Wicked Good Charcoal


 
C

ChristopherCG

TVWBB Fan
Picked up two bags of WGC briquettes a few weeks ago from a local hardware store. Gave one to my friend. He opened his last night and said it was half dust. He could barely fill the ring for an overnight cook. I opened mine today and found the same thing. Did we just get unlucky or is this a common occurence with WGC?

I will say it burned nicely today. Very steady, no unpleasant aromas during lighting and a good long burn. I got a good 4.5 hours on 1.5 chimneys and easily had a half chimney left for the next cook. The lid temp barely moved from 245 for the whole cook.

I've been struggling to find the perfect fuel. I love the consistency and predictability of K but hate the nasty smell and black smoke on light up. I love Royal Oak for taste and pleasant aroma but I can't get more than 6 hours of burn time. Thought WGC briquettes might be the best of both worlds. But if the bags are occasionally dust, it's not worth it. I paid $11 for a 10 lb bag. I'm lucky if I got 6 lbs of usable charcoal.
 
I haven't used Wicked, however I use Royal Oak lump and get 10 hours or so on my 22 inch WSM no problem. Note: I don't use a water pan, which will eat up more fuel. I recommend you just pack the RO into the ring. If too much of it falls through the grate for your taste, line the bottom with briquettes of your choice (Kingsford blue or Comp, for example). Good luck!
 
I've switched to the clay pot this year which has helped somewhat. I have not done as good a job packing the ring as I should have.

I'm working up to my first overnight cook but want to feel comfortable with my fuel so I can get at least 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep without stressing over temp fluctuations. I'm sure this is possible with RO, I just need to pack better.
 
Me thinks that probably was the result of handling of the product and not the product itself. I have been using WG some and haven't run into such problems with it.

I did buy some lump charcoal from a grocery store that I am convinced was used in a rousing game of kickball. It was so busted up that the pieces were so small that once they got burning they would fall through the grate. That was a tough cook.

As for WG itself, the briquettes give a pretty good steady burn. They don't light as easily as other briquettes, and they don't provide as much flavor as some that I have tried, but if you are adding smoking wood it won't be a problem. I'm going to try mixing it with lump.
 
This is a bit dis-concerning, as I just paid $70 for (3) 20 lb. bags.....

Was going to save it for my memorial day party to do some ribs but I better check this stuff out ahead of time!
 
I love the lump but still unsure about the briquettes. Need another cook or two to decide. However, without a doubt the amount of dust had something to do with the way it was handled in shipping. Curious where in CT did you find the briquettes? I'd love to split up a pallet of the lump...
 
I found WGC at Deep's Hardware in Danbury CT for about $11 for a 10lb bag. Really no savings at all from just ordering direct from them and paying the shipping. The guy in the hardware store says he orders 1 pallet a year and when it's gone it's gone.

I was at Stew Leonard's today and they had their store brand of hardwood lump briquettes for $7.99 for an 18lb bag. Not sure who actually makes it for them but I took a chance. They also had the 18lb bag of RO but it looked like the one made in Argentina not the USA so I passed.
 
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