Blues Hog briquettes, grooves or no grooves


 
Bob Correll

Bob Correll

R.I.P. 3/31/2022
Chris A, feel free to move this post to another sub forum.

There's been a discussion, on one of my cook posts, about the new Blues Hog charcoal from Ace Hardware.
Member Michael Richards got a bag with no grooves, Jim Lampe and I both have bags with grooves.
Michael really likes it, Jim didn't care for it, and I've yet to give it a worthwhile trial.
My first impression was it looks pretty ordinary, my second impression is that it seems to be more dense and substantial than most others. It's performed well for me, for what little I've used it. Takes a bit to get going, burns a good while, and stays reusable.

My contact with the Blues Hog company replied today about the two different types:
"I have been informed today that groves were intended all along. At time of original manufacture the dies for pressing were not available yet. The first few truckloads were made without the groves.
I can assure you that both are the same exact product, one without grooves and one with grooves. Grooves will be the standard moving forward as this helps with airflow."
 
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Interesting. I thought about picking up a bag. My local ace doesn't have them in stock. I'd have to order it for pickup.
 
What's with the obsession with grooves? I remember the Great Kingsford Kerfuffle around here in 2005-06 when they changed their formula and added grooves. I never liked it after that. I don't care about how long it takes to light. I do care about how long it burns and how hot it burns. More surface area might start faster, but it also burns through faster.

I was too young back then to be a curmudgeon, so it wasn't resistance to change. Now I am a curmudgeon and just want Weber briquettes back.

(BTW I still have my original TVWBB Membership Approval from 9/19/2005. I don't know why my avatar says 10/26/2009.)

Get off my lawn. ;)
 
The massive grooves are my main problem with Royal Oak. The Kingsford ones aren't that dramatic. It creates some airflow but I don't find they burn up as fast. My problem with B&B is that they get crumbly after the first use, but I've been able to reuse them pretty well if I'm careful with them. I've got all kind of different bags of charcoal, though. I don't object that much to any of them. My favorite has been the Weber, with B&B a close second and then Kingsford maybe slightly behind that. I've never tried the fancier Kingsford versions like the pro, hardwood, or long burn.
 
The grooves on BH aren't too pronounced compared to others.
Here's BH far left, Kbb center, and RO Chef's Select on the right. They're a little fatter than Kbb.

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Would be interesting to see a side by side burn test. Maybe Michael Richards and Jim Lampe could list their pros and cons from their experiences. Would be ironic if the “inferior/unplanned“ batch was superior. Of course if a chimney full of each landed on Chris A’s door for a test.......
 
One more update on this charcoal.
First off, I paid $12.59 for a 15.4 lb. bag, now Ace shows the price at $14.99 or $13.99 depending on the store. IMO too costly for what you get.
I was happy with yesterday's rib cook using it in the 14" WSM. The ribs went for about 6 hours at a steady 225/235. I shut it down and checked the remains this morning.
Looks like it could have gone a few more hours. I had one vent mostly shut down, thus the uneven burn.

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I bought a bag of Blues Hog, it does not have the ridges or grooves or whatever they're called. The briquettes appear to be smaller, so I put them in the hopper of my MB560 gravity feed. I thought they would travel down the hopper easier. But as for aroma while they burn, I can't detect anything special. I won't buy again. B&B Oak briquettes are still my fav.
 
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