Looking for perfect charcoal mix for 18" WSM


 
H

Harry S

New member
I have been averaging a 15-16 hour burn when cooking a pair of 7-8 lb butts with the temp around 235.

I have been using the regular Kingsford with a full bin topped off with 15-20 hot bricks using the minion method.

It seems like I can make it almost all the way without having to add more, however I sometimes do, and when I'm done, the ash pile is just about at the grate.

Does anyone mix regular Kingsford with either competition/pro Kingsford or natural hardwood charcoal? I was looking to get the best of both worlds (long burn of regular Kingsford with less ash of the charcoal with less ash generation.

I may be asking the impossible, but I figured I would ask anyway... :)
 
Marcus Brannon said:
Do you use water? I believe I've read using water will use up the charcoal more.
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Yes, I use about a gallon of water (half full) in the pan. It helps to keep the temp more under control for me, but I do understand that the water pan definitely comes with a cost in regards to fuel consumption...
 
Harry S said:
I was looking to get the best of both worlds (long burn of regular Kingsford with less ash of the charcoal with less ash generation.
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As long as KBB is involved there will be no "less ash generation".

I would try a higher quality briq such as Stubbs for a longer burn and less ash produced.
KBB is great because it's cheap (esp on sale) and it works, but there are better briqs.

After reading that Harry Soo, the Grand Poobah of WSM never uses water, I followed suit.
 
Try a bag of Kingford Competition only. I've been told KBB produces twice as much ash as Kingford Comp.
 
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Joe F said:
As long as KBB is involved there will be no "less ash generation".

I would try a higher quality briq such as Stubbs for a longer burn and less ash produced.
KBB is great because it's cheap (esp on sale) and it works, but there are better briqs.
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for some reason, EVERY time i use stubb's charcoal for extended smokes, i burn through it faster than Kingsford Regular... sure, less ash, but if you need to add more, it's a drag man.

Jim Strickland said:
Try a bag of Kingford Competition only. I've been told KBB produces twice as much ash as Kingford Comp.
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However, I have never tried Kingsford Competition (or Professional) on extended smokes...
 
You have to ask yourself what non-combustible materials are in the briquettes that leave so much ash.

The Weber Briqs here in the UK leave a lot of ash too. I think they are very, very similar to KBB. I understand they contain mineral char and anthracite (which I would call coal). Plus I believe a lot of the ash is limestone.
I think it looks more like coal than wood charcoal when it burns. Some people in UK swear by Aussie Heat Beads and they are very good but in my opinion burn even more like coal. Technically all "natural ingredients"

I suspect Kingsford Comp has more hardwood charcoal and less softwood and coal.

You just have to compare it with good quality hardwood lumpwood charcoal which burns hotter, faster and a lot cleaner. Why don't briquettes burn like that?

But briqs are much easier to get consistent temps and a longer, consistent burn. So for low and slow it's always easier to use briquettes.
I think you have to accept more ash in return for a long, low and slow cook.
 
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I have been using hardwood natural lump charcoal almost all of the time in my wsm.
Started using Royal Oak lump - but have since transitioned to a local brand (Grove)

I find that
-It allows me to lay-on more smoke wood (the charcoal itself is more flavor-neutral)
-It does burn faster (a full ring, when using water, starts to dwindle around 7-8 hours)
-It burns-down to nearly nothing (I only really need to empty the bowl after about 3 12-hour cooks)

For me - adding some charcoal is not really all that big of a deal. I have a cheap stamped-steel fireplace shovel. That and using the door as a "ramp" to add-in a few scoops of coals only takes me a few minutes.

On the other hand - I have run through about 2 bags of K-Comp in my new Performer, and find that it does seem to leave significantly less ash than KBB, which seems to have gotten worse in that regard in recent years.
 
less ash = more refueling. You wont get near the burn time out of lump expecially when you consider how much room it takes up.
 
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