Are Weber's briquettes made by Royal Oak?

[Lightning]

Today's the displaced holiday for Canada Day and I've got friends coming over for dinner, and I've got four racks of back ribs to go in the 22.5" WSM.  I'm using Weber briquettes which I got on sale to fuel the WSM and while I was scooping them out of the bag during the setup, I pulled out a Royal Oak ridge briquette!  Then I scooped out more briquettes to load up a chimney and I pulled out a second Royal Oak briquette!  They're diminutive next to the Weber ones.  If they are being made by Royal Oak, or the same manufacturer that makes Royal Oak, a packaging snafu could account for that.

I'm near the bottom of the bag of Weber briquettes so I'll try to take a look later to see if there's any more of the Royal Oak ones in there.  But can anybody confirm they're being made by the same manufacturer?

[Lightning]

I just went back outside after this brief thunderstorm rolled through and lit up my chimney and checked the bag of Weber briquettes and there was a third Royal Oak one lurking in the bottom with the last of the Weber briquettes.  Huh...learn something new every day...

[mcgolden]

If that’s the case, this is pretty upsetting. The Weber Briquettes are supposed to be all natural and the Royal Oak Ridge are not. Gotta wonder how they would be intermixed.


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[Lightning]

If that’s the case, this is pretty upsetting. The Weber Briquettes are supposed to be all natural and the Royal Oak Ridge are not. Gotta wonder how they would be intermixed.

My understanding was that Royal Oak briquettes are all natural and that Kingsford are not.  In any event it is certainly possible to make more than one different product in the same plant with different ingredients.  The cookie factory I used to work in made Chips Ahoy, ginger snaps, Bits & Bites and a bungx of other things and rarely was there ever a packaging snafu where things go crossed and rarer still for it not to get caught and make it out the door.  Anyways, they moved it to Mexico a few years ago and bulldozed the place, so that's someone else's problem now!

[kettlebb]

I’m also in the camp that RO briquettes are just wood and a binding agent.

I’m back to Stubbs and the occasional chimney of Lump. I guess I need to try the Walmart Western Lump.


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[BBQ Jack]

Interesting what Kingsford web site states about the original blue:
"Each briquet is made with natural ingredients and real wood"

I don't think anything has changed with Kingsford charcoal as it still stinks the same when you lite it, so I guess they all get away with saying natural. It means nothing to say natural, natural what?

[HoosierKettle]

I wouldn’t doubt it. Royal oak seems to make darn near all generic store brands as well. I just ran across a generic Aldi brand that were distinctly royal oak shape. If there are more than 2 or three charcoal manufactures in the states I’d be surprised. Could be wrong. I do know the Weber stuff must be a special recipe because it cooks much different.


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[dwking2005]

On my last visit to the Weber restaurant in St. Louis during the tour the lead cook or whatever his title is told me that Weber bought some tooling/machines from RO and thats how they got into manufacturing their own. No way to confirm this, just going off what he said during the tour.


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[smokymtnjonny]

I’ve bought 4 bags and, so far, no ridged briquettes.


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[Schaefd2]

Now if I could only find my $5 ROR bags filled with Weber briquettes! Then, I’d consider that a jackpot!


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[lksdrinker]

From Royal Oak at http://royal-oak.com/grilling-101/all-about-charcoal

"Our USA produced briquets are made from ground charcoal mixed and bound with cornstarch"

Looks like Royal Oak is sold as:
-Royal Oak Ridge
-Royal Oak Mesquite Ridge
-Steakhouse Premium
-Ole Diz Premium
-Great Lakes Briquets
-Grill Time Briquets
-Embers Ridge

[Darko]

It seems like everyone but Kingsford has gotten rid of all the crap.

[michaelmilitello]

Kingsford’s recipe has more ingredients but I don’t think it’s bad nor would I call it wholly unnatural.   

Check out the link below. 

http://virtualweberbullet.com/charcoal.html


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[BBQ Jack]

What's best about Kingsford it that it is cheap when it is on sale at places like HD, and when it is lit it performs well, it just stinks during ignition. I have to go in the house when I light the chimney to avoid breathing this. But it is hard not to buy it when the price is right. I do not use Kingsford when doing low and slow. To much crap in the smoke when it ignites. That crap is there even at lower temperature when the charcoal lights over a period of time, e.g snake method, etc. The guy from virtual bullet fails to see this.

[Darko]

Kingsford’s recipe has more ingredients but I don’t think it’s bad nor would I call it wholly unnatural.   

Check out the link below. 

http://virtualweberbullet.com/charcoal.html


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I never said it was "unnatural".  I said it was crap.

I find it intriguing how the vast majority of briquette producers manage to make a product with nothing but ground hardwood charcoal and starch , but kingsford has to add borax, coal dust, limestone powder...