Kingsford Competition Briq's........?

[Wampus]

Just saw these this morning. I've heard about them, but can't justify spending nearly twice the money.

Anyone used them? What gives?

 

[Kevin]

Never used them but they are priced lower at my local grocery store than blue K is at Wally World. I did buy a bag this morning to try it out.

 

[ZILLA]

I used a few bags last year. It seemed to me that they burned quite a bit hotter than the blue but didn't last as long. The smoke they give off is better than the blue too. Give it a whirl and let us know. :thumb:

 

[sdb25]

I think it is slightly better than blue bag K, with a hotter burn and better smell. However, I think neither is very good compared to what else is out there.

I prefer the 100% natural briquets overall, and just about any variety of lump charcoal over any kingsford product.

 

[Alan in Ga]

Havent tried it yet but I will on my next lowes trip.

 

[jmilleronaire]

I've been using them all spring, i'm very pleased with them. they don't make as much ash as blue bag (but a little more ash than lump). but they burn long and steady, unlike the lump i've used thus far. They also don't have the off-flavor that you (well, I) sometimes get from blue bag. That's all i can tell you so far, but i burned two bags today for a practice at spare ribs, and I'll be burning two more tomorrow to feed spare ribs to the family.

 

[big brother smoke]

I find them not as dense as the blue stuff. I was noticing this very thing this morning, while using it to get some coals going on the smoker on the rig. It does burn hotter and does not last as long as the blue. YMMV!

 

[bander7003]

I picked up a couple of bags at costco and am using them right now. I agree with the others. They are not as dense as as Blue K. I can't say whether or not they burn hotter, but they sure don't last as long. I'm into hour 10 on my brisket right now and had to refuel the pit. Normally I wouldn't have to refule for a few more hours. Haven't tasted the final product, but the smoke does smell somewhat better (tho I always liked the smell of a chimney full of Blue K burning).

 

[caliking]

Comp K is not too bad. Little over $1/lb after tax at Costco. They do seem to burn hotter than Blue K, don't have that funky chemical odor that Blue K has and are overall pretty decent. Would pick it over Blue K, but my best has still been RO lump from Walmart. Have a bag of Stubbs in the garage waiting to be tried out.

 

[sdbbq1234]

I tried some 3 weeks ago for a brisket and butt. It has been so long since I used Kingsford or any thing like it, I was suprised at how much ash they made. I am so used to using Cowboy lump. That's about all I can get around here.

The Cowboy lump burns hotter and faster and makes for a more "baby-sitting" BBQ. But, that's waht I am used to now.

I am going to try the Kingsford Comp (and at least finish the bags) again and see if it will work better than the first time.

wallace

 

[bassbuster33]

I like it in my sfb Char-Griller. They keep a nice steady temp and I have good control over the fire.

I haven't tried any of the all natural briquettes so I can't compare.

But the Comp works better in my cooker than hardwood lump does for temp control and burn length.

 

[BRBBQ]

I used once and went back to RO, not saying they were bad.

 

[PatioDaddio]

I did a short review on them last February when they first hit the shelves. It's a great product that, in my opinion, justifies the added cost.

I will be doing a head-to-head "Competition vs. Blue bag" review like my "Old vs New Kingsford Charcoal" review that I posted earlier.

John

 

[hotsmoknlove]

I've been using the comp and it seems like they don't last as long as the blue but work just fine and without the odor of the blue. I'm more partial to the Royal Oak and not sure of any natural around my area.
Where is Collier from the '70's when you want it? That's right. Kingsford bought him out and shut down the competition!

 

[Wampus]

I did a short review on them last February when they first hit the shelves. It's a great product that, in my opinion, justifies the added cost.

I will be doing a head-to-head "Competition vs. Blue bag" review like my "Old vs New Kingsford Charcoal" review that I posted earlier.

John

Cool. I'd like to see how it stacks up to BlueK on your side-by-side.
I like RO all natural briqs over BlueK, but again....I'm cheap. I bought a double pack of 21.6 lb bags for $15 and one bag of Comp K was marked at nearly $9 for like 8 lbs. I don't know..... I'm of the opinion that the charcoal makes less difference than all of the other variables. I mean, other than burn time and ash, I don't know that there's a difference in flavor depending on the fuel......but maybe I'm crazy. Still learning.......cheaply:becky:

Thanks for the input fellas. I'll have to try a bag I guess.

 

[Konrad_Haskins]

I like it for cookers that the air goes though once like a Weber or Offset. Still prefer lump for the BGE that recirculates air.

 

[bigabyte]

You have to decide what's right for you. For some, the added cost isn't worth it, for others the cost is worth the clean long burn. I personally use lump and find it better, but it's all a personal call. You should try it for both grilling and smoking and decide for yourself.

 

[Jeff Selle]

I've been using it for about a month. I normally like Lazzari lump wood charcoal, but kingsford comp is on sale at Costco this month for about $15 for two 15# bags... I'm practicing for my first competitions this year, so i've been stocking up and burning through the stuff pretty quickly.

I agree that it seems like it doesn't last as long as Kingsford blue, but I also just started cooking with a Stoker on my WSM at about the same time I switched to kingsford competition and I suspect that has something to do with my charcoal mileage as well. I can say that it is easier to light than blue and seems to burn hotter too (but again that could fan assist on my stoker).

As far as flavor goes, I can't detect a big difference, but I don't have the most sensitive pallet for that kind of thing either...

 

[MRI_Guy]

I am going to echo what others have said about the Competition vs. Blue bags of Kingsford.

When firing up my WSM last night - I noticed that there was no odor compared to what the Blue gives off.

I also noticed that my WSM was cooking about 25*+ hotter than usual. Before coming back and reading this thread - I was writing off the extra heat to not using any water in the water pan last night. But now I am not so sure that was the only factor contributing to the extra heat.

Then at about the 11 hour mark of my cook - I drug my sorry arse out of bed to check on the smoker and I noticed that the temps were down to about 190* from 250-260*.

Looking inside - I was down to a single layer of mostly used briquettes. I tossed in about 20 or so briqs and opened the vents. Within an hour, the temps were pushing 300*. Holy recovery time Batman. Not long after that, my butts were finished.