# coals on offer?



## kettlecooker (Jan 31, 2016)

hiya all, will be needing to get more coals soon, am wanting to try cocoshell this year, anybody reccomend a supplier over here?

ta.

kc.


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## sotv (Feb 25, 2017)

Has anybody tried these. Deliberating over trying these or the Aussie heat beads for the first time and wondered if anybody had compared them.

There is a price difference between the 2 also 

£43 for 2 x10kg Cocoshell

£34 for 20kg of Aussie Heat beads


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## smokin monkey (Feb 25, 2017)

@Wade Wade is the man for Heat Beads, and I think he has tried Coco Shell as well.

He has done a video on how to set them up etc.

I have used Heat Beads and they sure give out heat and seem to last longer.


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## wade (Feb 26, 2017)

Hi KC

I have tried the cocoshell briquettes and also a similar product called Nature - which is also made from coconut shell. They both performed in a very similar way and gave similar heat profiles to Heat Beads. The importers of Nature asked me to do a review of the product when they were considering importing it.

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/171812/coconut-briquettes

Try them - you should not be disappointed.

Amazon is as good a place as any to buy them. They tend to work out a little more expensive than Heat Beads


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## sotv (Feb 26, 2017)

Thanks for the reply and link to your review. Impatience got the better of me yesterday, as I purchased a ProQ Frontier Elite Hot and Cold Set and Pizza Stone in the morning, so decided to throw in 4 bags of  Aussie heat Beads with it. I normally use the 12kg Blue bags of Restaurant Grade Lumpwood Charcoal that my coalman delivers at £8.50 a bag. So either the heat beads or Cocoshell would have been be a first time use for me.

Although the beads and cocoshell briquettes are more expensive, everyone seems to say they are just as cost effective as lumpwood in the long run. So will try the Aussie Beads out first and try some of the ProQ cocoshell at a later date, as the same company I got the smoker from sells these at £43 for 2 x10kg  boxes of them, whereas they seem closer to £50 for 2 on Amazon

1 other question, will the heat beads season the smoker sufficiently over lumpwood for the first burn?


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## wade (Feb 26, 2017)

Just remember that with these more compact briquettes, they burn hotter for longer but take a little extra time to get going too. Don't expect them to initially get up to temperature as quickly as lumpwood.

For seasoning the smoker either will do. I would just go with the cheapest that you have available. When seasoning you are not too worried about temperature spikes.


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## sotv (Feb 26, 2017)

So am I best with the Aussie heat beads to do a Chimney starter full and let them get white hot and then put them in the middle of another kilo or so of unheated beads and wait for them to reach a steady 225°f. I assume also the beads will react with my ProQ similarly to the lumpwood on my old Brinkmann and heat up well above 225°f​ initially whilst catching and then gradually come down to my desired temperature that I wish to start cooking at?

And 1 further question if you don't mind. When you put your chunks of say apple wood  in the smoker. Do you add it at the start whilst the coals are catching or once you have reached your desired temperature of 225°f​ and ready to add your desired piece of meat.


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## smokin monkey (Feb 26, 2017)

Half a Chimney will do then place them in the middle of you other beads, set you air vents to 50% open and let it run. You are not looking for really high temperatures 250'F - 300'F will be Ok. You are only looking to burn off any residual oil or grease left from the manufacturing process.

After 2 hours, you can alter the vents and see if you can get it running at steady 225'F, remember that the body mass temperature will be high, so this will have to drop, before you will achieve your temperature.

let your smoker reach your desired temperature before you add your wood, or you will be wasting money on wood before you are ready to cook.


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## wade (Feb 26, 2017)

When you set up your Minion for a meat smoke it should look something like this













Basket with can.jpg



__ wade
__ Jul 14, 2016


















Basket with hole.jpg



__ wade
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ProQ Minion.jpg



__ wade
__ Jul 14, 2016






You can use wood chunks or food grade pellets - or a mixture


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