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.