Aussie BBQ Forum

Hi guys need to pick your brain , looking for a briquette with no chemical to use in my WSM, is there a product available like this kingsford product available in OZ, if not is there a recommended one to use
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NOq4ECMmxYY
The selection availability in the US/Canada is mind boggling ,have a look at this

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sznC8eKDXI0

Costco sell a kingsford briquette. Not cheap though.

yakabot wrote:Costco sell a kingsford briquette. Not cheap though.

Found them for sale in OZ. CHECK THIS SITE OUT
http://www.americanbbqaustralia.com.au/ ... ll-natural
but surely there is a product that is produced that's similar ,for our market .

I have a bag of Kingsford competition briquettes that I bought from Costco a while ago. The first time I used them I thought they were better than heatbeads because I couldn't detect any weird smell during startup. I think I may have had a cold that day, because the second and third times it smelled like I was letting off new years fireworks. I haven't used it since. The guy in that video has the gall to claim that his briquettes are better than charcoal. Yeah right!

100% natural is pure marketing BS. Asbestos is natural... Plutonium is natural. Natural does not mean safe.

I suggest you use a good quality charcoal. If that doesn't work in the WSM, then use a briquette that has no starting agent in it. As far as I know though, none of the briquettes have an ingredients list though... I wonder why...

Narmnaleg wrote:I have a bag of Kingsford competition briquettes that I bought from Costco a while ago. The first time I used them I thought they were better than heatbeads because I couldn't detect any weird smell during startup. I think I may have had a cold that day, because the second and third times it smelled like I was letting off new years fireworks. I haven't used it since. The guy in that video has the gall to claim that his briquettes are better than charcoal. Yeah right!

100% natural is pure marketing BS. Asbestos is natural... Plutonium is natural. Natural does not mean safe.

I suggest you use a good quality charcoal. If that doesn't work in the WSM, then use a briquette that has no starting agent in it. As far as I know though, none of the briquettes have an ingredients list though... I wonder why...

Can any one assist?
Is there a chemical free briquette ?

The Kingsford Competition briquette "should" be chemical free (except for borax used as a mould releasing agent during manufacturing). Advertised as only containing wood char, starch and a very small amount of borax.

Sawdust charcoal briquettes shouldn't have any binder in them, as the sawdust naturally binds together under high pressure and heat. Coconut briquettes require a small percentage of food grade starch (tapioca, potato, corn) to bind the charcoal together.

emberpak wrote:The Kingsford Competition briquette "should" be chemical free (except for borax used as a mould releasing agent during manufacturing). Advertised as only containing wood char, starch and a very small amount of borax.

Sawdust charcoal briquettes shouldn't have any binder in them, as the sawdust naturally binds together under high pressure and heat. Coconut briquettes require a small percentage of food grade starch (tapioca, potato, corn) to bind the charcoal together.

Can you guide me in a chemical free briquette that performs well ?

Are you after extruded or pillow briquettes? Also, where are you located?

emberpak wrote:Are you after extruded or pillow briquettes? Also, where are you located?

Not sure what u mean ,I'm in Melbourne and am looking for a briquette that is reliable to cook low and slow in the WSM ,but also at higher temps if needed

TMAN wrote:

emberpak wrote:Are you after extruded or pillow briquettes? Also, where are you located?

Not sure what u mean ,I'm in Melbourne and am looking for a briquette that is reliable to cook low and slow in the WSM ,but also at higher temps if needed

Why not charcoal?


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Why not try Firebrand but I don't see what's wrong with good old heat breads. No deaths from using them that I'm aware of.

TMAN wrote:

emberpak wrote:Are you after extruded or pillow briquettes? Also, where are you located?

Not sure what u mean ,I'm in Melbourne and am looking for a briquette that is reliable to cook low and slow in the WSM ,but also at higher temps if needed

Pillow briquettes are shaped like a fat square pillow, and the extruded stuff is typically a hexagonal log with a hole in the centre. Unfortunately, I don't know what is sold in Melb, but Red Head charcoal briquettes should be sold nationwide. They're not too bad for C/D grade (size grading, not quality) briquettes. They'll give you a good, consistent heat, but for high heat you really need to use lump charcoal. Sawdust and coconut briquettes just do not match the heat output of lump.

Chris

I find that if I use a combination of both Heat Beads and charcoal in my WSM (22.5) I get the best of both worlds, no off flavours that I can detect and good cooking times.

The way I see it briquettes and charcoal offer different advantages

Heat Beads- long, consistent burn time, decent heat but not as hot as.....
Charcoal- High heat, great flavour but inconsistent burn time.

So, I tend to lay a single layer base of heat beads on my fuel rack and fill the rest on top with charcoal. My rationale for this is that the heat beads will light along the way and provide a good even source of heat underneath the charcoal and essentially keep it trucking along so it can provide it's superior heat and flavour properties. One, it saves a bit of charcoal which is a bit more expensive than briquettes and two you get the best of both worlds and great tasting food out of your smoker.

Now to answer your question, well I can't really, however unless you have found out something about an ingredient(s) in heat beads that most of us don't know about I'd say that they are fine to use in a WSM, as many of us do, and they impart no off flavours or adverse results. Hope this all makes sense