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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking. |
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03-01-2010, 01:28 AM | #1 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 05-04-08
Location: Boise, Idaho
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Review: Old vs New Kingsford® Charcoal (tons of pics)
Review: Old vs New Kingsford® Charcoal
Let me start by saying that this is probably the longest, most picturesque, most in-depth, and most scientific post that I've written to date. Kingsford® has changed their "blue bag" formulation yet again, and I think it deserves a fair investigation. As you can see by the claim on the bag in the image above (left bag), the new formulation is "ready even faster and burns longer". This is clearly good news, if it holds true. Just for background, the new Kingsford® comes from an apparent "green" initiative by the company. In short, they sought to produce a product that yields the same amount of heat, but in a smaller package. The bag is lighter, which means more bags in a truck, which translates to less trucking miles, and therefore less emissions. As I mentioned, this is all well and good, so long as I get the same or more bang for the bag. Let's dive in and see how this new stuff stacks up. I wanted this review to be as fair and impartial as I could make it at home. I don't have a laboratory, but I am an engineer, so I did the best that I could. I ran side-by-side tests of two brand new off-the-shelf bags of the old and the new. As you will see, I've weighed and photographed each product so that you can see exactly what I saw. Here goes... As you can see, the new bag is 1.4 pounds lighter than the previous formulation. Note: From here on the old briquettes are pictured on the left, and the new are on the right. The new briquettes are about the same size, but they appear to be more tightly compressed and feature larger and deeper grooves. As you can see, the new grooves are diagonal. I weighed various quantities of the old and the new briquettes and here is how they compared: Quantity | Old Weight | New Weight 1 briquette | 3/4 oz | 7/8 oz 5 briquettes | 4 1/4 oz | 4 3/8 oz 10 briquettes | 8 3/8 oz | 8 5/8 oz For the burn test, I punched two aluminum pie pans with an identical pattern of six holes. I wanted to use a method that would contain the ash for a final weight, as you will see later. I arranged the old and new briquettes in each pan as similarly as I could. I used 12 briquettes in each, in layers of six, four, and two (all with the grooves facing upward). I put a single Weber wax starter cube in each pile. I lit each cube and took pictures at five-minute intervals. For those interested, the temperature was 48º and the humidity was 52%. At five minutes. At 10 minutes. At 15 minutes. At 20 minutes. At 25 minutes. I started taking temperature measurements at this point. I used an infrared thermometer on the bottom of each pan at the 9 o'clock position. Old: 459º New: 334º At 30 minutes. Old: 478º New: 313º At 35 minutes. Old: 426º New: 389º At 60 minutes. Old: 431º New: 557º At 90 minutes. Old: 244º New: 325º I stopped taking pictures at 90 minutes, but I continued reading the temperatures out to 180 minutes. Here is a chart that shows the old and new temperatures over time. The horizontal axis is time and the vertical shows the temperatures. What about ash? Well, as you can see below, they are very close, but the new stuff produces slightly less by weight (3 oz vs. 2 1/2 oz). OK, so what does all of this really mean? The bottom line for me is that, based on my testing, the new product lives up to its claims. In fact, I think it's better than they claim. While you could argue that it starts slower, I think the crossover temperature at roughly 500º is a good indication that they really are comparable out of the gate. As the chart above shows, it does indeed burn longer (and even hotter) over the long haul. Combine that with less ash weight, and I think it's an all-around better product. Note: The new formula is far less smokey starting up than the old formula. I'd estimate that the old stuff smokes four to five times as much. ----- John Last edited by PatioDaddio; 03-01-2010 at 01:57 AM.. |
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03-01-2010, 01:56 AM | #2 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 12-03-09
Location: Long Beach, CA
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Thanks for the meticulous testing! Very nice comparison, pictures, and report!
__________________
-elbows deep in someone else's misery. |
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03-01-2010, 02:10 AM | #3 |
Knows what a fatty is.
Join Date: 07-23-08
Location: Madison, Mississippi
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Great topic and research! Most people don't bother to look at labels. Were you a Boy Scout?
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03-01-2010, 02:14 AM | #4 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 05-04-08
Location: Boise, Idaho
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03-01-2010, 02:35 AM | #5 |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 11-27-08
Location: Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines
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For the record, us Scouts always pronounced it "We Blow".
Thanks, also, for the review. It's nice to see green thinking in a practical way.
__________________
James Kuya's Kitchen - my culinary adventures in the rural Philippines IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller Equipment: Weber Kettle, Stainless GOSM, Green Super-Fast Thermapen Equipment Wish List: Smokehouse, Backyard Brick Pit with Lechon Spit |
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03-01-2010, 02:43 AM | #6 | |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 05-04-08
Location: Boise, Idaho
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Quote:
What could be more green than trees, fire and meat, right? John |
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03-01-2010, 02:50 AM | #7 |
Take a breath!
Join Date: 01-08-10
Location: State of confusion.
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Nice write up. One thing i noticed was the smell was harsh and nasty last time i used kingsford. However this was after weeks of using stubbs all natural briquettes.
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03-01-2010, 02:56 AM | #8 |
Knows what a fatty is.
Join Date: 05-06-09
Location: Burlington, IA
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Great post and information. Now, is the price the same? I haven't seen any of the NEW new K around here yet.
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Chargriller Super Pro, UDS(Pig Destroyer) |
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03-01-2010, 07:14 AM | #9 |
is One Chatty Farker
Join Date: 10-20-05
Location: mn
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I was an Eagle Scout, but I would not have taken the time to do that!!!
Thanks!! GREAT evaluation.
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Smoke On!!!!!! [URL="http://www.kickassbbq.com"]www.kickassbbq.com[/URL] |
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03-01-2010, 08:05 AM | #10 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 02-15-08
Location: Harrisburg, PA
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Thanx for the review.
Was there a visible price difference? "Paying more for less" direction in the summer? Will try some out next... after I go thru the 30 bigs leftover from last year's promo.
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Custom Klose Backyard Chef... of Snot, and a 22.5 WSM Former smokers; Lang 84 Deluxe kitchen, Lang 60 Mobile - The Damsel II, Lang 48 Patio - The Damsel, Bubba Keg Grill - RIP, Double Barrel Smoker and a BSKD |
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03-01-2010, 08:18 AM | #11 |
Babbling Farker
Join Date: 01-01-10
Location: Planet Krypton
Name/Nickname : Jon
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Thanks for the informative test. I just looked at what I used this weekend, and sure enough it was the new and improved. Can't say I noticed a differance, but then again I was drinking beer........ Will have to watch next time I fire up.
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2010 22.5 WSM Weber Q200 1983 WGA 2010 Brick Red Touch n' Go Performer Kitchen stove |
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03-01-2010, 08:21 AM | #12 | |
is one Smokin' Farker
Join Date: 11-27-08
Location: Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines
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Quote:
Plant more trees than required to make the product and it's a carbon absorbing process.
__________________
James Kuya's Kitchen - my culinary adventures in the rural Philippines IMBAS Certified MOINK Baller Equipment: Weber Kettle, Stainless GOSM, Green Super-Fast Thermapen Equipment Wish List: Smokehouse, Backyard Brick Pit with Lechon Spit |
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03-01-2010, 08:52 AM | #13 |
is Blowin Smoke!
Join Date: 08-13-08
Location: San Antonio TX
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Thanks for the review that was very imformative and fun to read.
__________________
22.5 OTG, 18.5 SJP (modded), 14.5 SJS, Weber Q 100, TX Longhorn Camper grill TL 21 [URL="http://www.elcapoteranch.com"]www.elcapoteranch.com[/URL] [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/group.php?groupid=39"]ZERO[/URL] Club Member (2) Creator of: "The Great Chicken Sammich Debacle of 2010" |
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03-01-2010, 09:04 AM | #14 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 07-15-09
Location: Memphis, TN...Formerly of Decatur, AL
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Thanks for the testing! Now, what kind of trains do you drive? (Ducking and running)
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Guerry [FONT=Book Antiqua]Pit Beeatch for Team Munchkin[/FONT] [FONT=Book Antiqua][B]Avatar by Northwest BBQ [/B][/FONT]"...In nature, there are predators. I believe the common denominator of the universe is not harmony, but chaos, hostility and murder..." Werner Herzog |
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03-01-2010, 09:26 AM | #15 |
somebody shut me the fark up.
Join Date: 05-10-06
Location: Overland Fark, KS
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Awesome post! Thanks for sharing.
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Asshattatron Farkanaut, CGCFO Chief Galactic Crockpot Foil Officer Certified MOINK Baller & IMBAS Certified MOINK Ball Judge #0003 - Are you MOINK Certified? Sole recipient of the Silverfinger and fingerlickin Awards! Don't forget about the Throwdown Thingies! The Secret Squirrel Society doesn't exist - Zero Club Duh. |
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