So, what fuel for the fire?

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92hatchattack

Senior Cook
Joined
Jun 13, 2007
Messages
113
Location
new jersey
Hey guys, ive got a few questions on what type of charcoal you guys are using, and whats the deal with addink wood chips and all the fancy stuff i keep hearing about.

So to start out let me say that right now all i use when i head out to the park to grill it up is matchlight. And from what i hear this is a sin. Does diffrent charcoal really effect tast that much? And whats with the wood chips stuff. I hear people addind apple flavor, or this flavor or that flavor.... is this flavor really aparent in the food? Does it come out just in pork products, or can a simple hamburger taste better cooked over some flavored whatever you guys are adding? And where do you buy this stuff?

As you can see (as i am currently a matchlighter) i know NOTHING about any of this, so if you guys could enlighten me a bit, maybe a simple little change in the fuel i use can add a little somthing to my sorry BBQ.

Thanks guys, love the site.

---Joe
 
Matchlight is a sin and its vile stuff. The chemical fumes from it are horrid.

I would recommend you try using a lump charcoal. You will notice a HUGE difference to your foods overall taste. Even plain briquets used in a chimney starter would be a big improvement for you.

I use Basques all natural hardwood charcoal. I love it for the low moisture content.

I am not sure of the stores in your area and I am sure someone here can help you.

As for wood chips or chunks we use smokinlicious products to add additional flavours like cherry or hickory. They make the food taste better whether it be pork or beef.

Good luck to you but please stay away from matchlight.
 
I just bought a bag of Royal Oak and trying it before Tuesday at some point. I wouldn't mess with the match light...to much gassy taste..but I do remember when everything had that mix in it in the 70's :shock: :D :LOL: :LOL:
 
Use anything except for match light. I started off on Kingsford briquettes, then moved on to lump charcoal (Cowboy). I began trying to cook at lower temperatures for longer durations so I went back to Kingsford briquettes. I have since switched to using Wicked Good lump briquettes, Wicked Good lump, and Kingsford Competition briquettes. Wicked Good is available online and Kingsford Competition is available at Home Depot. The great thing about the new Kingsford Competition briquettes is they do not have coal, borax, and other additives, which may be unsafe, and give chemical flavors to foods. Later this spring, Trader's Joe is supposed to be carrying Rancher Charcoal again. I'll probably start using that for a while. I hope this list helps. The easiest thing to do is get some Kingsford Competition briquettes and a chimney starter and start cooking. Throw away the lighter fluid.

Regards,
Oak
 
Yeah never use starter fluid or instant lighting coals. Get a chimney & use that to get the charcoal briquetts or lump started.

Lump is labled "100% hardwood" in many stores.

You can use LP gas torch or burner to start you chimney...
 
Is there any other way to light lump or regular charcoal without using a chimney? I dont have a house, so i grill at the park, and they have those dinky grills on a pole... They do have adjustable grates, but the grate does not come off the top, so id have to dump the chimney in sideways... im afraid this may result in a forest fire.. LOL
 
Well, i just got back from checking some things out at Home depot, and they do carry the Kingsford Comp, and also a brand of Lump that i cant remember. They also had a few harwoods... hickory, and a mesqui.... something or other... what is that stuff?

So i guess the best thing for me is to cook a few times with just the King Comp, and then a few times with the Lump... that should give me a good base so i can better identify taste when adding hardwoods later?

More suggestions for combinations are welcome of course... there are some real BBQ rocket scientist on this site i know.


Now, matchlight gives off fumes and distprts taste, but why it it ok to takea propaine torch to your regular charcoal??? Does this not effect the taste and give off fumes, and why not?
 
92hatchattack said:
Well, i just got back from checking some things out at Home depot, and they do carry the Kingsford Comp, and also a brand of Lump that i cant remember. They also had a few harwoods... hickory, and a mesqui.... something or other... what is that stuff?

So i guess the best thing for me is to cook a few times with just the King Comp, and then a few times with the Lump... that should give me a good base so i can better identify taste when adding hardwoods later?

More suggestions for combinations are welcome of course... there are some real BBQ rocket scientist on this site i know.


Now, matchlight gives off fumes and distprts taste, but why it it ok to take a propaine torch to your regular charcoal??? Does this not effect the taste and give off fumes, and why not?
Click to expand...

Those chunks of hardwood are just that...chunks. Guys who use WSM's and maybe smaller offsets will use these chunks, sometimes soaked in water to smoke more and not just catch fire, to accent the charcoal briquettes which, traditionally, do not have much real smoke flavor imparted into/onto the food.

You can experiment with the different types of wood chunks to find out what best fits you own tastes. I don't use mesquite because I think it's too harsh for me. I will start a cook with hickory for good strong initial penetration then switch to apple and cherry for variations in flavor throughout the cook...layering the flavors if you will.

I also strongly suggest you get and read "Smoke and Spice" from Bill and Cheryl Jamieson...great book. Use Rempe's link to Amazon.com so he gets a little something for it.


Propane is one of the cleanest burning fuels with 90% of the usable energy being used when burned. It leaves very little, if any residue after burning. I use propane all the time to start charcoal in a chimney either with a weed burner or on the burner on the front of my Klose pit.

You're on the road to learning a great deal about a very complex subject. Don't hesitate to ask questions here. We've all been there and have made the same mistakes you will. That's how you learn though. If you need anything...just ask.

;)
 
Well I would stick with the matchlight. Reminds me a lot of my child hood but we used Gulflight I think. Now the Mexican American who lived next door to me in Corpus always used gasoline. Now you want somthing tasty try that. Just trying to cover all the bases here. Now I used paint stripper one time. It make the meat taste sorta funny.

bigwheel
 
GET A CHIMNEY!!! It is an IT IS DESPENSIBLE. Probably moreso than a grill. If you have time, just figure out a way to get the stuff in the grill.Eventually, you will have a house and will buy a Weber Kettle, and also a Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker, and you will need one. If you buy good charcoal, and douse it with LF, then, just stick with the matchlight. I would go to Home Depot, and buy a bag of hickory chunks as well. And 3-4 to your charcoal to give some hint of wood smoke to the finished product. Woodman
 
So whats a decent chimney? Or are they all the same? I saw a Webber one on amazon for about $15. As far as the wood chips go, do you guys like to throw em right in, or prefer to wet them down a bit to induce smoke?

Yeah, im not a real fancy eater. Fancy fruit and vegi recipies dont do it for me. Strickly a meat and potatoes guy, so i figure if thats what i like its time to start cooking some good meat.

Question, is an 18" Webber one touch a large enough kettle to do some decent indirect cooking with? I never thought my wife would even give me a shot a getting one, but we were looking at them at home depot and she mentioned how she doesnt like to eat off the park grills because birds poop on them. LOL. We havent figured out how we would traspot it around... but those are minor details right? :)
 
Hickory chunks- not chips. I throw my chunks in dry. Any chimney will do just keep it in the garage when its not in use, and it'll last years.
 
92hatchattack said:
So whats a decent chimney? Or are they all the same? I saw a Webber one on amazon for about $15. As far as the wood chips go, do you guys like to throw em right in, or prefer to wet them down a bit to induce smoke?

Yeah, im not a real fancy eater. Fancy fruit and vegi recipies dont do it for me. Strickly a meat and potatoes guy, so i figure if thats what i like its time to start cooking some good meat.

Question, is an 18" Webber one touch a large enough kettle to do some decent indirect cooking with? I never thought my wife would even give me a shot a getting one, but we were looking at them at home depot and she mentioned how she doesnt like to eat off the park grills because birds poop on them. LOL. We havent figured out how we would traspot it around... but those are minor details right? :)
Click to expand...
If you are going with a Weber get the 22.5....I recomended the other grill because it folds do for easier trasnport
 
^^^ but will it cook as well? I dont know if grill shape or quality effects how it cooks. I really like the webbers. I checked one out at home depot and it looks as iff the legs just pull right out of the kettle. I figured this was just a tid bit more difficult than folding it up but shouldnt be too bad. The 22 seems substantialy larger though.. dont know if that would fit in the back of my little crossover.

But i will consider everything ... thanks for all the great info so far!
 
The 22" is definitely better! You "could" do OK on the 18" but I'd make every effort to go with the 22" Or, even better, if you can swing a $300 investment, go with a WSM delivered. You can grill AND smoke easily, and the footprint is narrower. A Weber chimney is a very good model. WM
 
As times are hard, the WSM is def. out of my price range right now. Is the webber one-touch sliver ok? Its $90 vs the gold one-touchs $150+ is a pretty big price diffrence... ill have to see if the 22 will even fit in my car... LOL
 
Go look for a Weber on Craigslist....you'll find one cheap.....I say thats your best cheapest bet! ;)

I was gonna look but didnt know what part of jersey your in.
 
Another question. What is the bennifit it any of using charcoal over just stright wood for fire? Is the charcaol better to cook with? Whats the dirrfence? I know when i go camping i make everything from pancakes and bacon to steak and potatoes on a grate straight over the campfire.

If charcoal a cooking advantage, or just more convinient?

Sorry guys, im a rotten speller if you havent noticed.
 
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