Review: Original vs Competition Kingsford Charcoal (long with lots o' pics)

[PatioDaddio]

Thanks for all of your support and encouragement. I really appreciate it.

Originally Posted by carlyle

I will echo the question Big Jim had - is it worth the price difference?

To me it definitely is.

Originally Posted by Bamabuzzard

I noticed that you said that you use the blue bag (original Kingsford) for smoking/bbq'n and the competition for grilling. And I assume that this is due to (according to your experiment) the original Kingsford (though taking longer to get to same temp) keeping higher temps longer?

Yes, the blue stays at a more consistent temperature over a longer time.
As I mentioned in the post, I use a blend of blue and comp for competition
cooking. I cook hotter and faster than most, and the comp turbocharges
the blue. I've also found that it helps the Minion method burn more evenly.

Originally Posted by Bamabuzzard

I was always told (and I very well may have been told wrong) that hardwood charcoal/"Lump" burned hotter, cleaner and longer. Is this Kingsford competition brand the same as lump charcoal?

As I mentioned in the post, the comp is essentially pressed and formed
lump.

John

[Bamabuzzard]

So lump/hardwood charcoal doesn't burn longer than the regular? It only burns hotter and cleaner?

Originally Posted by PatioDaddio

As I mentioned in the post, the comp is essentially pressed and formed
lump.

John

[PatioDaddio]

Originally Posted by Bamabuzzard

So lump/hardwood charcoal doesn't burn longer than the regular? It only burns hotter and cleaner?

There are far too many variables involved to really answer that definitively.

- What brand of lump?
- Made of what wood?
- What size pieces?
- How much volume?
- Under what conditions?

Doing any kind of honest comparison of lump to briqs is pretty difficult.
That's why I like briqs -- they are predictable and consistent.

John

[Bamabuzzard]

Oh, okay. Makes sense. Thanks for sharing. Man you did a great job.

Originally Posted by PatioDaddio

There are far too many variables involved to really answer that definitively.

- What brand of lump?
- Made of what wood?
- What size pieces?
- How much volume?
- Under what conditions?

Doing any kind of honest comparison of lump to briqs is pretty difficult.
That's why I like briqs -- they are predictable and consistent.

John

[NeoTrout]

Thanks, John. Great work.

[---k---]

John, thanks for the test. I'm interested in your statement:

For grilling and higher heat cooks I use the Competition product. It
gives my grilled foold just the right blast of wood fire flavor.

Are you claiming that the comp actually has a different smell and infuses a different flavor? Would you care to expand on your opinion of the smell/flavor of both?

So, when should we expect a review of Stubbs and Royal Oak briquettes?
I jest, because I know how much work it can be, but it would be interesting.

[Groundhog66]

Very well done John, thank you

[PatioDaddio]

Originally Posted by ---k---

... I'm interested in your statement:

Are you claiming that the comp actually has a different smell and infuses a different flavor? Would you care to expand on your opinion of the smell/flavor of both?

It's not so much a different flavor. I was basically just referring to the
same high-heat natural wood flavor that you'd get from lump. However,
the smell of the comp is much cleaner to me.

John

[Arlin_MacRae]

That's interesting, John. I've not yet used the comp so I don't quite know what you mean by 'cleaner'. Fewer aromatics left in the meat, maybe?

Arlin

[PatioDaddio]

Originally Posted by Arlin_MacRae

That's interesting, John. I've not yet used the comp so I don't quite know what you mean by 'cleaner'. Fewer aromatics left in the meat, maybe?

Cleaner as in all wood char, versus wood char plus additives. It just smells
more natural.

John

[PatioDaddio]

Originally Posted by ---k---

... So, when should we expect a review of Stubbs and Royal Oak briquettes? I jest, because I know how much work it can be, but it would be interesting.

Ha! That will be a while. As I mentioned earlier, these are fun to do, but
there's a lot of time and work involved.

I'd guess that I've invested 15-20 hours in this post between the planning,
testing, shooting, image post-production/slicing/splicing, and writing.

John

[Arlin_MacRae]

Originally Posted by PatioDaddio

Cleaner as in all wood char, versus wood char plus additives. It just smells more natural.

John

Got it. Thanks for doing this for us!

[jimmyinsd]

just a guess here, but the difference could be as simple the density of which the briquets are made. the lighter more airy briq will burn faster and hotter than its more dense alternative. just like natural wood, hardwoods will burn much longer than lighter density wood. i question if the binders have as much to do with the results as the physics do.

again just guessing here, but the comp looks more like a marketing ploy than an improved product. the equal volumes of undisturbed ash isnt suprising, the size of the piles was similar at the onset. the comp may just be holding more air between the ash particles.

[Mister Bob]

Thanks John! That was excellent information presented in a very clear and concise manner, nice work.

[heinz57]

What I liked best about the competition charcoal was the check for $1250.00 that Kingsford sent me just for using thier fine product.