Why Kingsford and Not Hardwood Charcoal?

I have been smoking many moons, and always over real hardwood charcoal, never briquettes.

Now, looking at all of the posting here, most everyone seems devoted to Kingsford.

My question is simple -- why?

Q. in MA

Predictability, uniformity, availability, price, easy lighting, and long burn times, are a few reasons. I have never detected any "off" taste from Kingsford. I also like Wally World's charcoal.

Steve

Have you ever tried hardwood charcoal in a WSM? I am intrigued by the notion that you can load a WSM with charcoal just once, and that is it for the rest of the cook.

I like my ECB, but dumping in more hardwood every forty-five minutes or so gets to be a pain in the neck. Especially when it is cold and raining,like it is now. ****Sigh****

So my new question is this: will hardwood charcoal have the staying power and heat of Kingsford briquettes?

Q. in MA

[This message has been edited by Q. in MA (edited 12-17-2000).]

Hi Q,

I use only lump.(Try it,you'll like it!) I dont have any problems w/ long cooks.I add every 4-5 hours.I also insulate in winter.

Im in Boston & considering putting together a cook-team for a local event or two in 2001.would you have any interest in discussing such a venture?

[This message has been edited by Theo B (edited 12-17-2000).]

Perhaps. First Santa has to bring me the WSM. I am hoping he won't forget.

For now, I am smokin' the heck out of my ECB. Today I did a rack of babybacks, and in a couple three hours, the pork picnic should be done.

This past summer I have smoked every thing from salmon and trout, to brined turkeys, chickens, beef brisket, and pork picnics too many to count.

I can't get enough Q!

Lots of folks use charwood (lump charcoal) successfully in the WSM. It tends to require a bit more fussing and replenishment than Kingsford, and a few people report having difficulty maintaining temperature with it. Out here in the West, it's difficult to find anything other than mesquite charwood at an affordable price, so there are also regional factors that influence the use of charwood vs. briquettes around the country.

Here are a couple of links to posts on the bulletin board that may help:
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<LI> http://tvwbb.101inc.com/tvwbubb/Forum4/HTML/000033.html

<LI> http://tvwbb.101inc.com/tvwbubb/Forum3/HTML/000013.html
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(Remember, the bulletin board has a search capability. Just click the small "search" link found at the top right of most pages. I found these by searching on "charwood".)

Regards,
Chris

Thanks for the links, Chris.

At the risk of beating a dead horse, is Kingsford really all that wonderful? It has clay, and goodness knows what else in it, along with the charcoal.

Why not just use hardwood lump?

Q...

I been using Kingsford charcoal for darn near 30 years...first for grilling, now for smoking. One reason is there is absolutely no supply for lump or hardwood. On occasion I have seen hardwood, but the price is too ridiculously high to even consider it.

As to the various "fillers".....I have NEVER noticed an aftertaste nor a smell when first starting up. And.....after 30 years I am still here and healthy.

Stogie

Hi,

I wouldn't say that Kingsford is "wonderful", just that it works well for me, and I guess for lots of other folks, too. It's readily available all year around where I live; it's inexpensive, especially when I stock up on it at the wholesale warehouse store during BBQ season at $10.95/48lbs; and it burns hot in a very predictable way, providing long, consistent heat. It's so predictable that I know exactly how much to measure out into my charcoal chimney to cook certain foods, and I know I won't have to add anymore fuel part way through the cooking process. I like hassle-free cooking, and Kingsford provides that.

There's certainly nothing wrong with using lump charcoal in the WSM, especially if you have abundant access to it at an affordable price, which I don't have where I live. I have to travel a long distance to find it, or pay inflated prices at a BBQ specialty store, or buy it mail order and pay more in shipping than for the charcoal itself!

I would encourage you to conduct a test to see which you like best from a performance standpoint, then share your results here. Cook one brisket using lump charcoal and another using Kingsford, then compare notes. Did one light easier than the other? Did one last longer than the other? Did one taste different from the other? What was the difference in cost, ease of acquisition, etc? You can also weigh factors like whether you prefer a more "natural" product like lump vs. a more "engineered" product like Kingsford. After all that, you can make a well-informed decision about what product is best for you.

Regarding the ingredients in Kingsford, see this post:
http://tvwbb.101inc.com/tvwbubb/Forum4/HTML/000112.html

Regards,
Chris

Q
Myself and others go competing and have our
Q judged. We use Kingsford and we've taken awards and some Championships.
Other teams are using logs and others lump, some do well and others not quite as well.

If you believe that you will get better product cooking on lump, you should cook with lump. Always try to make the best choice with your Q, but you won't get as long a burn as you would get with Kingsford.
A 4 or 5 hour burn with lump may be great for your style of cooking but try a cook that starts Thrusday, end Friday afternoon,
then that same night start over on a 2nd cook that ends Staurday afternoon.
Long burns at a constent temp is what your
looking for.
Good Q'n
Jim