/briquets-2/

Yep, that's it. I think they are regional at best and sell under a few different label designs but the "BBQ Flavors" logo should still be included somewhere on the bag.

Found it when I lived in GA, at Publix (big grocery store chain from FL) in a smaller, "8.3 lb" resealable bag for like $6. Low odor when starting up, plenty hot, decent staying power and low ash.

I have no experience with the larger bags they advertise on that site nor with their lump.

********

If you do get some coconut (like Coshell) I think you'll find that it takes noticeably longer to get started and burns noticeably hotter. I wasn't a fan overall, but there are some here that love it like no other. A few years ago when Lowe's carried it, it got exposure on WKC. Amazon is another source: http://www.coshellcharcoal.com/

Keep in mind your goal re: smoking; I don't know that coconut charcoal would be best there? Re: the gimmick. It really is more environmentally better, but that's a separate consideration for most of us.

Thanks for the info. I actually live in SC and we have plenty of Publix grocery stores around here so I am going to go and check if they have any in stock. I also contacted the company directly through their site to see if they can give me any info.

As far as the coconut charcoal, I checked quite a few stores around me and none have it in stock. I did however find it on Bed Bath and Beyond's website for $3.99 for a 3.3lb bag, so I went ahead and ordered one so I can run the experiment again and update the post.

I will do my best to find any other suggested charcoal and run the experiment on it and update this post with results.

I appreciate the positive feedback from you guys.

@bigssa , if you ever come across this, I'd love for you to test it.  I really liked it but it is a long drive for me to purchase it.

https://www.academy.com/shop/pdp/bb-natural-oak-176-lb-grill-briquettes#repChildCatid=500204


Sent from my LG-TP260 using Weber Kettle Club mobile app

[Darko]

I have always come back to kingsford original. Not because I get the best mileage for my money but because i find the food I cook tastes better with the kingsford.

That's the first time I've ever heard that reason.

Why is that?
About the kingsford thing or the tastes better thing

The bit about food tasting better with Kingsford.

[GoAnywhereJeep]

I have been using ROCS too and like it a lot and is by preferred briquette now. It is easy to source at a somewhat local store. Need to drive 25 minutes each way but I order through a local DoItBest affiliate and buy 4 or so bags at a time.

OP: Not a fan of Stubbs?

What do folks think of the Cowboy brand all natural hardwood briquettes?

My comparison between the two RO charcoals and Stubbs is here. Not quite as thorough as the OPs, research:

https://youtu.be/4n2xn5t5ILQ

[bigssa]

I will work on finding some of the BBQ Wood Flavor briquettes locally or directly from the manufacturer if possible.

@GoAnywhereJeep - I actually intended to include Stubbs in my test, but none of my local stores had any in stock. I will likely test later when I run into it. P.S. I enjoy your videos and subscribe to your YouTube channel. That's actually one of the reasons I seemed out ROCS in the first place for this comparison.

[WMT]

I have always come back to kingsford original. Not because I get the best mileage for my money but because i find the food I cook tastes better with the kingsford.

That's the first time I've ever heard that reason.

Why is that?
About the kingsford thing or the tastes better thing

The bit about food tasting better with Kingsford.

I take it youre not a fan of kingsford.

[Darko]

/quote]The bit about food tasting better with Kingsford.

I take it youre not a fan of kingsford.
[/quote] That would be an understatement.


As far as I am concerned,  Kingsford just stinks compared to other briquettes I can buy. If perhaps I could get it on sale like our US friends do, I could probably learn to live with it. But I cant. I'm paying around a dollar per pound. I'm definitely not paying that for a mix of limestone dust, coal dust, charred wood, borax... when for around the same price I can buy Royal Oak, Maple Leaf or Basques which are nothing but ground hardwood charcoal mixed with a starch binder.

[bigssa]

The saga continues...

Today I had a chance to test two more charcoal briquettes types that were requested. I tested Coshell Coconut Charcoal Briquets (CCC) and BBQ Wood Flavors Hicory Briquets (BWF). Same exact procedures were followed as in the original post. Quick note, it was 20° cooler outside, but that should not have skewed the results in any statistically significant manner.




Number of briquettes/lb:
Coshell Coconut Charcoal: 11
BBQ Wood Flavors: 14

Next are the temperature graphs from my iGrill for the direct (probe 2) and indirect (probe 1) sides of the grill:
Coshell Coconut Charcoal:

BBQ Wood Flavors:


Max temp of direct / max temp of indirect / total burn time:
Coshell Coconut Charcoal: 244° / 214° / 123 mins
BBQ Wood Flavors: 362°/ 285° / 125 mins

Here are the ashes of each charcoal type:
Coshell Coconut Charcoal:

BBQ Wood Flavors:


Weight (in ounces) / volume (in milliliters):
Coshell Coconut Charcoal: 5.25 oz / 400mL
BBQ Wood Flavors: 2.15 oz / 195 mL

Price:
Coshell Coconut Charcoal: ~$1.21 / lb ($3.99 for a 3.3 lb bag, which is the best online price I could find)
BBQ Wood Flavors: ~$0.55 / lb ($9.19 for a 16.6 lb bag, best I could find in my area)

Comments:
I would be remised if I didn't address the CCC results first. I was hesitant to post these results, but I got almost identical results after trying this out a second time, so I feel confident in them. The CCC claims to burn hotter, longer, and with less ashes. Clearly that is not what the results show. It had the lowest temp of all charcoal tested by a significantly large margin, it burnt for the average amount of time, and had the largest amount of ashes by volume and weight. Those are the facts! Having said that, the experiment must be consistent to eliminate variables, which means that the charcoal was only over the burner for 10 minutes before being dumped into the basket. The charcoal was about 35% ashed over. I will repeat the test again, with my last pound of the CCC charcoal, until it is completely ashed over to begin testing. That could be a huge factor in the temp and amount of ashes (although there were no hard chunks left in the ashes). The longevity should be the same, perhaps even less if the charcoal is completely ashed over before testing starts.
The BFW had a STRONG hickory scent the entire burn. So much so that I found it to be too strong, but that is a personal preference. I actually think that this charcoal could add a ton of flavor to a quick searing job on steaks. I would not use it for low and slow cooking as I think it would over smoke the meat and turn it bitter.

CCC was the most expensive and the hardest charcoal to get thus far (if you include shipping, I paid about $2/lb, which is why I purchased the 3.3 lb bag). It burns very similarly to the Thai style charcoal, Thaan, that I have tried. It takes FOREVER to get fully lit, but it burns with a consistent heat, which is fantastic for smoking purposes. It contributes a nice and clean heat, at an extremely high price.

Happy to hear feedback and suggestion on the CCC before I start an additional test with it. Again, consistency is my goal to eliminate variables, but I do not want to ding a specific charcoal type of I could do something different to improve its performance.

[kettlebb]

I think your testing procedure and keeping the variables consistent is good.

One thing I'd consider if I were doing the test is how long till the coals were ready to cook.  I don't wait till they are fully ashed over. I also don't let them go for 10 minutes then dump the chimney. I wait till there is no more smoke and there are flames licking the top layer of coals.

That could be 15-20+ minutes depending on the choice of fuel.




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[Mike in Roseville]

Excellent write up! Thank you!


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