Even though I've been propane grilling for years, I am completely new to the charcoal game. I know the difference between briquettes and lump, and from what I've read people largely go with briquettes in their kettles. Are there brands that are better than others? I know this is such an elementary question but I'd love to hear what you experts have to say!
I'm by no means an expert, but I'll throw in my $.02...... My go to briquette is B&B orange bag. I'll use Kingsford as well when it's on sale, but it burns really fast in comparison. As far as lump, I like B&B oak (brown bag) and hickory (green bag). All of these are usually available at Academy Sporting goods in my area for a decent price. They can be found at Ace Hardware as well for more coin. Main thing I've learned over the years that works best for me is to wait until your coals are ashed over before introducing food to the grill. My wife is not a smoke fan and getting a good clean fire going helps make her happy with the outcome.
Best I've ever had is Jealous Devil. It's got a flavor and smell that kills anything I've bought. I almost refuse to buy Kingsford.
Have tried Blues Hogs (meh), and B&B lump which isn't too bad. I almost never run briquettes, in fact I've had some JD briquettes for almost two years and haven't tried them.
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Quote from: bamakettles on July 21, 2022, 12:51:02 PM
I'm by no means an expert, but I'll throw in my $.02...... My go to briquette is B&B orange bag. I'll use Kingsford as well when it's on sale, but it burns really fast in comparison. As far as lump, I like B&B oak (brown bag) and hickory (green bag). All of these are usually available at Academy Sporting goods in my area for a decent price. They can be found at Ace Hardware as well for more coin. Main thing I've learned over the years that works best for me is to wait until your coals are ashed over before introducing food to the grill. My wife is not a smoke fan and getting a good clean fire going helps make her happy with the outcome.
Completely agree with everything you said. If you have access to B&B get it.
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B&B is fantastic. Cowboy all natural briquettes are great too.
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My go to is Royal oak chef select. It's only sold through food service distribution like Gordon Food Services. The briquettes are 30% bigger than kingsford and all hardwood. It's similar to B&b and reminds me of Weber, which Royal oak made.
For lump, I use B&b or Royal oak.
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Quote from: bamakettles on July 21, 2022, 12:51:02 PM
I'm by no means an expert, but I'll throw in my $.02...... My go to briquette is B&B orange bag. I'll use Kingsford as well when it's on sale, but it burns really fast in comparison. As far as lump, I like B&B oak (brown bag) and hickory (green bag). All of these are usually available at Academy Sporting goods in my area for a decent price. They can be found at Ace Hardware as well for more coin. Main thing I've learned over the years that works best for me is to wait until your coals are ashed over before introducing food to the grill. My wife is not a smoke fan and getting a good clean fire going helps make her happy with the outcome.
^^^This^^^
B&B hands down is the best briquette. Awesome for low and slow cooking.
We like Cowboy Lump, and B&B Lump.
B&B briquettes are excellent for low and slow. I'll be honest though, I use Kingsford Blue for most cooks. It's cheap and relatively consistent. There is definitely better charcoal out there though. Love Jealous Devil and B&B lump also.
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This is a dangerous religious level argument 🤣
However, just to throw in, my faves are Blues Hog lump and B&B briquettes.
Matt
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My favorites are what my neighbor buys, he never locks the gate to his backyard. he buys a lot of B&B orange bag, and kamado joe big block lump. so I like it !!
Quote from: JEBIV on July 26, 2022, 02:46:06 AM
My favorites are what my neighbor buys, he never locks the gate to his backyard. he buys a lot of B&B orange bag, and kamado joe big block lump. so I like it !!
I'm going to have a talk with your neighbor!
- Bit late to this thread, however as far as briqs are concerned my go to is B&B comp oak orange bag. I do also play with B&B Char Logs which is an extruded briq a tad more difficult to light but gives a long and pretty consistent burn. Additionally the Char Logs are a great bang for the buck.
- If you really want a clean burning charcoal or if you do any baking in your grill(s) you might like Coconut briqs/lump. It also is extruded, burns hot with a bit less ash. Really shop around if interested in this price to weight really varies.
- For lump I like Rockwood, B&B and Royal Oak, that pretty much does it for me. I have tried a lot of different lump but keep going back to the three mentioned above. I am sure there are better ones out their.
A favorite of this forum, B&B. Best for long cooks, low and slow. This is the briquette to use.
For lump we like Royal Oak, and Cowboy, and B&B.
I do NOT care for the B&B Char-Logs. Not at all!
Honorable mentions:
I like kingsford blue bag charcoal. Easy to find anywhere.
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Jealous Devil Max, love these! Always have "hostages" from the previous cook.
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Ive thought of using lump....but never have. I've almost always used kingsford. Or in a pinch any generic briquette. Might have to test the waters of lump soon.
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Lump is great for taste and burn. Seriously- try it. Smells and tastes great.
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Quote from: bbqking01 on August 18, 2022, 05:09:56 PM
Ive thought of using lump....but never have. I've almost always used kingsford. Or in a pinch any generic briquette. Might have to test the waters of lump soon.
Lump is good for hot & fast burns, like when grilling steaks.
Try it, you might just like it!
I'm down to my final bags of Weber charcoal and I think it is the best all around briquettes I have used to this point. I have some B&B that is close but pricey compared to the $2.10 a bag during the great Weber briquette closeout.
I still have 2 or 3 bags of Coshell coconut shell briquettes that I also bought a huge amount on closeout that is awesome for hot and fast cooks. Nothing compares to it. A little slower to start but can be reused several times burns long and HOT!!!
@dwnthehatch I think I still have one bag of Weber left, with multiple bags of B&B comp oak (orange bag) and char logs around. Neighbor gave me a bag of JD briqs (pillows) have not tried them yet.
Like you I play around with coconut charcoal quite a bit. I have a couple of bags of coshell around. Here is a good one price per pound when Amazon has it on sale Napoleon in the 23# box. Not as quite as good as Coshell in my opinion nor better than who ever produced the stuff that Richard Johnson sold on the old "K" site.
Possible new player in the game.
https://www.fireandflavor.com/products/premium-hardwood-lump-charcoal?variant=39416415649897
My favorites for lump so far are B&B hardwood with oak ($15/20#@AcademySports), Basques Sugar Maple ($25/18#
@Ace), BGE All Natural Hickory and Oak ($25/20#
@Ace)
At $15 for a 20# bag, B&B is my go to.
For briquettes, I've come full circle and I like Kingsford Original, starts fast, burns long enough and hot, smells decent. I have not tried their hardwood or pro yet.
As of today, I use B&b orange bag briquettes in my kettles and Fogo black bag for lump in the summit kamado.
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My favorites are B&B orange bag briquettes and FOGO Super Premium tan bag. I just bought my first bag of Jealous Devil XL lump and it was impressive this past weekend. Lots of large pieces, carry strap on the bag, lights easily and it lasted well.
I've used Kingsford Blue pretty much all my life without regrets. When I was competing it was great because Big Orange and Big Blue put it on sale 2-3 times a year as a BOGO and my Team was on a budget.
I've never seen this B&B that you are all talking about. Fortunately, I totally out of charcoal right now, so I'll be picking some up.
BD
Wal-Mart is now carrying new brands that I have never seen there before include BluesHog, Jealous Devil & Cowboy. I couldn't pass up on purchasing a couple of 2x20lb. pack of Cowboy briquettes for $17.92 or .45/lb., good stuff!
Cowboy Briquettes are also at Tractor Supply for $9.99 per 15 lb.bag.
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Most of the time, I use B&B Oak or Hickory Lump and their Briquettes when using the WSM. Like many others, I can attest that they have awesome charcoal! When I can't find B&B, I also use Royal Oak lump.
Quote from: RRRanger99 on August 14, 2022, 08:43:42 AM
Honorable mentions:
Okay, I'm curious now... where do you buy Weber Grill Restaurant Charcoal? I think I might need try a bag...
Thanks for the tip.
Just grabbed 4 bags of the cowboy briquettes at my Walmart
Quote from: vader on February 05, 2023, 06:14:53 AM
Wal-Mart is now carrying new brands that I have never seen there before include BluesHog, Jealous Devil & Cowboy. I couldn't pass up on purchasing a couple of 2x20lb. pack of Cowboy briquettes for $17.92 or .45/lb., good stuff!
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Quote from: bgilbert44 on February 07, 2023, 01:03:18 PM
Quote from: RRRanger99 on August 14, 2022, 08:43:42 AM
Honorable mentions:
Okay, I'm curious now... where do you buy Weber Grill Restaurant Charcoal? I think I might need try a bag...
https://shop.sysco.com/app/product-details/opco/038/product/7086807
I prefer kingsford for grilling. Lights fast. B n b for smoking.
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Quote from: RRRanger99 on February 13, 2023, 04:56:12 PM
Quote from: bgilbert44 on February 07, 2023, 01:03:18 PM
Quote from: RRRanger99 on August 14, 2022, 08:43:42 AM
Honorable mentions:
Okay, I'm curious now... where do you buy Weber Grill Restaurant Charcoal? I think I might need try a bag...
https://shop.sysco.com/app/product-details/opco/038/product/7086807
Thanks for the link!
Forget anything else I said about briqs. The cowboy bricks are now the best deal I know of. Walmart 40# for $17.96. Smells great, burns long.
$17.92
Ok. Forget what I just said. It's $17.92.
I'm very happy that Walmart is now selling the Cowboy, Blues Hog and Jealous Devil briquettes. I've used all three of these and at ~$0.50 a pound, the Cowboy is what I will continue to use. It was either last year, or the year before that, Costco had twin packs of Cowboy Briquettes. Haven't seen them there since.
Possible new player in the game.
https://www.thegoodcharcoal.com/
B&B is the shiznits for me. Jealous Devil is good also but $$$$ for me and same wood as B&B.
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I tried it. I bought a few bags from Sam's Club last year. The charcoal burns well. It smells good. The flavor was light. But... All of the bags were nothing but small pieces and I found a bunch of plastic pieces. I assume that the plastic was from the bags that the charcoal is shipped during processing.
Quote from: RRRanger99 on July 11, 2023, 03:45:08 PM
Possible new player in the game.
https://www.thegoodcharcoal.com/
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Lately, all I've been using is B&b orange bag. Nothing I can readily buy performs as well or burns as long for low and slow. For hot and fast, you can reuse coals easily due to their size. While it is little more expensive that competitors, I think you get what you pay for.
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Kamada Joe Big Block is my go-to for lump. Jealous Devil is also quite good but is more neutral when it comes to flavor IMO. Both are large pieces, very well carbonized and burn nice and clean. Have also yet to find any nails or rocks in either after many bags of each. Weber is about the only briquette that ever hits my grill (still available up our way) but only if I'm out of the others.
I don't think I ever met a lump or briquette I didn't like. But use some for certain applications. For instance if I'm cooking direct on a Hasty Bake or Drum Smoker I don't like to use "Natural" binders briquette like Rancher, Stubbs or Trader Joe due to ash fallout, or if my remaining bags of Weber briquettes have green mold on them I'll use it to fire up the Santa Maria or Lang to start a coal bed for logs!
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Never knew this existed!
Wow, never seen that before!
https://www.weber.com/CA/en/accessories/fuel--et--smoking/charcoal-briquettes/3400212.html
@RRRanger99 ,
I saw that the other day at my local big box hardware store.
Don't like the price of $25 (CAD).
Based on the picture of the briquets in the link you provided,
they resemble Royal Oak briquets. Not sure.
(http://pics.weberkettleclub.com/images/IMG_9329.jpg)
@MacEggs Judging by the shape of the coal, it does resemble Royal Oak. Still a mystery but, I would not be surprised if it was made by Royal Oak. Saw these on another kettle fan site, only to find out they're
available in Canada. I keep checking the Weber U.S. site to see if it will make its way here.
Quote from: RRRanger99 on April 28, 2024, 04:36:39 AM
@MacEggs
Judging by the shape of the coal, it does resemble Royal Oak. Still a mystery but, I would not be surprised if it was made by Royal Oak. Saw these on another kettle fan site, only to find out they're
available in Canada. I keep checking the Weber U.S. site to see if it will make its way here.
I picked up a bag of the new Weber charcoal a couple of days ago. It does look like a Royal Oak briquette except larger. I took a couple of pictures while I was setting up to rotisserie a duck on Friday - the new Weber briquette is in the middle with an original one on the left and a Royal Oak ridge briquette on the right.
The new Weber briquettes worked fine for cooking the duck but the real litmus test is going to be seeing how well they hold up for the long running time needed to slow roast a boneless pork shoulder on the rotisserie. I'm planning to cook one in the next week or so, so we'll find out soon.
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@Lightning Thanks for the comparison pics. What a difference.
The "new" Weber briquette is Royal Oak Super Size or Chef Select.
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Quote from: michaelmilitello on April 30, 2024, 06:37:11 AM
The "new" Weber briquette is Royal Oak Super Size or Chef Select.
I'd heard of Royal Oak Chef Select but had never been able to find it at any of the small number of places here that were supposed to have it. Part of the problem might have been the pandemic. After 2019, the variety of charcoal that's been available locally has been truly pitiful, even at specialist shops like Barbecues Galore even now midway through 2024. For example, I haven't seen things like Basques sugar maple charcoal or Maple Leaf briquettes in years now. I didn't realize that what Weber is now selling is rebadged/rebanded Royal Oak Chef Select since I'd encountered those briquettes before.
I don't have an opinion on it yet compared to the previous Weber charcoal since that one cook with the duck isn't enough yet. What I really want to see is what the endurance looks like for something long like a rotisserie pork shoulder which was one of my big uses for the original Weber briquettes. It's going to be a few more cooks with the new briquettes until I have a good understanding of how they compare to the previous ones.
Desperately in need of help and advice! I have a Weber Master Touch which I purchased about two years ago and have it installed in a custom outdoor kitchen with a circular cutout in the granite counter. The installation has been really nice in terms of working space, etc. However, I have one major problem - my wife hates smoke!! No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to either light the charcoal properly without a major amount of smoke and the same occurs when I add charcoal for longer grilling events. I don't know if I am the problem or if I am just not using the correct charcoal. We live in Budapest, Hungary and until recently finding charcoal briquettes was difficult but now they are readily available. However, quality may be my main problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on what charcoal type or brand to use, charcoal starting methods, advice on adding charcoal to an existing fire, or anything that can help me in reducing the amount of smoke I seem to be creating. The wife's advice is to switch to gas which to me is not what BBQ'ing is all about. HELP BEFORE SHE SMOKES ME!!!
Quote from: Mike911SC on May 20, 2024, 09:04:26 AM
Desperately in need of help and advice! I have a Weber Master Touch which I purchased about two years ago and have it installed in a custom outdoor kitchen with a circular cutout in the granite counter. The installation has been really nice in terms of working space, etc. However, I have one major problem - my wife hates smoke!! No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to either light the charcoal properly without a major amount of smoke and the same occurs when I add charcoal for longer grilling events. I don't know if I am the problem or if I am just not using the correct charcoal. We live in Budapest, Hungary and until recently finding charcoal briquettes was difficult but now they are readily available. However, quality may be my main problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on what charcoal type or brand to use, charcoal starting methods, advice on adding charcoal to an existing fire, or anything that can help me in reducing the amount of smoke I seem to be creating. The wife's advice is to switch to gas which to me is not what BBQ'ing is all about. HELP BEFORE SHE SMOKES ME!!!
This is simple. You make yourself a tasty meal off the grill, and she can make herself some microwave dinners.
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Quote from: Mike911SC on May 20, 2024, 09:04:26 AM
Desperately in need of help and advice! I have a Weber Master Touch which I purchased about two years ago and have it installed in a custom outdoor kitchen with a circular cutout in the granite counter. The installation has been really nice in terms of working space, etc. However, I have one major problem - my wife hates smoke!! No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to either light the charcoal properly without a major amount of smoke and the same occurs when I add charcoal for longer grilling events. I don't know if I am the problem or if I am just not using the correct charcoal. We live in Budapest, Hungary and until recently finding charcoal briquettes was difficult but now they are readily available. However, quality may be my main problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on what charcoal type or brand to use, charcoal starting methods, advice on adding charcoal to an existing fire, or anything that can help me in reducing the amount of smoke I seem to be creating. The wife's advice is to switch to gas which to me is not what BBQ'ing is all about. HELP BEFORE SHE SMOKES ME!!!
The least Smokey charcoal in my experience is usually lump. Fogo lump charcoal is very neutral and smokes very little. Try it out.
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Quote from: Mike911SC on May 20, 2024, 09:04:26 AM
Desperately in need of help and advice! I have a Weber Master Touch which I purchased about two years ago and have it installed in a custom outdoor kitchen with a circular cutout in the granite counter. The installation has been really nice in terms of working space, etc. However, I have one major problem - my wife hates smoke!! No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to either light the charcoal properly without a major amount of smoke and the same occurs when I add charcoal for longer grilling events. I don't know if I am the problem or if I am just not using the correct charcoal. We live in Budapest, Hungary and until recently finding charcoal briquettes was difficult but now they are readily available. However, quality may be my main problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated on what charcoal type or brand to use, charcoal starting methods, advice on adding charcoal to an existing fire, or anything that can help me in reducing the amount of smoke I seem to be creating. The wife's advice is to switch to gas which to me is not what BBQ'ing is all about. HELP BEFORE SHE SMOKES ME!!!
Look into Binchotan charcoal.
Home Depot has my go to charcoal on sale. Not giving it away, but $5 off per bag isn't bad. Picked up two today.
Jealous Devil XL Lump 20lb 19.99.