It's now shown on the
Kingsford Web site:
New! Kingsford® Charcoal with Sure Fire Grooves™ delivers the first major improvement to regular charcoal since it was created in the 1920's. Each briquet continues to be made with natural ingredients and real wood resulting in the authentic smoky flavor you can expect from Kingsford®. Now, with new Sure Fire Grooves™, Kingsford® delivers three big improvements to regular charcoal:
Ready to Cook on in about 15 minutes (22% faster than before)
Longer Burn Time
Easier lighting
Available in a variety of sizes, from 4.5lb bags to 21.6lb bags
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There is also a lot of material in the FAQ section:
New Frequently Asked Questions about Sure Fire Grooves
The charcoal briquet that I am used to looks different, I meant to buy the regular Kingsford
You purchased new Kingsford with Sure Fire Grooves. The new grooves make the briquet ready to cook on faster while burning longer. Now you should be able to cook over in the coals in about 15 minutes. Sure Fire grooves were introduced to all Kingsford charcoal products and have replaced the Kingsford charcoal you previously purchased.
How do the new Sure Fire Grooves work?
Kingsford's new Sure Fire Grooves give the briquet more edges and surface area to catch the flame more quickly making for easier and faster lighting. Additionally, the grooves provide air channels that increase airflow through the pile of briquets causing the coals to heat up faster than ever before. Now you are ready to cook your food in about 15 minutes.
Do these coals burn hotter?
You might notice that the new Kingsford briquets with Sure Fire Grooves burn slightly or a little hotter than the old product. One method to avoid burning food when you are grilling is to use the indirect method of grilling. Push the hot coals to either side or around the perimeter of the grill. Then place a drip pan in the middle of the grill with some water and replace the grate. With the top closed, your food will cook by the circulating heat rather than the direct fire from the coals.
If you feel that the coals are burning too hot when grilling directly over them, you should space out briquets more and make sure that they are in a single-layer vs. piled on top of one another—too many briquets will create a higher cooking temperature. You could also close the vents (top, bottom or sides) slightly to decrease the amount of oxygen that feeds the fire and makes it burn hotter. However, do not close all vents completely as this will extinguish your briquets.
If you do not mind a hotter fire, you may want to monitor your food more often than normal the first few times you cook on new Kingsford with Sure Fire Grooves to determine whether you must remove the food from the grill earlier than before.
Where can I find the original briquet without the grooves?
Kingsford only has briquets with Sure Fire grooves. We took the best of the old briquet and made it even better (easier lighting, ready to cook on faster and longer burning time). You now get even more for the price of the old Kingsford regular briquets.
If the charcoal performs better, should I grill with fewer briquets?
The number of briquets you use should be based on the size of your grill, what you are cooking and how you are cooking it. Because everybody's grilling experience is unique we recommend that you use the same amount as before. The primary difference is that the briquets are ready to cook on faster, which does not influence how many you use. While the briquets do burn longer and a little hotter, the difference it is not enough that would cause you to have to use fewer briquets.
I noticed that my old bag weight has changed.
While the weight of each briquet has changed, the new bags are the same size, have the same number of briquets as before, and the same number of uses as previous Kingsford® but offer a performance improvement at the same price. Essentially you are getting more for the same price! Due to the Sure Fire groove shape each new briquet performs better than each old briquet (lights faster, is ready to cook on faster and burns even longer).
I noticed that the new briquets do not burn as long
Be sure to take note that new Kingsford with Sure Fire grooves is now ready to cook on in about 15 minutes. This is significantly less time than it takes current Kingsford charcoal and all other charcoal available today to get ready to cook on. As a result, you will need to put the food on the grill earlier to take advantage of the extended cooking time that New Kingsford charcoal with Sure Fire Grooves provides. New Kingsford briquets with Sure Fire Grooves burn longer than ever before.
How is the new Sure Fire Grooves product different from Match Light?
Sure Fire Grooves have been added to all Kingsford charcoal products including Match Light. For regular Kingsford (the blue bag), the grooves make the briquet light quicker allowing the coals to be ready to cook on faster. You still have to use either lighter fluid or a chimney to get the regular coals started whereas with Match Light the lighter fluid is already on the briquet making for easy lighting.
Do I use Sure Fire Groove briquets any differently than before?
No. Sure Fire Groove briquets light the same way (with lighter fluid or a chimney) as old Kingsford briquets. You still get the same great smoky tasting food and authentic grilling experience you have come to expect from Kingsford but with a shorter wait for the coals to get hot and with a longer burn time.
Do the grooves make the briquet more fragile?
No. The new briquets have been put through rigorous testing to ensure that they measure up to the same high quality you have come to expect from Kingsford charcoal.
How does a lighter briquet manage to light faster while at the same time burn longer?
The weight of the briquet is only one aspect of the change. In addition to Sure Fire grooves, which make the briquet light and burn more efficiently, leaving more of the briquet to burn while you are cooking, we have made a significant investment in formula enhancements and high quality ingredients that contribute to longer burn time.
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Regards,
Chris
