Lots of ash from Kingsford Blue Bag

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dwhite1031

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Jul 5, 2015
86
39
Midland, TX
I recently broke in my new Old Country BBQ Over & Under and used Kingsford blue bag for my coal bed.   Used a chimney to start it and then added oak splits as I went thru the 8-1/2 hour cook.  The firebox runs the length of the cook chamber offset below the back side, so the coals were spread all across it.  There was a lot of ash from the charcoal.  I had to pull it out several times from under the fire grate/plate with an impromptu "ash puller outer thing tool" to keep good air flow.  I've only used a vertical gasser until now, so I'm a rookie with a charcoal/stick burner.  Is lots of ash to be expected with Kingsford or is that something common across the board?  Are there brands that don't make so much ash?  Perhaps lump would be the way to go?
 
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Royal Oak is a great way to go. Easy lighting, good coal bed and minimum ash. I use the lump for my initial coal bed and use briqs in my chiminey to start it.
 
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Tried a bag of Stubb's Natural Briquettes I picked up on sale at Lowes. Their web site boasted of less ash than other brands & no binders. It had as much ash as did the Kingsford blue bag. Definately switching over to lump after this.
 
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Lump burns cleaner, generally hotter, and as a result usually a bit shorter unless you have super tight control over your airflow. I like to use lump for any smoke under about 10 hrs. in my WSM - that way I don't have to try and re-load mid smoke. But for long stuff like brisket or big pork butts I will go back to KBB (Kingsford Blue Bag), simply because I can burn at 250° for 18-22+ hrs. Another option is to mix KBB and lump for a best of both worlds.

For mainstream Royal Oak makes a great lump, but my favorite is Lazzari. If you are lucky enough to have a Cash and Carry in your neck of the woods the have a 40 lb. bag of Lazzari for usually about $13.
 
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