# Charcoal question



## $moke!t (Sep 2, 2020)

Lump charcoal or Briquettes??
Always used Briquettes and curious if I should switch?


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## daspyknows (Sep 2, 2020)

Wood chuncks / logs


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## $moke!t (Sep 2, 2020)

daspyknows said:


> Wood chuncks / logs


No charcoal at all?


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## noboundaries (Sep 3, 2020)

Lump or charcoal? Lump works for hot n fast. Briqs for low n slow. Research the ingredients of briqs. There can be some unappetizing stuff in there. And lump is no guarantee of purity. Furniture scrap and treated wood can be among the  carbonized pieces.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 3, 2020)

noboundaries said:


> Lump or charcoal? Lump works for hot n fast. Briqs for low n slow. Research the ingredients of briqs. There can be some unappetizing stuff in there. And lump is no guarantee of purity. Furniture scrap and treated wood can be among the  carbonized pieces.



That's for sure.
I've been using FOGO Black  for the Sportsman CI grill.  Man, it does run HOT!
Yeah, it isn't USA sourced and is pricey.  
But hey, at least I haven't found any flooring chuncks...yet!
I'd like to try Royal Oak briqs, but my local Wallyworld  doesn't stock it locally.  Got to order on line...Go figure. SMH. 

I figure if the charcoal manufacturer says not to use the ash in the garden, do I really want to cook with it?


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## gmc2003 (Sep 3, 2020)

Briquettes here

Chris


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## SecondHandSmoker (Sep 3, 2020)

gmc2003 said:


> Briquettes here
> 
> Chris




Chris,  which brand are you using?


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## gmc2003 (Sep 3, 2020)

Royal Oak normally, but lately all I can buy is Kingford blue bag. 

Chris


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## jeffo21 (Sep 3, 2020)

I use B&B lump charcoal. it does a good job


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## Chasdev (Sep 3, 2020)

Best briquettes these days come from Kingsford in the form of ProComp.
Lump is great, I have lots is storage but if you can hit Costco when they have Kingsford on sale, the price per cook goes way way down.


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## D.W. (Sep 3, 2020)

I use kingsford briqs or kamado joe lump as my base to sart the fire. Then it's strictly wood, mostly oak, cherry, and apple. I like hickory too, but get the others free...


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## kruizer (Sep 3, 2020)

I use Cowboy brand lump in my Bronco and any brand of briquettes in my Weber 22


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## JCAP (Sep 3, 2020)

I'm all over the place. I think I have a different opinion every time I do a cook. I love B&B lump for grilling and occasionally in the PBC. I also use Ridge briqs for grilling. For longer smokes, despite my not always thrilled with it opinion, KBB is still the go to. It's everywhere and easy to get my hands on.


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## bill1 (Sep 3, 2020)

Lump.  You can at least figure out what it is and throw aside the treated fence posts.  
Cowboy brand used to be very good and consistent but I think nowadays all brands are about equally mediocre and inconsistent.


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## noboundaries (Sep 3, 2020)

For those not familiar with the issue, the briqs made for Home Depot (Embers), Walmart (Expert Grill), Safeway, and Winco are all Royal Oak briqs. After examining them, the stamps are less than perfect and there are broken pieces. It appears they are the "seconds" from the Royal Oak orange bag line. I've smoked/grilled with them all and they perform just like the orange bag.


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## noboundaries (Sep 3, 2020)

Home Depot has Embers on sale right now: $9.98 / 40 lbs. 

Lowes has "Ridge" on sale, $4.98 / 15.4 lbs. It is also  a RO briq, but I have not bought one to determine if it is a first or seconds briq.


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## Jonok (Sep 14, 2020)

My Mes  smoke generator makes perfect lump fruitwood charcoal as a byproduct.  I have been pretty well fixed for grilling needs recently.


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## JWFokker (Sep 14, 2020)

Lump burns cleaner than any briquette, even cheap lump charcoal. Less ash, less charcoal aroma. If I need to use briquettes for some reason, Weber makes the good stuff. Kingsford Blue contains brown coal, starch and sawdust. Smells nasty.


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## Jonok (Sep 14, 2020)

Leftovers from my MES40:


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## bill1 (Sep 14, 2020)

Jonok, I'd say that's a perfect byproduct from making great smoke flavoring.  You may not have generated much of the NOx molecules to produce a smoke ring but you've got the smoking angle perfect.  And as you say, this is just the thing for a charcoal burner.  Talk about efficient energy usage!


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