Weber Kettle Club Forums
Cooking & Food Talk => Charcoal Grilling & BBQ => Topic started by: Tim in PA on September 20, 2012, 05:31:07 AM
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Like I mentioned in my intro thread, I've been out of charcoal grilling for a long time. What does everyone prefer? Charcoal briquettes, hardwood lump coal? Is there any other options?
What are you prefered starting methods? I'm guessing most people use a chimney. What about Webers firestarter cubes? They have great reviews but what do you all think?
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I use a chimney with Weber starter cubes, when I'm not using the gas assist on my Performer. The cubes work great and you don't have all the ash from paper flying around your yard.
I prefer hardwood lump, but can't argue with the cost and consistency of Kingsford Blue. However, the K-blue produces a lot of ash and does not smell as good as lump when firing.
I use to use only lump, then switched to K-blue because of massive discounts. Now I am leaning more towards lump once I burn up all the k-blue. Probably still use k-blue for quick cooks like burgers or dogs.
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I have always used good ol' kingsford..... But I'm kind of a traditional gal.
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I use Kingsford or Mesquite lump because they are cheap and readily available. At home I use a weed burner to start my fire and when we are out camping I use the Weber fire starter cubes, sometime in a chimney or just fill the grill and place the cubes on top of the charcoal.
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Is it better to put the fire starter cubes on top of the charcoal or underneath it?
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Actually its better to use a chimney but I usually forget it. When I fill the grill and use the cubes I kind of bury a couple of them under some briquets.
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Starter cubes are wonderful, no mess and easy startup. Have only used Stubbs, love it.
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in my grills, i use coshell extruded coconut shell charcoal (http://meatninja.com/coshell-charcoal-review-coconut-charcoal/) or royal oak lump.
in my smoker, i use kingsford blue for the first stage, then finish with coshell or lump.
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for lighting, i use the gas assist on my performer.
when i light my smoker, i use homemade starters made with paraffin, dryer lint, and empty egg cartons.
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chimney starter with a few pieces of newspaper and Kingsford briquettes. Pretty easy, and the food tastes great.
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I use the gas assist to light the paper in the chimney, which means it's only on for about 10 seconds... guess I'm cheap :-[ BUT, the same small tank is still going after three years :P I also like the K Blue, not so fond of all the ash though.
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I use the side burner on my Genesis and a Weber chimney to light. I prefer B&B oak lump and Stubbs but often can only afford Kingsford
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Speaking of all the ash, you guys know you can sprinkle it on your lawns or throw it in the compost pile, right? assuming it is completely cooled down of course. Too much each year is bad, and it does depend on your soil type, but most lawns will benefit. if you ever use lime on your soil, you will benefit.
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I usually use Kingsford (I guess it is called blue, it is the regular kingsford) and I like to mix it with some Stubbs charcoal. If I could afford it I would probably use only Stubbs. I also add 1 small stick of apple, hickory or maple wood (depending on what I'm cooking) right before I add the food. I start it with a chimney starter with 2 pieces of newspaper most of the time. Occasionally I use lighter fluid on a pyramid stack of charcoal. It brings back the '70's when I was a kid and my dad would grill out. Just the smell of the lighter fluid lighting the charcoal brings back memories.
I use lump to smoke with where I control air more as lump burns too hot for me on my grill because I grill direct when I grill. I don't use indirect much at all unless I am smoking.
I don't use wood chips or chunks much unless it is mesquite. I can get apple, hickory, oak, maple and pecan all for free where I live, but mesquite does not grow around here so I have to buy it.
I also have some Royal Oak charcoal and I like it. But I try to stock up on the kingsford every year when they put it on sale. This year they had 2 20 LB bags for $9.99. I got the last 2 bag pack they had. ( I was late!) >:(
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I mix it up. Rarely use K. When I do use briquettes, usually stubs or lazzari. I like lazzari lump. Get a 40lb bag from BevMo lasts quite awhile.
Chimney starter for me.
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when i light my smoker, i use homemade starters made with paraffin, dryer lint, and empty egg cartons.
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I have been using KB for a long time since I have been stocking up when it's on sale. but I also have a load of B&B standing by. My choice is Lazzari oak, but I haven't been out there to pick any up. They only offer it at their factory.
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when i light my smoker, i use homemade starters made with paraffin, dryer lint, and empty egg cartons.
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Better than belly button lint I suppose. I would only use that on a Homer Simpson ! ;D
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when i light my smoker, i use homemade starters made with paraffin, dryer lint, and empty egg cartons.
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Better than belly button lint I suppose. I would only use that on a Homer Simpson ! ;D
I heard that! ;D
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Seems like a waste of perfectly good belly buton lint..
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I use Kingsford blue. I think it adds an element of consistency when grilling or smoking
I use a chimney for lighting.
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My current stash includes Blue Bag Kingsford, which I use exclusively in the WSM's for comps. A few bags each of Ranchers, Stubb's and Maple Leaf Natural briqs, half a bag of Royal Oak Chef Select briqs, couple bags of Wicked Good lump for the BGE's, a few 5lb bags of Real Montana Apple, Cherry & Maple lump, Lazarri Mesquite lump and half a box of Charco's Coconut charcoal and a bunch of Maple Mojobricks. I'm not finicky and have been known to mix whatever is left in the bags to get the job done!
Weed burner for starting all my cookers-Jim Minion uses one and calls it "lighting his cooker"
I see Troy likes the Coshells Coconut charcoal, I wish we could get it locally. If you take a look at the Charcos website, Mike Craig did a video of one of his 18" WSM/Charcos test cooks-I got some from him and have been trying to figure out what type of cook to use it on.
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Brian,
I notice a wide variety of items in your stockpile. But not one mention of belly button lint?
Must be part of your secret stash... 8)
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Check out this video Mike Craig of Seattle did with a Guru assisted 18" WSM and 3 lbs. of Charcos.
http://www.charcos.biz/
Coshell briqs get great reviews as well
http://www.amazon.com/Coshell-9-Pound-Coconut-Charcoal-Briquettes/dp/B003Z0C10O/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
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Weber cubes, Chimney starter, K-Blue or Cowboy lump. I hate using newspaper, for the same reasons as listed above. Cubes are clean, quick, and efficient!
Craig
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I usually use Kingsford (I guess it is called blue, it is the regular kingsford) and I like to mix it with some Stubbs charcoal. If I could afford it I would probably use only Stubbs. I also add 1 small stick of apple, hickory or maple wood (depending on what I'm cooking) right before I add the food. I start it with a chimney starter with 2 pieces of newspaper most of the time. Occasionally I use lighter fluid on a pyramid stack of charcoal. It brings back the '70's when I was a kid and my dad would grill out. Just the smell of the lighter fluid lighting the charcoal brings back memories.
I use lump to smoke with where I control air more as lump burns too hot for me on my grill because I grill direct when I grill. I don't use indirect much at all unless I am smoking.
I don't use wood chips or chunks much unless it is mesquite. I can get apple, hickory, oak, maple and pecan all for free where I live, but mesquite does not grow around here so I have to buy it.
I also have some Royal Oak charcoal and I like it. But I try to stock up on the kingsford every year when they put it on sale. This year they had 2 20 LB bags for $9.99. I got the last 2 bag pack they had. ( I was late!) >:(
When lowes ran out last year the gave me the Stubbs for a big reduced price!
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When lowes ran out last year the gave me the Stubbs for a big reduced price!
WOW. I am gonna try that the next time they put the kingsford on sale. I think Lowes only puts it on sale on Labor Day and Memorial Day weekends.
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Hope folks don't mind bumping an old topic (been devouring the forums reading all the past posts) but I wanted to chime in here. I'm a bit of a hardwood purist. I keep either Malis' lump, or Wicked Good lump on hand at all times for grilling. I can get the Malis' at Shoprite for like 12 bucks for a 20# bag. The Wicked Good is a bit more expensive, and since I have to have it shipped it comes out to about a dollar a lb. I find it's worth it though, the stuff lights easy with no sparking. It burns hot, burns long, and produces very little ash. If I close up all my vents, it'll go out and I'll have plenty of coals to re-use next time. Malis' is almost as good, but the consistency isn't as there. While I've never had any WG spark on me I will some times get a Malis' bag that does.
If I'm smoking I stay natural too. I was using just Stubbs for a bit, but it produces so much damn ash. My last smoke I used half Stubbs and half Royal Oak all natural briquettes and that worked perfectly.
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I use Kingsford blue exclusively. I have been using it since I started grilling so I am used to the way it burns...I know how much for how hot and how long. It is very consistent. I use a Weber chimney to light....just newspaper to light the chimney. Almost never use any wood for smoke, my Wife is not a big fan of too much smoke flavor, but I do have some cherry and some pimento for the rare occasion I need it for the flavor.
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I just started using Wicked Good "Weekend Warrior" Lump when I found it on sale at Ace Hardware. I ordered 5 bags of it and got 15% off or something and it shipped free to my local Ace for pick up. Wow it's good stuff. I used to only use KB (sometimes Stubbs but it's so pricey), but I hate all the ash and barely any flavor KB gives. I have to say I am loving the Wicked Good Lump. If you can find it, try it out. It burns consistant, you can snuff it out and re-use like KB. I use it on my kettles and my WSM and it's great and adds an amazing flavor to my grills/smokes. Give it a ride! :P
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I am in an experimentation phase..
Been looking for a good Coconut lump, cant get Charcos or Coshell in my area, am working on making arrangements with KomodaKamdo to about 5 boxes of the KK Coco dropped shipped for pickup at Carson Warehouse..
Most of the Higher rated Lumps are not available in my area.. All the big Box stores Carry the Cowboy brands .... Serious Quality control from what i have read.
I may give Royal Oak a try I see Walmart in my area sells it and it gets decent reviews..
In the mean time I have picked up some Japanese White Charcoal Binchotan.
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/japanese-binchotan'-lump-charcoal/ (http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/weber-kettles-accessories/japanese-binchotan'-lump-charcoal/)
It is the highest grade Lump Charcoal one can get and it is priced as such.. From what I have read the closest to the quality and low ash/high long heat performance of Binchotan is the Coconut charcoals
Before I used Kingsford mesquite ( No match light added) However lately I have preference for Coal that has no added wood so I can add my own to taste or none at all and let the food flavors and marinade speak to my taste buds..
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I use Kingsford blue exclusively. I have been using it since I started grilling so I am used to the way it burns...I know how much for how hot and how long. It is very consistent. I use a Weber chimney to light....just newspaper to light the chimney. Almost never use any wood for smoke, my Wife is not a big fan of too much smoke flavor, but I do have some cherry and some pimento for the rare occasion I need it for the flavor.
I am with you on the this.. no smoke woods unless I am smoking a turkey and then i add my own Apple or cherry. Nothing beats the Weber Chimney to get the coals going, I use small votive/tea light candles when I run out of the Weber paraffin wax cubes. I read somewhere someone used Wax paper dipped in cooking oil rolled into tight ball for use to light the chimney..I used to use Newspaper but got tired of all the floating paper ash..
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i recently discovered using the side burner on my gaser to lite the coals in my weber chimney... i was looking to sell my gas grill because it never gets used but i might just keep it around for liting my coals
i perfer kingsford but i am wanting to buy some lump to mix in with kingsford when smoking
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I hereby renounce every even-handed thing I ever said about Trader Joe's briquettes. I tried to use some of the rest of my bag today, setting up a basic roast for brussels sprouts and green beans. Put them in a chimney on top of some Frontier Lump and fired it on the Performer. Waited in vain for like 30 minutes before I gave up and dumped out the TJ coals to get to the Frontier underneath. Then added the Frontier to-- get this-- the basket of Frontier that was still hot after an hour of roasting potatoes on the 18.
In the meantime, the TJ's coals were spewing forth the most acrid, awful smoke. Srlsy, my wife had to ask me to step outside because I smelled so bad from waiting for the coals to light. Had to take a shower before I could eat my (poorly cooked) dinner.
It's funny that people feel so good about the whole "our charcoal is all natural-- nothing but hardwood and cornstarch binder" claim on the side of the bag. But whoever said we should be burning cornstarch-- is that a good idea? It's 'natural', but that doesn't make it good. ...Or effective: what I've seen with the TJs coals is that the binder just 'lets go' when they start to get hot, so you get a chimney full of crumbs that just chokes off the fire. Not worth the trouble. I think I'll just throw away the remainder of my TJ's bag. Back to Frontier lump and Kingsford blue for me.
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Right beneath that "All natural".....well, what I call a disclaimer, it says "Made in Mexico".....
Nothing wrong with that inherently, just that I'm pretty sure they use whatever wood comes down the pike to get to the actual briquette portion of the show......could be ANYTHING.......
I haven't had any problems like what you're having, but have noticed plastic & nylon .....the stuff they're using for the packaging material, embedded in the briq's.............. ::)
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I've never used Trader Joes all natural briquettes so I can't comment on them specifically. It could just be lower quality, or like buckie suggests and really poor quality of materials used. I've used many a bag of Stubb's all natural briquettes, and I'm almost through a bag of Royal Oak's All Natural Briquettes and I haven't experienced anything like you've described with the Trader Joe ones. Really my only complaint with the Stubb's was ash production, which the Royal Oak is much better about, though the Royal Oak isn't as nicely and uniformly shaped as the Stubb's.
Before giving up completely on natural briquettes I'd say try another brand.
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I like KBB. I use my weed burner to start the fuel unless I'm using my performer. As for smoke, I'm a big fan of peach wood and I use the minion method. All though I'd like to give a go at the snake method.
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Kingsford Blue Bag for everyday grilling.
Stubbs for the WSM on long cooks, pork butts or brisket. For
Chickens I use KBB. I love the Stubbs it is the best charcoal
I have used so far and it leaves very little ash. I tried to use
KBB on a long cook and the ash piled up to the bottom of the
grate.
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When I slow smoke I always use a combo of Kingsford Blue, lump or chunk charcoal and hardwood that i leave continuously soaking in a bucket of water next to my grill. I use Kingsford to get going then tend to run on chunk and wood after that. for quick grilling sessions I use a combo of chunk and kingsford, nice even heat with a nice smoke flavor in the hamburgers or hot dogs. Occasionally I will dump a pack of ballparks on the grill while smoking and leave them on there for an hour to get nice and smoky, they make the best chili dogs you will ever eat.
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... All the big Box stores Carry the Cowboy brands .... Serious Quality control from what i have read.
I had heard that Cowboy Lump has improved in quality recently so I picked up a bag and confirm that I have (so far) found no lumber scraps. The pieces at the top of the bag are decent size but I have not gotten to the bottom of the bag to see how much dust there is.
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... All the big Box stores Carry the Cowboy brands .... Serious Quality control from what i have read.
I had heard that Cowboy Lump has improved in quality recently so I picked up a bag and confirm that I have (so far) found no lumber scraps. The pieces at the top of the bag are decent size but I have not gotten to the bottom of the bag to see how much dust there is.
Cowboy lump is better quality than Royal Oak Lump in the red bag by leaps and bounds. I bought 4 bags of it during the Memorial Day True Value sale and have went through all 4 bags. They lump isn't any type sawed scrap wood like 1x1 or 2x2 pieces. It is all branches or chunks that have been carbonized really well. I haven't gotten any foreign debris such as rocks or insulation that I have gotten in the last 4 Royal Oak Redbags I used.
If it goes onsale I will buy more of it, but right now I'm working through my Wicked Good Weekend Warrior and Kingsford Blue Bag charcoal stashes I have.
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Just revisiting this thread to add to my rant against Trader Joe's charcoal. It wasn't stinky this time, but it was worthless.
I was cooking with a friend, and we tried to use his stock of TJ's. And it lit okay, and it burned hot and without any bad smells or flavors. But the problem was that it 'unbinds' once it gets hot (which is a problem, as you can imagine). It gets a bit crumbly in the chimney, and continues to degrade. I put about one chimney's worth in two baskets to roast some broccoli. About 30 minutes later the veg was done and I was planning to put a chicken on next. I tried to stir the coals to get the ash off of them before adding a few more to lengthen the cook time, and *they all crumbled*. Right down to dust. So I had to fire up *another* chimney, which I used to roast the chicken, after which I choked down the grill for the night. And when I was cleaning up the cold grill today, once again the remaining coals just crumbled down to nothing. And get this: the entire ash can was full, after just two chimneys of charcoal. What a waste.
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Yeah, I had issues with TJ's and had to quit using it. Too bad because the price was right.
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I suppose I may as well put in my two cents. I keep quite a few types of charcoal on hand:
Kingsford Competition Briq.
Stubbs Briq.
Lazarri Mesquite Lump
Wicked Good Weekend Warrior Lump
Cowboy Lump
I rarely have all of them, but I don't hesitate to buy any of them if the price is right. Briquettes most often get used in the WSM. Lump for just about everything else. At $11 per 40 lb bag, Lazarri is my cheap stuff for burgers, dogs, etc.
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I'm a newbie. I read all the posts in this thread with keen interest. I grew up with Kingsford, as it's the only charcoal I remember from growing up and the family picnics and such. I'm getting back into charcoal cooking, and I naturally went for Kingsford Blue. Still, I'm intrigued by all you experienced chefs and your comments on the different types of fuel. I know that I have to learn how to walk before I start running, but I want to be ready to run not so much fast as steadily.
Anyway, I'm thinking of how I got involved in shotshell reloading. I got my press, my components, my reloading table, and I was on my way. Then I started experimenting with different powders, different shot weights, and so on. I bought several dies, shot bars, different wads. Guess what? I reverted back to what I started with, and all that other stuff that I bought is collecting dust. A fellow weekend warrior told me "Stick with what works."
I'm thinking the same thing with charcoal. Each type of fuel has its pluses and minuses. Each of you has a fondness for a particular fuel type. Is one better than the other? I don't know. Still, I'd like to experiment with different charcoals just to see if I find any difference. I'm just afraid that I'll wind up with a shed full of unused bags of charcoal and the novelty will wear off.
As a beginner I'm using KB. I don't want to fall into the trap of doing something wrong, and then adjusting my method to the wrong way, instead of learning the right way, and adjusting my method to the right way. So, getting back to the charcoal/fuel discussion, is one fuel really better, or is it just a preference? I'm thinking that there are way too many different opinions, and that tells me that I have to make my own choice. I can't follow the herd because the herd is all over the place.
My last comment was meant as a compliment. Imitation is the highest form of praise. I want to learn what I can. You guys/gals are part of the teaching staff.
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Charcoal choice is mostly a matter of personal preference with some economics mixed in. The Naked Whizz site is a great reference to learn about the various characteristics of different lump charcoals. They also cover the major brands of briquettes.
we discussed this some here:
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/index.php?topic=4095.msg38804.msg#38804
Always a good topic to bring up!
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Thanks. I went to that website. It would be nice if he could dispense with the eastern music and all the nonessential garbage, and get right to the heart of the matter. Still, I did manage to learn a few things.
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I use Kingsford in my Smokey Joe but prefer lump. I use the Big Green Egg fire starters now with the Smokey Joe, prefer it to Weber cubes or chimney starter.
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Tried something different tonight. Bought a bag of Royal Oak Lump (USA) at Walmart. Used it for a large batch of wings. Had no difficulties. It is obviously mill scrap, but burned clean and smelled good.
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Since I just started in April I used whatwas easily available and that is Kingsford blue. I burned 100 plus pounds of it so far. Never had a problem with it. This week I just bought Humphrey's briquettes to try. Its made in Pa about 3 hours from me what the heck. I like briquettes for the consistent size and burn for me.
I have also tried Wicked Good lump charcoal and it worked great and when I shut my grill down I can relight my lump charcoal for a second burn. Just add a little more and I'm good to go. Burns hot and little harder to control my temps. Just not use to it but I could figure it out.
I use my Weder chimney and light it right off my Platinum with gas assist.
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This thread needs some pictures!
This is what I found when I opened a bag of Cowboy lump today.
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EgE1PU83Qds/UmRMQ7bMlfI/AAAAAAAATpc/0t0C6WCI8FU/s800/DSC_7700-PP.JPG)
The pieces would be too big except that they can be broken down with a hatchet or hammer and chisel or screwdriver.
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Maybe I'm an idiot but I like kingsford blue. I think lump is a pain. I could be convinced to use other briquettes but I am not about to go on a search and destroy mission to locate some I like and can reliably get at a good price.
I'll stick with my KBB for now.
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Maybe I'm an idiot but I like kingsford blue. I think lump is a pain. I could be convinced to use other briquettes but I am not about to go on a search and destroy mission to locate some I like and can reliably get at a good price.
I'll stick with my KBB for now.
I've moved beyond obsessing about cooker temperature. I didn't even fire up my electronic remote reading thermos for either of my cooks today. ;)
I'm now obsessing about fuel. ::)
Seriously... There are differences between various fuels. During my first cook on my 14 WSM the ash from the Royal Oak briquettes smothered the fire. Tonight I'm using Cowboy lump and the fire has been steady for over four hours. But in a way this is an extreme case. For most of my cooks and on other smokers it probably matters little what charcoal I use. I've used plenty of KBB and never felt that anything else would have been significantly better.
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I've used plenty of KBB and never felt that anything else would have been significantly better.
Let me preface this by saying I'm not saying anything to you Hank (or anyone else here for that matter), specially since that paragraph talks about trying other stuff. I just hate this attitude in general with regards to anything. I run into so many people who say Product Y is the best, and you ask them what other brands or versions they've used and you find out they've only ever used that. I just don't get how anyone can say this is the best with out having used or tried or experimented with at least a few others.
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For me, I'll be sticking with the KBB for a few reasons.
I've been successful with it, and it's easy and cheap enough (for me) to get when it's on sale - especially when you can get a $6.88/40# price match 8)
I tried the Cowboy lump when it was recently on sale for a couple bucks a bag. I really like how it handled, but, my wife is sensitive to the smoke and picked up on the change in fuel when I did a whole chicken.
Although, the guys at work liked it when I grilled some chicken breasts and hamburgers, so I'll still be able to use it ;D
But I also have a couple bags of K-Comp that came w/ a red kettle that I still need to play with.
(I was going to say that I have a couple bags of K-Comp that came w/ a redhead that I still need to play with. But I knew that would be taken the wrong way with this crowd.)