Weber Kettle Club Forums
Cooking & Food Talk => Charcoal Grilling & BBQ => Topic started by: bigssa on December 22, 2017, 07:37:15 PM
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I was finally down to my last bag of KBB and started wondering, once again, which brand of briquettes should I buy this time. Fortunately, I had two weeks of vacation and a shit load of nothing to do around the house. Needless to say, I decided to waste my time doing a “scientific” experiment to determine the best charcoal briquettes for smoking in my WSM. I know that others have conducted similar experiments, but I was bored and clearly needed something to do. I like experiments like this because they help cut through the marketing BS and address the things that I usually care about when grilling and getting out of my charcoal.
Without further ado, here is the experiment that I conducted:
Use 1 pound worth of briquettes of each type. Light the briquettes for 10 minutes using a chimney over the performer’s igniter. Place lit briquettes in a standard Weber charcoal basket on one side of the kettle. Place two thermometers on the grill grate, one on the direct side and the other on the indirect side and record temps until the direct temp falls below 150°F. Finally record the weight and volume of the remaining ashes.
The following types of briquettes were tested:
Kingsford Original (KBB)
Kingsford Long Burning (KLB)
Royal Oak Ridge (ROR)
Royal Oak Chef’s best (ROC)
Weber
(I realize that there are many more brands, but these were readily available in my area and the ones I was most interested in for low and slow cooking. If you want me to test any other types of charcoal, please contact me directly or just use a similar method at home and post your results here).
Starting out, here is a picture of 1 lb of all the charcoal types:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/163d00c23ddd932886e7e12381e70cd6.jpg)
Number of briquettes/lb:
Kingsford Original: 18
Kingsford Long Burning: 19
Royal Oak Ridge: 17
Royal Oak Chef’s best: 14
Weber: 13
Next are the temperature graphs from my iGrill for the direct (probe 2) and indirect (probe 1) sides of the grill:
Kingsford Original:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/b205d3ff4965b59a0dcb1ae720bb6304.jpg)
Kingsford Long Burning:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/a8c7ce081166688392a412fbf01f9f65.jpg)
Royal Oak Ridge:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/f7f4275618a98b9c6fb82e5cac6286b6.jpg)
Royal Oak Chef’s best:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/687ac2e0348bcce9dbbd2b79bf2201b0.jpg)
Weber:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/a9ce065f594ad59feb18c36b7efe250e.jpg)
Max temp of direct / max temp of indirect / total burn time:
Kingsford Original: 361° / 320° / 121 minutes
Kingsford Long Burning: 460° / 364° / 128 minutes
Royal Oak Ridge: 356° / 290° / 132 minutes
Royal Oak Chef’s best: 378° / 328° / 116 minutes
Weber: 336° / 278°/ 136 minutes
Here are the ashes of each charcoal type:
Kingsford Original:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/cc5a2c64c38442e465ef1ac0d719f2d3.jpg)
Kingsford Long Burning:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/865caad46bff84d1b029afc1b2f0b485.jpg)
Royal Oak Ridge:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/82b70f27bbb3b49e696f0241eb9ca56d.jpg)
Royal Oak Chef’s best:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/3c7fec71c37c864374ccb01d3728734b.jpg)
Weber:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171223/cb49f38a9d5200915817af233a7e81b2.jpg)
Weight (in ounces) / volume (in milliliters):
Kingsford Original: 3.95 oz / 300mL
Kingsford Long Burning: 2.35 oz / 245mL
Royal Oak Ridge: 4.75 oz / 200mL
Royal Oak Chef’s best: 3.15 oz / 175mL
Weber: 2.3 oz / 190 mL
Lastly, is price (not including any discounts or special sales that you may have found in the past). These prices are based on the approximate retail price per pound that the average consumer will likely pay:
Kingsford Original: ~$0.54/lb ($19.99 for 2 15.4lb bags. Easily found at 50% off during the spring)
Kingsford Long Burning: ~$0.89/lb ($9.88 for 11.1lb bags)
Royal Oak Ridge: ~$0.39/lb ($5.99 for 15.4lb bag)
Royal Oak Chef’s best: ~$0.58/lb ($22.99 for 40lb bag)
Weber: ~$0.60/lb ($11.99 for 20lb bag)
Subjective observations:
I honestly went into this experiment without any assumptions or preconceptions. I have primarily used KBB for smoking purposes due to price and availability, not because it was “better”. During this experiment, I tried to observe which briquettes took the longest to ash over in the chimney and if any had a particularly strong smell. Purely based on eye balling it, the KBB, Weber, and ROR took the full 10 minutes. KLB was ready in about 5 minutes. ROC was there in about 8 minutes.
Smell was of particular interest to me because I use the minion method and snake method, which means that the coals are being lit during the cooking process and I fully subscribe to the idea that taste is best controlled through smoking wood rather than charcoal. Charcoal is for heat, wood is for taste. By far, ROC had the least amount of smoke and smell while burning. KBB and KLB had the strongest smell and amount of smoke. Weber and ROR had a lesser scent than KBB, but definitely stronger than ROC.
One last thing to say in the subjective section, KLB burnt for about the same amount of time that KBB did (not the extra 20% longer that is claimed on the bag), but was significantly hotter than all other charcoal. I have used it for smoking in the past and had a hard time keeping my temps in the 225-250 range, which this helped me confirm. Considering that this is the most expensive of all charcoal, I have to say that it is simply not worth it. I would also add that it was the most beat up of all the charcoal with many broken pieces, but that could simply be a product of the handling, so I won’t pass judgment without seeing many more bags.
Personal conclusion:
Based on these results, I concluded that ROC and Weber are best for my application. I choose them because I am more interested in getting better at smoking in my WSM, which is the reason I started this experiment. The price per pound is not significant enough to be a huge contributor to my choice. I was extremely impressed by the lack of smoke and smell coming from ROC charcoal. I honestly think that the max temps and burn times were pretty equal with all the different types of charcoal. The amount of ash was certainly better with some, but I can’t say that it has ever been a “problem” for me because I always clean out the ashes between cooks and I have used the “worst” offender most commonly without complaints. My biggest concern regarding ROC is the availability of it. I had to go to a local “Do it best” store to find it, which was pretty well out of the way for me, but I think we can all relate to going way out of our way to get something grilling related. Weber is pretty widely available and has recently dropped in price at Lowe’s, which makes it a much more reasonably priced choice.
My decision is purely based on my use and needs. I hope that you each use this data to make your own choice based on how you grill. If you ask me what I will use for high heat applications, my choice would certainly be different and probably based on price.
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Awesome read and science. I want to do something like this with coconut charcoals
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Thats a great test Thanks for posting. Very interesting. I've often thought about this as well and I have tried other brands with similar things in mind like you have mentioned. The thing is, 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. It's a personal thing but for myself I will use what ever charcoal gives the best taste that I like, and with the choices I have locally, thats the kingsford. I won't sacrifice taste for burn time or cost.
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Great experiment. I love reading stuff like this. I am definitely curious about how coshell does since it seems to burn the hottest.
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Nice work. For the wsm, it’s tough to beat the weber coal. It’s fantastic stuff. I’m still a huge kbb fan for most things that I cook but I’ll use any coal that’s on sale for most grilling applications.
I was always suspicious of the kingsford long burning.
If you have a Costco nearby, try out kingsford pro/comp when you get a chance. I think it’s one of the best right now although it definitely doesn’t have the burn time of weber. Unfortunately Costco only stocks it in the summer.
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I will order some coconut charcoal and repeat the same process with it and update this thread. I have never used it before, so I am intrigued to find out if it is just a gimmick or if it produces some real results.
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Nice write-up. I've had great luck with the Weber briquettes.
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Very helpful information. Thank you!
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appreciate the write up, I have had good results with the weber briquettes and Stubbs
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Thank you, @bigssa ! That is great work. Very helpful.
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appreciate the write up, I have had good results with the weber briquettes and Stubbs
+1
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Great read. Thanks for taking the time to share this!
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Maybe this will get moved to Product Reviews ... this is one of the best write ups we’ve had of some charcoal briquettes.
My unscientific seat-of-the pants observations regarding ash production and cost are like this, which seem similar: use KBB, especially when on sale; otherwise it’ll be Weber so long as it remains at $12/bag. I can’t buy KBB at non-sale prices. Actually, I hope to never pay $20/bag for briquettes. I’d dabble some more with lump or other briquettes first.
I’m not a fan of Royal Oak Ridge and its various clones. In my experience, smaller briquettes always die out faster. Used it twice last week and saw the coals DIE in charcoal baskets in cold weather. I’ll use it in summertime OK.
If you ever run across the “BBQ Flavors” brand of hardwood briquettes, buy it.
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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.
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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
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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/
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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.
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@Troy this deserves front post exposure, you think?
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/0defda216347ca250f21ebcbddfbb7c6.jpg)
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/dc07d1ad386b83dc1a08d358d0cc7e7c.jpg)
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:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/e67958d2fb45cc1e021cb928265941f9.jpg)
BBQ Wood Flavors:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/b4a17b45113b6887c0ee99768aea4f27.jpg)
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:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/7ee2ebe34d8725e24b2180b1118ef2cd.jpg)
BBQ Wood Flavors:
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171230/422306a185db599255f8d60349f01699.jpg)
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.
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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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Excellent write up! Thank you!
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It’s been awhile and I can’t remember if I like ro in the wsm. It’s always a good price at menards and I wanted something other than kbb for my winter stash. Looking forward to some cooks.
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Ok so recently i picked up a bag of walmart brand charcoal. And was kindof impressed. It produces minimal amounts of smoke durring being lit . BUT if you are running wide open vents it will burn up quickly. But using my cga and 1 small chiminey a cook, one bag has lasted quite a while
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Excellent read. Thanks for taking all the time to do this. I've used KBB all summer and like it ok. Webber are a little more expensive at my local stores, but might try a bag of that next time. Thanks again for the detailed info