For those using BGE branded lump it’s packaged by Royal Oak

To a certain extent I change the brand of lump based on what I’m cooking

If I’m looking for a very neutral flavor or I’m doing a rediculously long cook I use Fogo or Rockwood

If I’m wanting more flavor from the Lump I use B&B oak or mesquite blends

For general everyday stuff I use Royal Oak,

I did buy a bag of Western from Walmart today to give a try. Figured 30# for $10 why not

I’ve not bought a bag of briquettes in years since I transitioned to a BGE

Made my ribs in my Weber kettle on Monday and used Stubb's briquettes for the charcoal snake and they worked great!

Once I got everything up to stable temp, it stayed there at 245-250 for the entire 5 hours or so I had them in there, cheated the final hour and went into my oven with them to finish.

I have been buying the double bag promotion of Kingsford “Professional” from Costco the last couple of years. I am well aware that I’m not even a talented amateur compared to the grill masters in this forum, but it works well. BTW, I see little or no difference between the “Professional” and the blue bag regular

Kingsford

quote:

Originally posted by l33571:
Another vote for Wicked Good lump charcoal. I get it at Ace hardware. Stuff is awesome in my Big Green Egg.

I will have to check that out and see if I can find some locally.

Last time I used it, I had to have it shipped in and shipping basically raised the cost to 2X the original price. (that's true of about all charcoal I've seen online)

Very good charcoal though.

cc

Well I am dragging this back in praise of Stubbs charcoal. Because of this thread I bought a few bags. After the first I was hooked. It lights faster, it burns longer, it burns hotter, and the smoke and smell is WAY better than blue bag. The best part? Ash. I cleaned the catcher in my Weber when I opened the bag and even after using it all there was AT LEAST half as much as the standard bag of Kingsford left. So I cleaned it again and finished the half of blue bag I had left two days ago and the ash catcher was almost full. Amazing.

I'm going pure Stubbs from now on. Both my local Lowes show a bunch in stock so that is my charcoal of choice. I just did a burger with some jalapeño Palmetto cheese topper tonight and it was delicious!

Thanks for the heads up!

I'll have to try the Stubbs if I can find it based on what was mentioned here. As I noted earlier, I have about 60 lbs. of Kingsford blue on hand to use up. I'll probably only use it for short cooks where I don't have to add any during the cook.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
I have about 60 lbs. of Kingsford blue on hand to use up. I'll probably only use it for short cooks where I don't have to add any during the cook.

Jim

This was my biggest peeve with Kingsford (well now the ash content too). If I was doing a long cook and had to toss some more briquets on as they lit they let out an acrid smell. Once they were fully ashed they were fine but I found it affected the taste of the meat (chicken more than beef or pork) but it made me hate having to toss more coals on. With the Stubbs I have found consistant clean burn and no acrid, chemical smell even when tossing fresh briquets on the fire.

So far I'm hooked. A standard blue bag is about $10 for 16lbs and the Stubbs is $10 for 14lbs but it's worth it to me after using.

quote:

Originally posted by msfzoe:
Kingsford briquettes, in a classic Weber, work well for me.

Last summer I went to fire up my gas grill and found that the valve for the tank had broken. I had people coming over so ran to Target and bought a cheap Weber and some Kingsford to get through the weekend until I could order a new part. I’ve never ordered the part. I love that little Weber and the charcoal so much I’m never going back to gas.

So far all I’ve used is Kingsford but I’m going to try some of the others now.

Our local Lowe's has a sale going on for father's day. 2 bags of Royal Oak for $8. I like the Royal Oak as it leaves very little ash. The downside is it pops and sends sparks flying all over the place. Any other lumps do this?

Kingsford is not the same product it once was. Used to be firm dense large fat briquettes, you could use a small number of briquettes and generate a predictable amount of heat every time.

The stuff Kingsford sells now is complete junk by comparison. requires a great deal more charcoal, and the heat won't last nearly as long, nor stay as consistent. I am surprised to see so many here use it. Royal Oak or Stubbs are superior products in every way. If you try either, I doubt you'll go back.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I only cook for a small number of people so I only need the grill for two cook cycles at most and then it is usually just brats or burgers. Mostly I cook steak and chicken for me and the family so I don't need the grill to stay hot for long enough to use up the briquettes. I can see if you were going to cook for a long time or maybe if you were cooking more complicated foods how it would make a big difference.

I am going to try some others but I am looking for differences in taste. Ash creation and burn length don't matter for the small stuff I do.

I also do short pulls for burgers and country style ribs. Try the Stubbs.

It tastes good.

quote:

Originally posted by mbinky:
I also do short pulls for burgers and country style ribs. Try the Stubbs.

It tastes good.

I will give it a shot!

I've tried Wicked Good before and it is good.

The BGE stuff may be repackaged Royal Oak, but as I understand it, it is the higher end Royal Oak. Larger and better quality chunks than the regular stuff sold for cheaper which tends to be a bag of black dust in my experience.

Readily available it's hard to beat Royal Oak. I also like B&B

quote:

Originally posted by jigray3:
Kingsford is not the same product it once was. Used to be firm dense large fat briquettes, you could use a small number of briquettes and generate a predictable amount of heat every time.

The stuff Kingsford sells now is complete junk by comparison. requires a great deal more charcoal, and the heat won't last nearly as long, nor stay as consistent. I am surprised to see so many here use it. Royal Oak or Stubbs are superior products in every way. If you try either, I doubt you'll go back.

Agreed on all points. Stubbs for me.

Luckily Lazzari isn't too far and their yard has a nice variety of charcoal and hardwoods to choose from. Would like to try some of these others just to see.

After grilling out tonight I remembered this thread and wanted to thank you guys. I bought some Royal Oak and the difference is amazing. I’m definitely never going back to regular old Kingsford again. I have yet to try any others but after this bag runs out I’m going to do so.