Kingsford Competition Briquets press release


 
Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
I have posted an article and interesting photos about Competition Briquets on the website:

Kingsford Competition Briquets: New For 2009

Regards,
Chris
Click to expand...
Dude, You ROCK! Great job on the side by side Chris, very interresting indeed. I'll keep my eyes open for the New Comp K in stores. Thanks for all your work, and info on the new K.
icon_cool.gif
 
I still have about 8-10 bags some original-"classic" K (not new K that replaced it). It will be interesting to see what Comp K is like. Sadly our costco dosent usually carry Charcoal through the winter months so I may be waiting a bit for it.

I love the Rancher. It has replaced my Kingsord usage almost completely. I'm still working my way through the palate of it I got in 2006 when HD was closing it out. For Price, value and preformance if Rancher was available it would take alot to get me back.

Doe anyone know if Rancher is coming back to Home Depot this year.

Regardless I will look forward to trying the new Kingsford Competetion Briquettes.
 
Great info Chris. I will be on the lookout come spring and will give it an honest try.
 
Great report, thank you very much.

I agree, it will be interesting to see how you can "coax" Competition into long burns. Unless that is possible, I see this product as being much more expensive than Blue Bag and not just b/c the initial price is higher.

Not only did the uncontrolled burn last much less than blue bag, the test showed more Competition product by volume even though the number of coals were equal at 100 and the wt of the Competition was less. Still, given the extra volume used in this test, a bag of Competition will not last as long due to both burn time and product volume.

Not sure if my point is that clear, but a bag of Competition will be appx the same size, weigh less and have less "coals" per bag, so it seems you will empty the bag more quickly due to the shorter burn time and the volume issue. If the two chimmneys were filled to an equal height, the shorter burn time would have been even more pronounced.

I realized this was an uncontrolled burn so I agree, the real test of this product will be under controlled low and slow.
 
Another consideration is the amount of heat given off by each product as it burns. Since this test was an open, uncontrolled burn, each product had access to enough oxygen to burn as quickly as possible. If the new product burns hotter than the old, it may be possible to keep your WSM at the desired temperature with the vents less fully opened. That, in turn, could lead to a more nearly equal burn time. I'd be interested in seeing two WSMs with an equal load (pan of sand, bricks, whatever) set up to maintain the same temperature, and see which of the two products would burn longer in that situation. You'd probably have to tape the door and all the joints between sections to eliminate any stray air infiltration, so such a test could be a major PITA to do, but it would be interesting.

As long as I'm dreaming, it would also be interesting to run the test with equal weights of the two products, equal volumes, and equal dollar cost. Maybe the Myth Busters would do it for us?
icon_smile.gif
 
I appreciate the write-up, Chris. However, I don't think an uncontrolled burn tells us anything about how the new K is going to perform in a "controlled" situation. Ideally, identical burns in identical cookers under the same weather conditions, side-by-side is the real test. Personally, I'd like to see a side-by-side with the same number of coals, with the same volume of coals, and maybe with the same weight of coals before any conclusions can be made.

just my $.02

Bill
 
Chris,

Good report, I think this is an excellent start. While true side by side comparisons will be very difficult if not impossible for most of us; I think the reasonable test will be simply using the product and reporting back to the others.

Thanks for your work,

Paul
 
Looks like the competition briquets will work out well for those of us at higher altitudes that have trouble with high heat cooks in the WSM.

Thanks for the comparison, Chris!
 
I just recieved a bag of the new coals to test, will be cooking this weekend if we don't float away, if it doesn't slow down I'm building an ark.
 
Originally posted by Bill Hays:
I don't think an uncontrolled burn tells us anything about how the new K is going to perform in a "controlled" situation.
Click to expand...
Yep. Unfortunately, I'm not really setup to do an exact side-by-side comparison cooking situation. Still, it was interesting to see how quickly each one lit, and even the uncontrolled burn tells you something about the tendency of each product in terms of how it wants to burn.

I wonder, as Larry D said, if the Competition Briquet is not only burning faster but giving off more more heat energy at the same time. If so, the Competition product may be more akin to burning lump...pack it tight into the charcoal chamber and control the burn carefully with the vents and see if it runs as long as blue bag K. It will be interesting to play with.
wsmsmile8gm.gif


Chris
 
I asked my contact at Kingsford about the difference in thickness. He cites two causes.

1) Briquettes made from such a high level of wood char tend to "spring back" after being pressed out by the machine. The coal and limestone in blue bag Kingsford don't do this as much.

2) As the press rolls wear out with use, the shape and thickness of the briquettes change. My blue bag Kingsford purchased in California was probably made in Oregon, while the Competition Briquets are made in Kentucky. Different factories, different press rolls with different amounts of wear. Even briquettes made at the same factory but at different times may have a different shape or thickness as the press rolls wear out over time. This holds for comparisons of blue bag to blue bag K as well as blue bag to Competition Briquets.

Kind of interesting to learn some of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes into the manufacturing of these products.

Chris
 
Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill Hays:
I don't think an uncontrolled burn tells us anything about how the new K is going to perform in a "controlled" situation.
Click to expand...
Yep. Unfortunately, I'm not really setup to do an exact side-by-side comparison cooking situation. Still, it was interesting to see how quickly each one lit, and even the uncontrolled burn tells you something about the tendency of each product in terms of how it wants to burn.

I wonder, as Larry D said, if the Competition Briquet is not only burning faster but giving off more more heat energy at the same time. If so, the Competition product may be more akin to burning lump...pack it tight into the charcoal chamber and control the burn carefully with the vents and see if it runs as long as blue bag K. It will be interesting to play with.
wsmsmile8gm.gif


Chris </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Exactly... that same weight chunk of lump would burn faster/ hotter... but controlled, burns longer.
 
i'd like to see this stuff tested against other stuff. kinda wondering. k said the 18 lb bag burned like the 21 lb bag. then they said the 15 burned like the 18. now they say the 12 burns like the 15. so does this mean the 12 burns like the original 21 ? 'am i confused ??
 
Originally posted by george curtis:
i'd like to see this stuff tested against other stuff. kinda wondering. k said the 18 lb bag burned like the 21 lb bag. then they said the 15 burned like the 18. now they say the 12 burns like the 15. so does this mean the 12 burns like the original 21 ? 'am i confused ??
Click to expand...

Way to logical that can get you into trouble. LOL
 
Originally posted by Tom Raveret:
Sadly our costco dosent usually carry Charcoal through the winter months so I may be waiting a bit for it.
Click to expand...

same with the costco stores in so-cal. the employees look at me like i'm crazy when i ask for it.

i'll be trying it as well when i see it for sale. thanks for the info, chris.
 
Originally posted by george curtis:
k said the 18 lb bag burned like the 21 lb bag. then they said the 15 burned like the 18. now they say the 12 burns like the 15. so does this mean the 12 burns like the original 21 ? 'am i confused ??
Click to expand...
This is documented on the Kingsford Charcoal Briquets: New Design, New Formula For 2006 page:

Original Kingsford / New 2006 Formula
5 pounds / 4.5 pounds
10 pounds / 9 pounds
20 pounds / 18 pounds
24 pounds / 21.6 pounds

In some stores, Kingsford sold 15 pound bags of 2006 formula that said "Lasts the same as 16.7 pound bag", but they never actually sold a 16.7 pound bag of original K.

The new claim is that 12 pounds of Competition Briquets is the same as 15 pounds of 2006 formula Kingsford. There is no claim about Competition Briquets versus original Kingsford, but based on the statement above, 12 pounds of Competition would be about the same as 16.7 pounds of original K.

Chris
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top