Is it my imagination?????

[bigsteve]

Is it my imagination, or does Royal Oak burn not as hot as regular Kingsford??

 

[ddave]

No, it is not your imagination. Differnt brands of charcoal will provide more heat depending on their formulation. There is a lot more "stuff" in some charcoals than others. Kingsford Competition Charcoal burns even hotter then regular Kingsford. And 18 pounds of Royal Oak takes up the same amount of area in a charcoal basket as 12 pounds of Kingsford Comp.

This charcoal basket will hold 18 pounds of Royal Oak briquettes . . .



but only 12 pounds of Kingsford Comp.

But 6 pounds of Kingsford Comp will get me 10 hours at about 240° with 10 pounds of pork butt in my UDS.

Dave

 

[bigsteve]

After using a full bag of RO over the last couple of smokes, I now wish I hadn't bought all that Kingsford at Sams' Club.

D'Ohh!!

 

[ddave]

I haven't tested it yet, but I'd be willing to bet that the 12 pounds of Kingsford Comp would last just as long if not longer than the 18 pounds of RO Briquettes based on the amount of ash that the RO produced.

The Kingsford Comp burns hotter and makes less ash. I think the RO weighs more per briquette because there is more "stuff" in it (like limestone) that doesn't burn anyway.

Dave

 

[bigsteve]

I'm still pretty new to this.... But it seemed like the RO had a much less harsh smell as new coals were firing up. And it seemed like the tempurature was level-steady all day, where Kingsford was a bit of a roller coaster. OTOH, maybe it's just me knowing my smoker much better lately. I fully intend to use my Kingsford. The RO sure made a lot more ash.

 

[lightfoot]

I used RO for the first time friday. I thought the same thing, it just didnt stay as hot, and seemed i had to add much more cause it seemed to burn faster as well. cleaned the box out today and verified my thoughts. much more ashes than kingsford. I have about 1/3 bag of RO left. It's Kingsford from now on.

 

[ddave]

I would agree that the RO does not have the harsh smell that the blue bag Kingsford does. The new Kingsford Competition briquettes do not have the harsh smell that the blue bag stuff does.

I have not compared all of the Kingsford products nor am I an expert. Just giving information on what I have observed with the few products I have tried.

As always, your mileage may vary.

Dave

 

[rickw]

That's one reason I use lump, no where as near the ash build up and burns hotter than bricks.

 

[alx]

Many people dont pack lump well in funnels and one big piece takes up way more room then amount of fuel you think you will get.I really pack lump and break up real big pieces and seperate the crushed bottom pieces and put in a bucket for kettle cooks with chicken or sausage.I also like kingsford comp and costco here has a sale of 2-16 pound bags for 14 dollars with 2 dollar mail in rebate.I paid 8.60 for 12 pound bag at home depot.I can get18 pound bag R.O. at restaurant depot for 8.99.I only buy the american brand royal oak -check the country of origin.I had to practice with lump but get the results i need now.I dont like r.o. briq but hey i used to use kingsford blue.

 

[zapper]

Here is a link I found that may be fun for some folks. It may have been posted before and I make no claims or endorsements, yadda yidda yadda....

I was actually looking for an old brand of briquetts Chefs choice or Chef blend if I recall correctly. These were a restraunt grade briquett that I learned to DO with.