Kingsford charcoal at Krogers

[jokensmoken]

Hey fellow smokers...
I was at my local Krogers in Brighton yesterday and found kingsford charcoal 15 lb bags on sale for $3,49 through Sunday. I like lump but for that price I'll mix 50/50...
Happy smoking.

Walt

 

[phatbac]

I use kingsford to start my smoker and then all wood from there.....that is a great price! I would buy probably 100# too bad we don't have Krogers in NC.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[Sal Barsanti]

Home Depot, Lowes and Meijer all had the same sale this week on Kingsford Charcoal. 2 bags for $20.

https://bit.ly/2wCEUhA

 

[Sal Barsanti]

Phatbac, Can you elaborate how you do this?

You only use charcoal to start your fire? If you use wood to fire the majority of your cook, don't you get way too much smoke for the meat?

 

[jokensmoken]

Hey Sal,
I can answer part of this question for you.
As far as getting "way too much smoke" goes...
Burning more wood or using wood for longer periods of time will not give your food too much smoke flavor...
Meat will only take on smoke as flavor for the first several hours and only penetrates the outer surface about 1/4 to 3/8 of an inch.
The reason most recommend only using chips or chunks of wood for the first three or four (maybe five) hours is to save on chips/chunks.
THE DANGER of wood for fuel and getting "off" flavors is in getting way too much white billowing smoke which will create soot and creosote which can give a harsh or bitter or acidic flavor to the outside surface of the meat.
Avoiding billowing thick white smoke is all about temperature and airflow control.
Most folks who use all (or primarily) wood splits and little or no charcoal for cooking/smoking are using an offset smoker with a seperate fire box like a Oklahoma Joe (okey joe) or Lang and not a bullet type smoker like a Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) which has the heat/smoke source under the meat.
Hope this helps a bit.

Walt.

 

[phatbac]

I put some charcoal in the bottom of the firebox and a few pieces of wood around. I put two lighter cubes in the bottom of the FB under the ash grate and light them using the charcoal going to get the wood going. Once the wood is going I burn down to a coal bed and add a split every 45 minutes or so.

That is my old smoker just firing up but I do the same thing on the new smoker.

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)

 

[Sal Barsanti]

Thank you for the photo and explanation, Aaron. Appreciate it.

 

[phatbac]

You're welcome!

Happy Smoking,
phatbac (Aaron)