Hosburg Briquettes: Blown away by burn time


 
Shawn W

Shawn W

TVWBB Emerald Member
16 hours later after starting with less than a level ring this is what I saw:



Crashed about 0230hrs running 250F grate, set high alarm at 290ºF but was too tired to get up when it went off at around 0400hrs so I just switched off the alarm.

0930hrs got up and checked, it was running 320F grate! Dialed the vents back to choke it down some but ran around 275F slowly dropping to 250F for many more hours, at 1730 hours I took that picture above (started at 0130hrs).

I used the Guru jacket which I'm sure helped but I've never goten THAT kind of burn out of King or Royal Oak briqs. Given the temps I'm talking about too I was blown away.

Here's the kicker: made in China. Yup. I mentioned picking up a number of bags of this stuff to stock up on charcoal for the winter. This was subbed for the flyer advertised Royal Oak Plus briqs(Red bag, yellow lettering). I huffed and bought seven, not expecting much but at the price it wouldn't matter.

It smelled strongly of pine lighting up, but it didn't persist.

Really funny ... that pic looks like barely a dent was put in the charcoal, but I started poking through the ash after I took it and there was not much left in the way of firm briquettes ... they almost all were soft and fell apart when touched, but the weird thing was that big mass of ash was burning, didn't choke itself out. I made several holes in it and could see glowing red ash.

I think I'll update this thread over the next couple of cooks ... if it continues to burn so well or it seems like this was a one time thing.
 
Candian Tire link to product with bag pictures and scathing user reviews. Wow, this prodcut seems to have earned a lot of hate, lol. Well, it worked as well as I claimed for low n slow so I added my own product review in stark contrast to the existing ones
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You might be fine to cook with it, just don't lick the paint on the bag
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it might contain led.
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I think that I will stick to Basques lump from Quebec
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave K:
You might be fine to cook with it, just don't lick the paint on the bag
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it might contain led.
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I think that I will stick to Basques lump from Quebec </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I got BBQs Galore talking to them about carrying it, but not heard back from them yet. Where are you getting it from and how much are you paying for that stuff (dollars for pounds)?
 
Knowing China's reputation for harmful ingredients in all kninds of stuff we import, I would not use it regardless of price. No telling what's in it.
 
I think thats pretty cool, sometimes i'll find an offbrand that does pretty well but never bother posting about it, theres one brand in particular that does pretty good but im not typin' it cause someone will hurt my feelings.
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lol. so is there any way the states can see that brand?
 
My brother bought me a bag of these at Xmas (he thought he'd be clever and buy me coal! haha)... And while I agree the burn time was great, the smell they kick off is HORRIBLE!

When i was lighting on my side burner my wife actually commented on what smelt so bad... and she isn't a big fan of Q!! I was doing a high heat cook and i was dumping a full lit chimney on a small bed of unlit lump. I had to let the chimeny burn for over 20 min before i thought enough of the smell had dissapated.

Honestly I don't even know if I will use the rest of the bag unless I'm just doing a large batch of burgers or something where I can let them burn really hot. Also they do produce a lot of ash... but thats just the nature of briq's.
 
Dan, you can 'see' it through the link I provided above but I don't know if you can or can't buy it in the US.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">And while I agree the burn time was great, the smell they kick off is HORRIBLE! </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I was not pleased either ... but bad smell never stopped all those Kingsford users
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I really thought it was the smell of pine but I could be wrong ... anyway I know exactly what you are saying, I had the same experience with a bag of lump that came from south america ... must have been some wood I've never smelled before.

I did Minion as mentioned and I didn't noticed any off taste in the result. Scooter was your bag purchased in Canada or the US?
 
My bag was purchased in the Toronto area (so obviously Canada).

I would really be scared to minion something like this. As I said, it's one thing for doing hot dogs/sausage/burgers... but I can't imagine that a minion with this wouldn't impart a vey noticable taste. I'm sticking with Basques's Lump... just working on the wife to order in bulk!! haha

As with the reviews, I did notice that it didn't get terribly hot, but the do have more staying power then natural ones.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Shawn W:
I got BBQs Galore talking to them about carrying it, but not heard back from them yet. Where are you getting it from and how much are you paying for that stuff (dollars for pounds)? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Shawn. I picked up a skid full (36 bags) this fall in Strathroy(near London), from a warehousing/ trucking company that warehouses/ delivers it for them. I paid $10.90 for an 8 kg bag. Contact jeanclaudeb@fhuard.com for where to find it in Alberta.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave K:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Shawn W:
I got BBQs Galore talking to them about carrying it, but not heard back from them yet. Where are you getting it from and how much are you paying for that stuff (dollars for pounds)? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Shawn. I picked up a skid full (36 bags) this fall in Strathroy(near London), from a warehousing/ trucking company that warehouses/ delivers it for them. I paid $10.90 for an 8 kg bag. Contact jeanclaudeb@fhuard.com for where to find it in Alberta. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>Thanks for the info Dave, it doesn't help me at the moment but it might yet. Price is great! I'm paying $20 for ML and using it sparingly. If I could get basque's for that price and it's as good as you say it is I'd use it all the time too.

My last response from Jean Claude was Dec 3 2008, no retailers out here yet, but they were talking with BBQs galore in Calgary (perhaps after the email I sent to both companies in late Novemeber).
 
Shawn, before I stumbled upon Basques, I got a bag of ML from Home Hardware, I find that Basques burns as well. I paid $17 for my bag, so the Basques is a better deal. This is the email for the trucking company dispatch@earleystransport.com
Who knows, maybe they run trucks your way and could get a skid to you.
 
Shawn, I've seen that stuff but the price never really jumped out at me. I'll have to try a few bags to see if I get the same results. May as well try it for grilling too, those were some pretty nasty comments! We'll see. Is it a regular stocked item? I haven't been in to CT in a couple months.

That Basques lump rocks, I like it way more than the RO lump we buy. I was lucky enough to get about 6 20-lb bags this summer for $11 each, someone in town just had one of his employees pick up 20 bags down East while enroute back to Regina. But it's gone now.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Is it a regular stocked item? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I asked the same thing at my CT in December, they still had some but said "when it's gone we won't likely get any more in 'till spring"
 
Second bag of Hosburg gave me 24 hours at 225F - 250ºF on my 30 hour cook this weekend.

Dry water pan, 2x 8lb beef chucks -> 6lb hunk of pork + small chicken + bacon explosion roll



<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave K:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Shawn W:
I got BBQs Galore talking to them about carrying it, but not heard back from them yet. Where are you getting it from and how much are you paying for that stuff (dollars for pounds)? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hi Shawn. I picked up a skid full (36 bags) this fall in Strathroy(near London), from a warehousing/ trucking company that warehouses/ delivers it for them. I paid $10.90 for an 8 kg bag. Contact jeanclaudeb@fhuard.com for where to find it in Alberta. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

BBQs Galore called me today, they are now carrying the 8kg bags ... $24.99
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, well, I'll buy a bag to try it out
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Shawn W:

BBQs Galore called me today, they are now carrying the 8kg bags ... $24.99
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, well, I'll buy a bag to try it out </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Good to see that they brought some in for you. Hope you like it, but for that price you better like it
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Did you ask them what a skid price would be?
 
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