Charcoal concerns


 
G

Grant Y

New member
As long as I've been grilling, I've always been told to never, ever put meat on charcoal briquettes that hasnt ashed over....both for affecting the taste of the meat and the unhealhy chemicals that get deposited on it.

You can imagine my surprise when I began doing research here and discovered cooking over fresh briquettes isn't just done, its standard procedure......

Is there something about smoking that reduces the hazards, or is it just a trade off that the community has made to achieve more consistant results......or are the hazards something that have been overstated?
 
Done it both ways. If you cook using the MM your cooking of a large amount of unlit coals. Long cooks you can't get with all coals lit.
 
"or are the hazards something that have been overstated?"
To each his own I say.. Most on this board use kings-ford with a Minion start and have no issues, some wait till the heavy white smoke clears before they load the meat.
And then some of us use lump or a natural briquette..

Tim
 
This is more of an issue if using lighter fluid or a product like Kingsford Match Light that contains a starter. Regular briquettes are the same inside and out---they are not coated with anything or impregnated with a petroleum product that needs to burn off before they're safe to cook on.

By the way, even Kingsford says to not use Match Light for low & slow barbecuing, as the starter will affect flavor over long cooking times.

Regards,
Chris
 
I would not be overly worried about "hazards" or chemicals. My personal opinion and preference is to let Kingsford blue bag ash over completely before using it, as I have been finding that the unlit ones smoke more heavily and impart a slight taste to the meat that I don't like. Maybe I got a few bad bags, dunno. But I just don't like my ribs that have been "minioned" with charcoal lately.

Usually, I use lump in my WSM, which I believe burns a bit more cleanly.

I do use Kingsford exclusively in my kettle, but only after letting it ash over nice and good and begin to burn "clean". I don't like using lump in the kettle because it burns too hot and does not last as long.
 
I agree with Chris.


The previous school of thought "wait until the coals have ashed over" was really "wait until the coals have ashed over so that the lighter fluid has completely burned away".

Nowadays, we all use a chimney and a few sheets of newspapers. There is no need to wait for any lighter fluid to burn off.


Cooking over partially lit briquettes is standard procedure since we 1) control airflow via the vents in order to 2) control ambient cooking temperatures.
 
Chris Allingham said:
This is more of an issue if using lighter fluid or a product like Kingsford Match Light that contains a starter. Regular briquettes are the same inside and out---they are not coated with anything or impregnated with a petroleum product that needs to burn off before they're safe to cook on.

By the way, even Kingsford says to not use Match Light for low & slow barbecuing, as the starter will affect flavor over long cooking times.

Regards,
Chris
Click to expand...

Well stated, Chris. I agree.
 
I have added coals in the past that were cold to a running fires and cooked over it or even using the MM method to start and didn't have an issue. I have noticed lately that the Kingsford is a little more smoky than it used to be so I let it ash over a bit and add lit coals if needed. I just don't want to risk and off flavor with the grey smoke that gets put off with the newer Kingsford at first. Tried stubbs lump and it didn't smoke as much so may stick with that for awhile and see how it goes.
 
For shorter cooks I use lump and Stubbs for longer cooks in the WSM. I use whatever I have (lump or Stubbs) in the kettle. Normally Stubbs in the mini.
 
I found out just yesterday that our Ace hardware now carries Wicked Good lump. A friend gave me a bag to try when I bought my big bullet from him, and let me tell ya...that's what's gonna be in my ring for smoking my brisket next week. The stuff lasts a LONG TIME!
 
Dave I use the wicked good too. I have to order it online from AcE then they ship it to the local store.
 
NeilH said:
Dave I use the wicked good too. I have to order it online from AcE then they ship it to the local store.
Click to expand...

You can find codes online to save some extra money on the online order from them too for local pickup. Don't know if they have a current code out but they do offer them off and on.
 
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