Does the brand of charcoal really matter


 
I personally don't taste the diff as much as I see the diff in ash and sparks. Ash is a big deal on long cooks -- no biggie on short cooks.

I recommend you try diff types and see what you think.
 
I second Dwaine's recommendation. Opinions on this will run the gamut, but in the end what matters is what you and the folks you cook for prefer, and most folks won't notice the difference unless you alternated between brands and types every night, never turning on the oven. I prefer meat grilled or smoked with lump, but I still use briquettes as well. It's also about using the charcoal right...cooking over it when it's burning cleanly. Lump usually does that on it's on. Not to ruffle any feathers, but Kingsford says right on the bag not to cook with it until it's ashed over. One that I've just found that smokes relatively little is the Backyard Grill brand at Walmart. It's supposedly like a lot of other store brands and made by Royal Oak. Try different fuels and just see what you think.
 
I can taste the difference but it's something I have to think about. Same thing with wood. I can't really tell the taste difference in most woods. I can tell hickory from most others but after that, it's either a strong wood like oak or a mild wood like the fruit woods. Charcoal about the same. I can tell the difference between briquettes and lump but not all are the same. There are some good briquettes and some bad lump. In the end, I can really tell the difference between gas and charcoal. Much harder to tell the difference between charcoals. I buy what's available and always have some K in the garage just in case I run out of everything else.
 
I have, for sure, noticed the difference between charcoal - even straight out if the bag. The one at SAMs club was full of fine particulate matter, versus my usual ( Maple Leaf) that was actually screened to keep the sizes above a minimum threshold.
When cooking, the quality stuff provides a better burn and I was able to properly judge my fuel requirements. The other stuff burned way too hot and fast (due to the size of the "lump" - aka dust).

Flavor wise, yes, I taste the difference, but I find it's in the quality where you notice it.
 
Pete in PG said:
Hi Darren, I agree with Dwain. Here's a pretty good read on charcoal - http://amazingribs.com/tips_and_technique/zen_of_charcoal.html
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He's got a lot of good info on his site, but I couldn't disagree more when it comes to charcoal. I've used a lot of different brands of both lump and briquettes, and there's no way that you typically get more flavor with lump. Flavor comes from smoke, and except for the occasional uncarbonized piece of lump, briquettes smoke more, some much more. I've seen and smelled briquettes smoke well into a cook, but most eventually burn fairly clean. Still, even more expensive briqs like Stubbs and B&B smoke more than you'd think, longer than one would think. (We agree that the smoke flavor best comes from wood, though.) On another point though, he questions what might end up as lump. Like we know what always goes in briquettes? I sure like the shape and typical longevity of briquettes, though. I've often used a layer of briqs on the bottom of my smoker charcoal ring, and lit the lump above that with fully lit briqs.
 
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I use what ever is on sale. Usually Kingsford but recently backyard grill from Walmart. I see no significant difference.
Try a few brands and see what you like.
 
Ok. This leads to another question. Everyone says don't raise the lid. But, doesn't the temperature raise back up pretty fast after the coals are burning? I am new so bear with my questions! Thanks so much for all the comments!
 
I hope it doesn't matter much, I have a little bit to use up from last year...

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I'm no expert, but have been using my WSM for about 14 months now and definitely have an opinion about charcoal.

1. Never, EVER use a house brand charcoal . I learned this lesson with my first smoke.
2. Keep the charcoal stored away for any source of moisture. It seems as though charcoal absorbs moisture.... (duh!)
3. Kingsford Competition is my charcoal of choice. Quick lighting, quick heating and maintains heat as needed, with very little ash
4. Kingsford Blue is OK,but generates more ash, burns quicker and seems to be a bit more difficult to maintain a temperature.
5. Royal Oak: IMHO, it's on par with Kingsford Blue.

I have not tried any of the lump charcoals. I stick with what works best for me.

BTW, Costco is selling it's Kingsford Competition 2-packs for $4 off. Time to load up.
Also, Weber apple and other wood chunks, 5 lb bags are available on Amazon for $6.99/bag and free shipping for Prime members. When I can find it locally, these bags usually retail for $10-$15 each. For us "city folk", we don't have access to fruit farmers or tree dead-fall. We have to actually buy our smoke woods.
 
Darren35 said:
Ok. This leads to another question. Everyone says don't raise the lid. But, doesn't the temperature raise back up pretty fast after the coals are burning? I am new so bear with my questions! Thanks so much for all the comments!
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On the WSM and kettle yes, on other brands and cheap offsets than no, don't peek:wsm:

Tim
 
Ron A said:
I'm no expert, but have been using my WSM for about 14 months now and definitely have an opinion about charcoal.

1. Never, EVER use a house brand charcoal . I learned this lesson with my first smoke.
2. Keep the charcoal stored away for any source of moisture. It seems as though charcoal absorbs moisture.... (duh!)
3. Kingsford Competition is my charcoal of choice. Quick lighting, quick heating and maintains heat as needed, with very little ash
4. Kingsford Blue is OK,but generates more ash, burns quicker and seems to be a bit more difficult to maintain a temperature.
5. Royal Oak: IMHO, it's on par with Kingsford Blue.

I have not tried any of the lump charcoals. I stick with what works best for me.

BTW, Costco is selling it's Kingsford Competition 2-packs for $4 off. Time to load up.
Also, Weber apple and other wood chunks, 5 lb bags are available on Amazon for $6.99/bag and free shipping for Prime members. When I can find it locally, these bags usually retail for $10-$15 each. For us "city folk", we don't have access to fruit farmers or tree dead-fall. We have to actually buy our smoke woods.
Click to expand...

One thing you'll learn about charcoal is, it's a moving target. Take Cowboy lump, for instance, once it was the worst there is. Now, it's pretty decent stuff. You couldn't be more right about your #2 assertion, but the more you cook, the more you'll change your mind or question your conclusions, finding out there's a lot of variables to complicate things before making absolute claims. For what it's worth, I've been cooking outside for years, and have had no more issues with store brands than I did with anything else. Most of them I see are probably made by Royal Oak.
 
. Never, EVER use a house brand charcoal .

That is a pretty critical comment, without mentioning a store or brand.
Would you like to expand on that?

Tim
 
I've used a few house brands and been impressed. Granted it was lump but worked great and when I work through my chef's select I'll go back to it unless I get more chef's select.
 
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