charcoal

[Mr_Yan]

While not trying to start a fight what do you serious charcoal grill users cook over - lump charcoal or briquettes?

Anyone make their own lump charcoal? Iv'e read about it but never tried.

I have a 22.5" Weber kettle and have only used Kingsford briquettes. I'm not opposed to lump but the Kingsford is what is cost effective (40 lbs for $10), readily available, and just what I am used to and know. I think I have about 150 pounds of it in the basement still.

It was just last year that I finally moved over to a newsprint burning chimney starter too. Man do I wish I had done that years ago.

 

[Rolex]

I think I have about 150 pounds of it in the basement still.

So, you have a still in the basement, eh?

 

[w_r_ranch]

In a kettle, I use B&B Oak Lump. If I'm using the smoker or cooking steaks on the fire pit, I make my own coals.

Most people are unaware of all the junk that is in Kingsford briquettes... if they did, they wouldn't be eating food cooked with them.

Kingsford Charcoal is made from charred softwoods, pine, spruce etc. then mixed with ground coal and other ingredients (limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate & sawdust) to make a charcoal briquette.

 

[ErnieCopp]

Back in the 1960's I spent a couple of months each winter bird hunting down around Navajoa, Mexico, and we would buy gunnysacks full of wonderful natural Mesquite charcoal from a bootlegger way out in the middle of nowhere, that made Mescal. He would dig a pit, about 8 feet wide, and 6 feet deep, fill it full of mesquite, burn it down to coals, fill the space with the hearts of cactus they make Tequila from, i forget the name of the cactus, but it was gathered in the wild, not farmed like they do now, cover the pit, and roast those down. Then he would ferment those to make his liquor.

The charcoal would be a wasted by product, so he was glad to sell that for a dollar a bag. The mescal was a horrible pale yellow liquid, but that was what the locals drank.
Ernie

 

[ErnieCopp]

The name of the cactus they used for Mescal is Agave. That old man that lives in my head was kind of slow this morning.

Ernie

 

[Mr_Yan]

Well now you guys have done it, and my wife may not be too happy with you soon as I start a newish project. I'm starting to look into using hardwood chunks as the fuel source in my weber kettle or at least a mix of hardwood chunks and charcoal.

I can make the chunks with a combination of saws and hand ax. I have generally have access to maple and oak from storm damage. Would ash tree be something to avoid? We're starting to lose a lot of ash trees to the Emerald Ash Borer beetle.

 

[w_r_ranch]

I personally wouldn't use ash... Maple & oak are both good.

Make sure that you allow it to thoroughly dry out/cure & remove all the bark or you will have nasty, bitter meat.

 

[finkikin]

I use Royal Oak. It burns hot and longer than the other brands I have tried.

 

[ErnieCopp]

With charcoal so cheap, no one probably bothers to save it, but i will tell you how i wound up handling it on the boat.

For long trips, you have to make it last, as it was not available outside the States. Plus, you can not let it burn itself out while you are eating dinner, as the wind may come up and fly sparks. And you cannot just dump it over board if other boats are in the anchorage, as it makes an ugly floating mess.

On the other hand, it is absolutely essential to have it for grilling fresh fish or Shrimp.

I solved all of those problems with a three gallon Cream Can, that farmers used to send their cream to the Creamery in. That kept the Charcoal bone dry, and I had a 3 pound coffee can that sat on top of the charcoal. When i finished cooking, i would put the burning coals in the coffee can, and put the lid on the Cream can. That snuffed out the coals quick. I lined my kettle with foil, and would wrap up the ashes, and when cool, put them in the trash.

The used briquets started easier and quicker than the new ones, and i would re-use them two or three times, until completely gone, adding 3 or 4 new ones as necessary. So that simple cream can was the answer.

Ernie

 

[Lost in mn]

Ahhhh this is a good question. I have tried about 8 dozen different types of charcoal. And the real answer is not every charcoal works for every purpose. It all depends on what you are cooking however as was previously said Kingsford is nasty, it's full of coal and baking soda and other crap which can impart odd flavors.

Rule of thumb for me is as follows:
Lump
Quick cooking meats, burgers, dogs, brats, wings, veggies and such a lump (natural) charcoal works very well and maintains high heat but for a much shorter time than briquettes.
Pros: Burns hot and fast, 10-20 mins max, good for a quick char after pulling meats from a smoker, or charring bbq sauce
Cons: low smoke content, ashy, noisy, will not cook good in a layer and needs to be somewhat piled up to maintain heat, watch for flare ups, expensive!!! have to use more product than you would with briquettes.

Briquettes:
Great for long cooks or thicker meats lower heat can be achieved for long duration
Pros: long cooking times, better smoke ratio, much cheaper, better overall flavor, can be spread in layers, indirect or side piled to achieve desired cooking affect.
Cons: Some contain nasty fillers, some brands contain hickory or mesquite flakes stay away from these it's much better to add your own chips. messy clean up. Can be hard to control temps or achieve higher temps.

Never ever use lighter fluid no matter what your choice is for charcoal. Use a weber chimney or similar product to ignite the coals. You would not believe the difference this makes in flavor. Now some people may not agree with this but Never clean the inside of your grill. The residue and build up once heated can assist in the smoking or cooking process and will impart flavor into what you are cooking.

Skip the charcoal all together. If you want to get really creative some nice dry chunks of oak, hickory, mesquite, apple or whatever. If using a weber grill, remove the cooking grate and place wood into the grill and light a campfire. Once good and flamed up knock the wood pile down into a layer and cover to extinguish the flames. Be sure the bark is removed from the wood you are using as that can leave a bitter taste on your food. This method is very smokey so be prepared for that and do not allow the fire to get so hot that it catches the crud inside your grill on fire (yeah ooops learned that the hard way), The key to this method is surface area of the burning wood. You want chunks not logs. Every nook and cranny will allow for a hotter longer burn.

My favorite charcoal right now is Stubbs all natural no filler charcoal. It's very smokey, cheap and has a great flavor.

 

[Mr_Yan]

Skip the charcoal all together. If you want to get really creative some nice dry chunks of oak, hickory, mesquite, apple or whatever. If using a weber grill, remove the cooking grate and place wood into the grill and light a campfire. Once good and flamed up knock the wood pile down into a layer and cover to extinguish the flames. Be sure the bark is removed from the wood you are using as that can leave a bitter taste on your food. This method is very smokey so be prepared for that and do not allow the fire to get so hot that it catches the crud inside your grill on fire (yeah ooops learned that the hard way), The key to this method is surface area of the burning wood. You want chunks not logs. Every nook and cranny will allow for a hotter longer burn.

I forgot about this thread. I'll try the wood chunk soon. I have several large maple limbs to cut up and some fruit (apple, peach, and grape vine)

 

[w_r_ranch]

Don't forget to let it cure/dry for at least a year before trying to use it.

 

[Mike]

@Lost in mn thanks for the info. I too don't use lighter fluid and have always used a chimney starter without any issues. However I also use Kingsford and really need to stop and use something else. Where are you buying Stubbs from? Any other brands you'd suggest a current Kingsford user to try?

 

[Mr_Yan]

I use an off brand chimney starter that has started to rust. The handle is riveted on, well was riveted on. About three weeks ago I started a fire in it and the top rivet broke when I picked it up. That was a fun fire. Now the handle is on with two stainless M4 bolts each double nutted.

 

[Lost in mn]

@Lost in mn thanks for the info. I too don't use lighter fluid and have always used a chimney starter without any issues. However I also use Kingsford and really need to stop and use something else. Where are you buying Stubbs from? Any other brands you'd suggest a current Kingsford user to try?

Hey Mike,

Stubbs can be purchased at just about any Walmart and it's cheap $7 for a 15lb bag. The briquettes are a tad smaller than kingsford so you end up using a little more but it's worth it for the extra flavor and it burns longer than Kingsford. I started this quest for the best charcoal a few years ago and I had no idea how many brands were actually available. Not only brands but wood types, some are even made from coconut shells or nut shells.

For Lump, charcoal here is a cool website listing most brands with reviews. Some are easily obtained others are impossible to find. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

http://www.wickedgoodcharcoal.com/ Wicked good lump is what I use for charring.

Briquettes, I like Stubbs and Best of the West Charcoal if I can get it. Royal Oak i would use in a pinch. Biggest thing to look for is that it says 100% Natural on the bag. Coconut charcoal is awesome with Sea Fish if you can find it. It has an awesome flavor.

For all around bbq'ing you can't go wrong with Stubbs! Add smoking chips or chunks for desired flavors. Some people like wood pellets but I don't care for them as they burn up too fast. I like small orange size chunks soaked for 5 mins in water to allow for maximum smoking time. Chips work too but will burn out quicker. I always use some sort of wood when cooking as I really like the extra flavor. Smoking doesn't always require hours. A few chips in the beginning of the cook will add loads of flavor to your food. Trick is to get the smoke into the meat before it sears.

Here is my basic Wood Smoking guide.

Alder= fish, seafood (good for cold smoking low temp 180 degrees or less brined fish)
Hickory= chicken or beef, game birds, veal, steaks (good for cold smoking as well temps 220 degrees and lower)
Mesquite= beef, large poultry, game birds, game meat (strongest flavor of all woods)
Maple= Pork, lean beef steaks. (adds a sweet flavor great for Double or Tripple smoked hams)
Apple= Pork, ribs, veggies, mild game birds such as pheasant, quail, grouse (Very mild flavor and takes longer to permeate the meat)
Almond-Pecan=Adds a nutty flavor to poultry or thinner cuts of beef, tasty with shrimp
Oak= Mild flavor but good with thick beef cuts and lamb, goat, antelope, venison, bear, moose, elk
Cherry= Pork, Steaks (Mild flavor)
Jackpine= Now I know you are going to say what the hell but this is a very interesting pine tree. Strip the bark from small limbs and use the wood wet not dried out. It imparts a very unique flavor into beef. I learned of this at an Indian Pow-Wow in northern Minnesota and I was amazed at how good it was.

Yeah i am a bbq geek I admit it! lol

 

[Mike]

Another awesome post, thanks @Lost in mn! Never knew you was so into bbq.

I hate Wal-mart and refuse to shop there, but knowing I can find Stubbs there means I shouldn't have to much trouble finding it else where. If worse comes to worse I'll stop by walmart, but I don't like it.

 

[finkikin]

In a kettle, I use B&B Oak Lump. If I'm using the smoker or cooking steaks on the fire pit, I make my own coals.


I have used B&B lately and I am very impressed by how it takes so little but burns hotter. A little goes a long way IMO.

 

[Susan]

We use a combination of lump charcoal and hardwood to do our grilling. The food always tastes so good and it gives it a different flavour. We have even used beach wood and the food still had an awesome taste. We are huge camping fans so we do a lot of grilling in the summer months and we are always on the move to different locations. We always adjust our cooking mentions to our surroundings.

 

[reddog5]

I use B&B mesquite, best there is and as close as I can come to burning down dry river purged wood from the Frio.Lost my lease down in Tilden during the Eagleford boom, so I don't have unlimited dry, old, barkless mesquite. Loved hunting down there for game, arrowheads, and "white wood". I will never use briquettes

 

[reddog5]

Hey Ranch, post up your chimney burning setup that you use for making coals por favor!

 

[w_r_ranch]