What charcoal do you like, and why?

[mhiszem]

I'm with Troy. Back in Boy Scouts we used to make our own fire starters exactly how he described. They work really well and are super cheap. 

[jcnaz]

Dryer lint contains ball hair, among other things....just saying.   

The same type of Firestarters can be made using brand new, clean, cotton balls.  No short-n-curlies or polyester to worry about.

[MINIgrillin]

deleted. Trying to get train back on track

[MINIgrillin]

Lump charcoal database

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

[Metal Mike]

Dryer lint contains ball hair, among other things....just saying.   

The same type of Firestarters can be made using brand new, clean, cotton balls.  No short-n-curlies or polyester to worry about.

Now what am I going to do with all this Naval Lint I'm collecting!?


I am guilty of Stocking up RIDICULOUSLY on the "grilling holiday" sales
& tend to keep a pallet @ least 3/4 full in the corner of my basement
(Brands vary & inventory rotates)

[Metal Mike]

Dryer lint contains ball hair, among other things....just saying.   

Not if you shave 'em...

[jcnaz]

Dryer lint contains ball hair, among other things....just saying.   

The same type of Firestarters can be made using brand new, clean, cotton balls.  No short-n-curlies or polyester to worry about.

Now what am I going to do with all this Naval Lint I'm collecting!?

Navel lint is an entirely different thing. If properly aged before extraction, it will be oily enough to use as a fire starter without adding any other substances.
 

[cbpeck]

Like a few others have said, I prefer lump for shorter direct & indirect cooks on the kettles. These include burgers, steaks, whole tri-tip roasts, chicken pieces, and even whole chickens. My favorite lump to date is Wicked Good Weekend Warrior, but a $24 for a 20# bag it's just too expensive. I've also been happy with Royal Oak and the newer Cowboy Lump. Lazzari Mesquite is dirt cheap at $14 for a 40# bag, but I just don't care for the smell or flavor. In the Fall of 2013 Home Depot marked down their 8# bags of Cowboy Lump to $2.38, IIRC. I bought nearly 40 bags, and have been using it for most of my cooks ever since. The stockpile is dwindling, but it'll get me through this year. When Cowboy first showed up on the market their bags had lumber cut offs in them, but those days are long gone. I'm pretty happy with the product they've been putting out for the last few years, and plan to keep using it.

For low & slow cooks on the 18.5 WSM I really prefer natural briquettes. Stubbs briquettes are great, but priced a little steep unless they're on sale. Kingsford Competition Briquettes are a great option as well. I pick up one or two of the 40# Kingsford Comp bundles at Costco each summer. I bought some Afire Coconut Charcoal through Williams-Sonoma a while back, and, while fun to play with, I'm underwhelmed with the product. The briquettes do last through several cooks and produce very little ash, but they are hard to light and don't seem to offer anything beyond what I can get with normal briquettes that are far cheaper and more easily sourced.

[Hofy]

I prefer lump, but it isn't that available here. 

So, I stick with the tried and true blue, Kingsford.  Just hit Walmart and stocked up.

[SmokenJoe]

Jeff, I'm soooo glad you asked this question.  As you can see by the comments so far, even the august body of Kettle-cabezas has NO consistent candidate.
Here are my top 10 choices:

1) KBB - Have been using it since grass started growing in my back yard.  Don't remember the 'old' version producing acrid smoke/smells during
    startup, but then I'm always inside prepping food to put on that kettle w/ the KBB when it's ready.
2) KBB - If I'm needing heat, heat, heat, then I'm NOT doing L&S cooking.  I'm probably building a fire pit for shaping horseshoes or pitchforks.
    350-400 is not really a problem with KBB on my kettle.
3) KBB - Have a couple of bags of Kick-Ass lump, or some such, and  Lazzari Mesquite lump that I got with a WSM purchase recently.  They are
    waiting to be traded to my son-in-law for something else.
4) KBB - When I run a repeating pattern of (2x1 x 2x2) around the circumference of my 22" OTG (separated by a fire brick at start/end) I can count
    on 220-250 for more hours than I have cigars and Scotch to support.  Never, since grass started growing in my back yard, have I had a kettle
    clog up  ...  even with a Smokenator installed.
5) KBB - At $0.27 lb, I can afford to feed my new/old WSM 

[Jeep]

I keep KBB on hand and use it whenever I fire up my grills.  There is always other choices out there... but I know how it is going to cook.

-Jeep

[Rsmims]

I use K Comp or Stubbs for low and slow, snake methods or anything where there is the possibility I will be adding coals mid-cook.
KBB for everything else, burgers, steaks, pizzas, fast cooks, etc. I just wait until everything ashes over to start.
I don't use Lump because it's too inconsistent. Just me..

[charred]

I use lump for everything now. The amount of ash in KBB and other briqs is a PITA and a waste of $$$.

I found a new (to me) lump recently called Pitmaster and I like it, although I haven't done a long smoke w/ it yet. I can't find any info on it- the website listed on the bag doesn't exist. 

[Tim in PA]

Kingsford blue simply because I'm cheap.

[addicted-to-smoke]

I use lump for everything now. The amount of ash in KBB and other briqs is a PITA and a waste of $$$.

I found a new (to me) lump recently called Pitmaster and I like it, although I haven't done a long smoke w/ it yet. I can't find any info on it- the website listed on the bag doesn't exist.

"Pitmaster," while being commonly used to describe a BBQ chef, is also plastered all over anything from Brinkmanns to Myron Mixon-branded gas grills and may have even have been trademarked by Royal Oak, according to one online reference.

It could very well be some other company squashed them, which is why there are intellectual property lawyers paid to research trade names prior to distribution.