Interesting Testing on Charcoal from America's Test Kitchen
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I have a friend who has family in Mexico and before he got Alzheimer disease, he would bring back 25 - 30 pound sacks of lump mesquite for me. This I used in my Lodge grill and Weber. Good stuff. Always loaded the chimney by hand letting the small stuff fall through the fingers. The smaller pieces I would throw onto the hot coals as needed. The down side is/was sparks flying everywhere. Flavor? I also use briquettes and I cannot tell the difference between lump or charcoal be it heat of flavor. And frankly I don't care as long as the food tastes great.
Doh!!
Just ignore me...I apparently can't read lol! Charles, I thought you had posted a pic of the B&B 17.6 lb. Oak Briquettes - which are definitely $9.99 at my Academy.
The bag you actually posted - the 20 lb. bag of B&B Lump w/ Hickory...is actually $14.99 - just like in your Academy.
Sorry guys, I'll go stand in the corner now...
Red
The briquettes are 9.99 at Academy in my area.Doh!!
Just ignore me...I apparently can't read lol! Charles, I thought you had posted a pic of the B&B 17.6 lb. Oak Briquettes - which are definitely $9.99 at my Academy.
The bag you actually posted - the 20 lb. bag of B&B Lump w/ Hickory...is actually $14.99 - just like in your Academy.
Sorry guys, I'll go stand in the corner now...
Red
Dont forget the pointy hat.
Jim
Lots of terrific comments.
I stopped using briquettes a few years ago. I got tired of the large quantity of ash and other residue. Briquettes have a significant amount of limestone as a fire regulator. I noticed it got worse since the Covid scare.
Briquettes are uniform in size, but not in quality across the brands.
Lump is random size, but quality varies across the brands.
Lump is not uniform size, but I find the burn quality better and a few smacks with the hammer gets them to manageable pieces. Much less residue with lump.
I modified both of my charcoal chimneys (that were intended for briquette) to keep the lump chips from falling through. I haven't used my 22" kettle in years. All of my grilling is on a Jumbo Joe these days. I modified the charcoal grate to better hold the chips.
A bag of lump lasts much longer than briquettes.
I stopped using briquettes a few years ago. I got tired of the large quantity of ash and other residue. Briquettes have a significant amount of limestone as a fire regulator. I noticed it got worse since the Covid scare.
Briquettes are uniform in size, but not in quality across the brands.
Lump is random size, but quality varies across the brands.
Lump is not uniform size, but I find the burn quality better and a few smacks with the hammer gets them to manageable pieces. Much less residue with lump.
I modified both of my charcoal chimneys (that were intended for briquette) to keep the lump chips from falling through. I haven't used my 22" kettle in years. All of my grilling is on a Jumbo Joe these days. I modified the charcoal grate to better hold the chips.
A bag of lump lasts much longer than briquettes.
Over the years I tried every type and brand I could get my hands on. Couple years ago I tried Jealous Devil briquettes. Only coal I keep on hand now.
Dave
Dave
I only use lump to start my fire with tumbleweed starters in a chimney then add real wood chunks or splits depending on how much I am cooking.
I used Royal Oak for years until the quality went down the toilet. I have used Cowboy lump for the last couple of years and have been very satisfied with it.
I do not typically use briquettes since you can not be certain of the source of them. Too many fillers and the wood can be anything from used pallets to who knows what. They were invented by Ford to get rid of their scraps when building cars. Not much has changed.
Even with lump I find it funny how many rocks end up in the grates after a cook is done. I never see them beforehand but they always seem to be there among the ashes after a cook.
So far every lump I have tried has had rocks in the ashes, not a big deal but I find it funny.
I used Royal Oak for years until the quality went down the toilet. I have used Cowboy lump for the last couple of years and have been very satisfied with it.
I do not typically use briquettes since you can not be certain of the source of them. Too many fillers and the wood can be anything from used pallets to who knows what. They were invented by Ford to get rid of their scraps when building cars. Not much has changed.
Even with lump I find it funny how many rocks end up in the grates after a cook is done. I never see them beforehand but they always seem to be there among the ashes after a cook.
So far every lump I have tried has had rocks in the ashes, not a big deal but I find it funny.
- Jan 18, 2020
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I just ran a briquette test myself and Kingsford Pro/Comp wins hands down against B+B briquettes and KIngsford "High Heat" briquettes.
Costco Kirklabnd briquettes make so much smoke when first lit, it's unbearable.
When it comes to re-using burned briquettes, the Kingsford Pro/Comp wins by a mile and to me that means I get two cooks out of one chimney of briquettes and you CAN"T say that about B+B.
When you try to gather up used B+B it just crumbles and can't be relit.
Costco Kirklabnd briquettes make so much smoke when first lit, it's unbearable.
When it comes to re-using burned briquettes, the Kingsford Pro/Comp wins by a mile and to me that means I get two cooks out of one chimney of briquettes and you CAN"T say that about B+B.
When you try to gather up used B+B it just crumbles and can't be relit.
I used to work for a company with a chemical lab and they also tested coal. One of our big clients, Kingsford, showed up one day with a bunch of charcoals...theirs and all locally available competitors. The tests we ran showed Kingsford had more BTU's per pound and less ash when burned out than all competitors. Been buying it ever since.
I personally think lump can flare up hotter/faster than charcoal and I use a few chunks/lumps to get a quick high temp sear.
I personally think lump can flare up hotter/faster than charcoal and I use a few chunks/lumps to get a quick high temp sear.
After working on a consulting project at Clorox who owns Kingsford I stopped using briquets. Always use lump, wood chunks or splits, not necessarily in that order.
Admittedly I don't use that much charcoal anymore since buying the Green Mountain pellet grill, but I really like how clean Kingsford Professional burns, it's my first choice for the Weber kettle, regular Kingsford in a pinch is easier to find.
So in other words... Ford or Chevy? Yet another personal preference.
Not a bad thing by any means.
Ryan
Not a bad thing by any means.
Ryan
Thread long departed whether lump actually burns hotter than briqs. And whether it puts a diff flavor on meats. As the American Test Kitchen says it doesn't in the OP.
It turned into a thread about what brand of charcoal a person prefers.
But hey, nothing new about that.
It turned into a thread about what brand of charcoal a person prefers.
But hey, nothing new about that.
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