Best charcoal out there?


 
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I believe Kingsford is unsurpassed. Of course, I've really not experimented much. Occasionally I've purchased other brands when in a pinch and I've always thought they were inferior.
 
Some folks may have their particular favorite for one reason or another. If you poll 10 people here, nine, if not ten, will probably say Kingsford. It has, in it's favor, these positive attributes: 1)ubiquitous availability, 2) often at a good price, and 3)most importantly, it is long-burning and consistent. Knowing how your fuel will behave from cook-to-cook is invaluable.
 
Here's a bit of trivia for you...
Did you know who invented Kingsford Charcoal?
Henry Ford
I forget the whole story but it was a by product of the car business, and he use to sell it at his dealerships. When business got too hectic, he gave the charcoal business to his brother-in-law who was...you guessed it...Kingsford.
 
Kingsford is the King - no question.
I hate lump charcoal. Everytime I light it,
it's like the 4th of July - it sparks and crackles
and shoots ash everywhere - yuck!
 
Henry Ford, of Model T. fame operated a sawmill in the early 1900s. Hating waste, he wondered what he could do with a growing pile of scrap wood. He came up with the idea of converting the wood into charcoal powder and compressing it into the now familiar briquet shape. A relative of Ford's, E.G. Kingsford, was a collaborator on the project.
 
Chris,

Why am I not surprised that not only do you know the story, but have it posted here on the site!
Doug, thanks for filling in the blanks...it's been awhile since I was told the story and I forgot most of it...
My ex used to say I had the worlds largest store of useless information....
 
Kingsford started in a chimney filled with 1/3 hardwood charcoal at the bottom. The hardwood starts up very fast and burns down quickly, then I add more Kingsford to the top of the chimney. Once it fires up, I dump it.

If, during a cook, the temperature starts to drop, I'll add some hardwood to bring the temperature up to the desired level. If I need to extend the cook time, I'll add more Kingsford.
 
I'm still using Kingsford, primarily because its consistent, long burning, and readily available (and because I haven't made the trip into Berger Bros. in Chicago yet).

In my surfing I found this web page that has reviews of various brands of lump. Pretty interesting reading (even if the rest of the site is BGE-centric /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif ).

-Joe
 
After I purchased my WSM, I only bought the lump charcoal and I paid $10 per bag for it. After a few bags of the lump, I decided to buy the double pack of Kingsford at my local Sam's Club. The only two differences I noticed was that the Kingsford was a lot easier to use and it was half the price. Enough said!
 
OK, well, I'm a heretic here /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif . I have been using lump for years. I haven't bought a bag of Kingsford in a long, long time. I just prefer the flavor of the meat with the lump.
Burn me at the stake if you must, but please use lump when you do... and maybe some pecan for flavor. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
Jim
 
I started using lump because every grilling resource I found said that lump was a better alternative. It burned hotter, lit faster, and had less ash because it didn't have all the fillers that briquettes have. What no one told me is exactly what R.D. said. Sparks everywhere and ash flying up to meet your food. Add to that small pieces that fall through the grate and higher prices, and I think I am sold back on Kingsford.

I'm glad to see that there are hardcore BBQ experts that use Kingsford. For awhile I thought it was only for your occasional grillers and smokers and you were missing out if you weren't using lump. To be honest, I haven't noticed a difference in taste. The only god thing about lump was the lack of ash, but I can get over that.
 
Has anyone used Maple Leaf briquets, supposedly pure hardwood with only starch used for filler?
 
Kingsford...24lb. bag...double pack....Costco or Sam's Club....$9.47

Lump...10lb bag...1 bag....If you can find it...
$12-14 (plus shipping)

My choice...Kingsford
 
Can't get the Maple leaf briquet here in California, and I'm not willing to pay what it would cost to get it here. I hear it is a good product, it gets good reviews from folks that have tried it.

These type of briquets typically don't burn as hot or as long as Kingsford. However, they score high points in terms of "naturalness", for those concerned about such things in a briquet.

Regards,
Chris
 
Considering how much some of us Q, is it possible to by Kingsford in something larger than a 20-24 pound bag? I'd buy fifty pounders if they were available!
 
I have used the Maple Leaf charcoal and it is great. It is expensive though. It smells like wood when it burns and has a much better burn time than lump. When I do my next cook using the Minion method I will use Kingsford for the lit coals and the Maple Leaf for the unlit coals. I will post how that goes when I get around to firing up the WSM again.

Mark
 
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