Kingford blue vs comp. briquettes.


 
Gary H. NJ

Gary H. NJ

TVWBB Platinum Member
Now that I have plenty of Kingsford blue (original) briquettes (c/o the Walmart coupon), I was wondering if anyone noticed an off taste to their smoked meats using the stuff. I usually use Kingsford competition, which is additive-free.
 
I'm new to using the WSM; however, I've been grilling with direct and indirect heat for years using ole' blue and I've never noticed an unpleasant aftertaste and I've never gotten any complaints.
 
what you have is not the original. its the second comming of the stuff and to me it was terrible. some like it and others don't. i don't.
 
I like the Blue Bag Kingsford for its price, consistency and uniform size. I have used Lump before, but I like Kingsford better.
 
I've never noticed a bad taste from blue bag. That said, The flavor imparted from CompK is far better. (to me) I recently did a cook on blue and was harshly reminded of why I use CompK.

Brett
 
Use lump for short high heat cooking...use <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span> for all else...no negative aspects noted
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K Blue is OK if you let it gray over. Do not add fresh to a cook. Comp is a better mix in that it has a much higher wood content and not the same fillers. Me I use lump or natural briquetts.
 
Lotza guys use <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span> for comps and I think most use it for minion start WSM cooks....i do...it does have a disagreeable odor when you first lite the chimney...but the food, for those of us who use it, comp or otherwise, tastes great
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I personally think that K gives off an undesirable smell when it is first burning, and I was using the Minion method which just made things worse. I picked up a couple bags of Stubb's at Lowes yesterday that I'm gonna try on Saturday.
 
I wish I would have read this before buying 20 bags of blue! OMG. I did get the great deal thanks to the coupon.
I actually emailed Kingsford and asked them what the difference was b/w the two. They told me the following:

"The original I consider all natural, however, some consumers do not consider the corn starch binder as natural. There is nothing synthetic in the original just wood that is been set on fire and then put out, while it is wet it is mixed with the binder and molded into the briquets. I hope this helps you."

What do you all think? I had a chance of getting the comp. instead but a 12lb instead of an 18lb. at the same price. I went for the better deal, bigger bag! Now I'm concerned having charcoal for a year that might not be as good! any opinions>?
 
Alexander..you got a good deal on great charcoal..sleep well
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If you check the poll section of this forum you'll see that folks here use briquettes over lump 2:1 ...not all use <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span>, but a huge majority do. For a wide variety of subjective reasons people use different fuels. Whatever one "believes"...many winning competition cooks use <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span>... as do hundreds of thousands of backyard BBQers. Many, here, like lump for high-heat gillin and <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span> for low heat, long cooks...I do. Finally, <span class="ev_code_BLUE">K</span> costs $.30ish/lb ... most would agree that it's a relatively inexpensive quality product. SMOKE ON!
 
Originally posted by Alexander:
I wish I would have read this before buying 20 bags of blue! OMG. I did get the great deal thanks to the coupon.
I actually emailed Kingsford and asked them what the difference was b/w the two. They told me the following:

"The original I consider all natural, however, some consumers do not consider the corn starch binder as natural. There is nothing synthetic in the original just wood that is been set on fire and then put out, while it is wet it is mixed with the binder and molded into the briquets. I hope this helps you."

What do you all think? I had a chance of getting the comp. instead but a 12lb instead of an 18lb. at the same price. I went for the better deal, bigger bag! Now I'm concerned having charcoal for a year that might not be as good! any opinions>?
Click to expand...

You'll be fine. I use blue bag all the time and never noticed an off taste.
 
Thanks Rondo! I appreciate the comment. I just got a bit worried when I heard about the odor when using the Minion Method. I'll relax and Smoke Away!
 
Originally posted by PeterN:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Alexander:
I wish I would have read this before buying 20 bags of blue! OMG. I did get the great deal thanks to the coupon.
I actually emailed Kingsford and asked them what the difference was b/w the two. They told me the following:

"The original I consider all natural, however, some consumers do not consider the corn starch binder as natural. There is nothing synthetic in the original just wood that is been set on fire and then put out, while it is wet it is mixed with the binder and molded into the briquets. I hope this helps you."

What do you all think? I had a chance of getting the comp. instead but a 12lb instead of an 18lb. at the same price. I went for the better deal, bigger bag! Now I'm concerned having charcoal for a year that might not be as good! any opinions>?
Click to expand...

You'll be fine. I use blue bag all the time and never noticed an off taste. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Thanks!
 
Kingsford blue works find for me, can't detect any aftertaste, but I let the coals get going a few minutes after dumping hot coals via the minion method. If you put the meat on with still a lot of white puffy smoke rising from your charcoal you might have a problem IMO.
 
Brian, I think that is the mistake I am making...lots of white smoke, which I thought was normal. I'll give the coals more time, next time.
 
Alex, those guys are BSing you!
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DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM!
The 20 Bags of Blue you bought are worthless! Send All Of Them To Me IMMEDIATELY! I'll DESTROY all that worthless charcoal for FREE!
Trust ME!
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Just my $.02. I've used blue bag K for grilling and smoking in the past and have experienced no off tastes of any kind. Minion method or otherwise, it didn't matter, it was all good. The problem I have with K is the smell as it lights in the chimney. For that reason I use other brands,lump and briquettes, however, I'd not try to convince others to stay away from it. The smell wasn't there as it lit in either the smoker or the grill, just lighting in the chimney. Of course, who am I to talk, I still smoke cigarettes.
 
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