Charcoal Test Kroger Revisited (Part 7)

 The Kroger test was run on a warm afternoon and the ash pan picture was not taken at the right time, the charcoal hadn't had time to burn out completely. So I decided to retest under similar conditions to Royal Oak Natural. This lead to refining my conclusions a little as well. Ash pan the morning after:

35 minutes to reach 200 degrees.

Peak temperature 354 degree.

200 to 200 degrees burn time 151 degrees.

Updated conclusions: 

Firstly, the Kroger got hotter this time than it did when it was warm, this speaks well of my Assassin grill's build and insulation. Secondly, the discrepancies between the 2 Kroger burns shines a light on the simple fact that in a outdoor grilling environment the discrepancies in the shape of the charcoal mound, how the lighter gets on with it's job, and other factors make more difference than the charcoal itself. If we were to conclude that all the briquets performed equally that would give the win to Royal, because in this area all are sold at approximately 50 cents per lb, and the Royal is 77% as dense as Kroger, and 91% as dense as Kingsford. So, it burned equally hot with less weight since the test was done by volume. (More literal bang for your literal buck.) Ultimately, the main reason to select a given briquet over another is preference, and I prefer Royal because of how close to natural lump it is. The other 2 have various different proprietary ingredients. On a side note, Charblox burned as advertised but didn't get hot enough to justify the cost. If they revisit their pricing to be competitive with briquets, I would probably keep them on hand for long cooks.

Charcoal Test Wrap Up (Part 6)

  As you scan through the blog, you notice 4 different charcoal tests, I originally set out to do do 3, but a friend kindly donated a bag of Kingsford Blue Bag, ie "Original".  So, I tested 3 different types of briquets and what I consider to be the markets best lump, each was measured by volume, because volume is how you grill. Very few people have a scales by their grill where they measure out 5 lbs and cook. Almost everyone fills their tray to a point, or their chimney etc. So I measured it out with a chimney. Measuring by volume gave Rockwood a chance to justify it's cost, it failed, more on this below. When I weighed the charcoal with the same bucket, the Kroger weighed 13lbs, Kingsford 11 lbs, Royal 10 lbs, and Rockwood 6 lbs.

  Of the three briquets, the Royal Oak Natural is my favorite as of this writing, it has the fewest ingredients, and it's test was done under the harshest conditions. The other 2 briquets performed as well, and burned longer, but in warmer conditions. The other briquets have many different ingredients that are proprietary and secret. Kingsford claims to be all natural and burned nearly as hot as Royal, so it would get the nod over Kroger for me. 

  Lastly, we come to the Rockwood, I wanted it to be the best. I love how fast it came to temperature (and it's test conditions were as harsh as Royal). and how little ash it left behind, I like how the smoke was clean through the entire 200-200 burn. However, it costs 44% more than the Royal by volume and burned for less time at lower temperature than any of the briquets. Of course it would probably win the burn contests time and temperature both if the tests were done by weight, but it costs over twice as much by weight as the Royal. I think for me, the answer is Royal with wood chunks for flavor, then failing to find that, either Kingsford blue bag or another brand with the same ingredients as Royal. 

 Edited on 10/25/21 I tested the 2 extruded hardwood brands: Charblox and Prime 6. I found that they were over priced. You are paying for the density of the charcoal. If you have a grill with limited space, and want to pack more weight in per cook, this is beneficial, but for the rest of us, I would not buy it until the price per lb. drops in line. I am using Fogo lump right now, it burns like Rockwood. Scientifically speaking, lump burns better per lb than any briquet and leaves less ash. Downsides are cost and lack of density. Lack of density is not a problem if your grill has the room. Burn lump if you can find a good one at the right price for your budget with no junk in it and if it's been thoroughly carbonized. If your concerned about cost, a natural briquet seems to be the best value play. 

 If you clicked on this from the science tab and want to learn more about how I reached these conclusions, in detail, click on 2020 and November in the archives section. There you will see all the other parts to this test. 

Kingsford Blue Bag (Part 5)

 Ash pan the next morning:

Preheat to 200 degrees: 41 minutes

Peak temperature: 351 degrees

200 degrees back to 200 degrees time: 152 minutes

Smoke was bitter during startup, it got clean but maybe slightly more bitter than Royal Oak Natural, would call this a draw.

Any ties having to do with temperature should fall the way of Royal Oak Natural, ambient air temperature was aprox 20 degrees colder when the Royal Oak was tested. 

About the test: http://lonny90.blogspot.com/2020/11/charcoal-testing-setup-and-ground-rules.html

Kroger Charcoal Briquets Test (Part 4)

 This test was done at a time of 20 degrees warmer temperatures than the others, I am not quite sure how to account for that. Also the ash pan picture was taken almost immediately after the test due to time constraints. I shook the charcoal grate to get it all down and get an accurate representation. Ash pan picture:

Preheat time to 200 degrees: 44 minutes

Smoke was bitter, but cleaned up in second half, much like Royal Oak Natural.

Peak temperature reached: 342 degrees. 

Time from 200 degrees back down to 200 degrees: 190 minutes. 

About the test: http://lonny90.blogspot.com/2020/11/charcoal-testing-setup-and-ground-rules.html

Royal Oak All Natural Hardwood Charcoal Briquets Test (Part 3)

 Ash pan the next morning:

Preheat time to 200 degrees: 38 minutes.

Peak temperature reached: 354 degrees.

Time from 200 degrees back down to 200 degrees: 133 minutes. 

The smoke was clean for a briquet, but still bitter, only after the peak temperature was reached did the smoke clean up to about the same cleanliness as the Rockwood did. 

About the test: http://lonny90.blogspot.com/2020/11/charcoal-testing-setup-and-ground-rules.html

Rockwood Charcoal Test (Part 2)

 Ash pan the next Morning:

Preheat time to 200 degrees: 26 minutes

Peak temperature reached: 316 degrees

Smoke was ultra clean, only smell was grease from the grill, could have baked bread. This is my preference because it allows me to add more smoke with the wood of my choice. 

Time from 200 degrees back down to 200 degrees: 110 minutes.

About the test: http://lonny90.blogspot.com/2020/11/charcoal-testing-setup-and-ground-rules.html

Charcoal Testing, Setup and Ground Rules. (Part 1)

 I have moved from a gas smoker, to a charcoal grill. I love my charcoal grill. It is an Assassin 36, I can configure it with a drip pan that directs heat across to cook similar to an offset or a indirect heat grill like a Holland Gas. I can configure it with a water pan to cook similar to a classic cabinet style or bullet smoker. I can configure it with no pan in order to grill with direct heat or 2 zones, similar to the classic weber kettle or rectangular charcoal box. Lastly, I can take out the lower cooking grate and cook with wood splits. 

Check out Assassin grills here: https://www.assassin-smokers.com/charcoal-grills/

 The reason for the tests:

 I am used to getting a lot of btus for my dollar because of cooking with propane. Propane is cheap and extremely efficient. However, it leaves a lot to be desire for flavor, and I am a big believer in a charcoal bed with wood chunks added for the best flavor. So, I want the best all around charcoal for my Assassin, I want it to heat quickly, burn a long time, preferably very hot, so I can control it down to desired temperature with air flow, and leave me with as little ash as possible. I studied charcoal tests and reviews online and learned a lot about the theory, however, most tests focus on comparing different brands of lump to each other, or different brands of briquettes to each other. So, I was stuck between 3 options:

1. Nearly the cheapest and most convenient for me: Kroger briquettes, which are made by Royal Oak. Here: https://www.kroger.com/p/kroger-original-ridged-charcoal-briquets/0004126037327

2. A good natural briquet, based on what I found, the Royal Oak brand is about as good as any, and I like the transparency about what's in it. Here: https://www.royaloak.com/products/all-natural-hardwood-charcoal-briquets/

3. A good lump, after reading The Naked Whiz, (http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm) Rockwood, appears to be the best or amongst the best lump charcoal in their database. Here: https://rockwoodcharcoal.com/

The ground rules: 

I will take each charcoal and fill my camp chef brand chimney to the brim, then I will dump it out onto the Assassin's charcoal tray, put a lit pine mountain wax starter in the ash tray, shut the door, leave the vents wide open, and lid down throughout. I will track temperatures with a Thermoworks Smoke. I want to see how long it takes to climb to 200 degrees. How hot it gets, and how long before it falls below 200 degrees again. If the temperature rises to 400, I will choke the vents to help extend the burn time. After logging that, I will check the ashtray and take a picture of it the next day. Each test will be started with a clean ash tray. As far as pricing, the Rockwood is more expensive per pound than both briquets, but, it is similarly priced by volume due to how dense the briquets are. So using a chimney will cause the Rockwood to have less weight in the grill, but also bring it's price inline with the briquets.