Author Topic: My unscientific experiments and conclusions with Backyard Grill jumbo briquettes  (Read 2212 times)

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Offline Paul Hart

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An FYI for those that are interested. Ok I've been experimenting with Walmarts Backyard Grill charcoal, the stuff that's like 50% larger briquettes and supposedly made by Royal Oak, a respected brand. First cook went kind of bad, I lost temps fast, half the basket Didnt light and there was a lot of ash. I ended up lighting about 14 Stubbs and dropping those in there to get it relit and back up to temp. That worked and I got several more hours out of it, but I felt like I had to babysit it the whole time. That was on a long cook (10 lb pork shoulder) and it ended up ok. Today I did a 3.3 lb Chuck after grilling a skirt steak for 15 min with the lid 3/4 on so the temps were pretty good and it was well lit when I put it on. I started in the high 370's but with the lid on and rebar replaced it dropped into the 270 range after a bit and hung out there fairly well for an hour or so. All at once though, the temp starts dropping pretty fast. So I pull a rebar. Doesn't seem to do much. Temp of the Chuck was at about 150, 15° shy of what the recipe for Wolfes Pepper Stout beef calls for before panning, but I went ahead and fired the oven up anyway because I was worried about it going too cold on me. Already had all the veggies and stuff ready in the pan. So I pull it out when the oven was ready, and when I had the food off I pulled the grate and stirred the coals around with a rebar. Once again, one side barely lit, the other side was almost ash. But, I thought maybe the ash was an issue so I left the probe in and put the lid back on and replaced the rebar. Temp shot right back up to 300 and is still hanging there. I think the problem is the larger briquettes get too much ash on the outside and start smothering and going out. As soon as I stirred them, temps shot up and the ones on the unlit side that I moved around started lighting. So here's what I think: for long cooks, if you're willing to pull the food about 90 min in and Prob again 90 min later to stir the coals around some to knock the ash off and reposition the unlit ones, then this stuff is fine and for the price a good deal. For short cooks like a tri-tip or whatever, totally worth it I would say. It's cheap and tastes fine. Another thing to consider is that with the larger coals, once I pulled about 20 something from a full basket to put in the chimney, it was less than half full. So pulling 40 like you would for Kingsford would damned near empty the basket out I think. For grilling steaks on a regular grill or something, these would be a fine money saver. I think the jumbo size makes them a little quirky but not impossible to work with. As with all things, your mileage may vary. Happy cooking.
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Offline Chief Mac

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Paul
Did you try to burn the Wal-Mart charcoal in your Weber Performer? Just a question to quantify your hypothesis?

Actually the reason I ask is because I have not used Charcoal for BBQ in a very, very, long time. When I had problems with my first Chicken in the new PBC, I wanted to make sure that I covered what advice I got in this forum plus asked myself, " how old is the charcoal?" "When does Charcoal go bad?" Well I asked Kingsford and they replied with one answer. If Charcoal is stored in a cool and dry place then its  longevity is indefinite.  So they answered part of my question but not all that I was looking for. I wanted to know what the code was on the bag. What did the manufacture or package code tell me? I sent a Email back to them stating that I may have gotten Charcoal that was not stored continually in a warm, dry place, since it was stored by a lot of retailers in less than ideal conditions until it is sold. My example was Wal-Mart, K Mart and some Home Depots stores take most of there Charcoal bags out of the stores in October and November to make room for seasonal items. The stores here and areas around here move their stock outside under a roofed area but exposed to a wide range of temperatures and humidity for the 4 or 5 months that the over stock is stored. Kingsford was still reluctant to tell me anything about the bag code and also said that they were not responsible for the methods that retailers were warehousing or storing their products. And that I should take up the issue with the retailers if I was having problems.
I returned the Email stating that if I did not know what the bag code was, then I did not have to much to discuss with store. I asked Kingsford if I went to a grocery store and said that their milk, eggs or other perishables are bad and outdated, and I have no understandable code to verify my claim, they may politely tell me I was misinformed and to shop elsewhere. They did send me another Email informing me of the meaning of each digit of the bag code. Now if I have any doubts I will be smart enough to find the freshest bags of charcoal available. Just in case you want to know, I bought the twin 20 lbs bags 17 Feb. 2015, and the bags were stored inside Home Depot on a wrapped pallet. The code on those 2 bags were 28 Dec. 2014. So I would say they were fresh especially at $19.00 for 40lbs. Take a look what happens with all the summer outdoor stuff around the holidays. Especially Wal Mart.
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Offline Big Dawg

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Great information, Mac.  But I guess it's bad news for me ! ! !

The only place I have to store my KBB (HD two 20 lbs bags for $10 sale a year or so ago) is outside in my carport.  So while I can be reasonable sure it's stayed dry, the temps, as you can imagine, have been all over the place.





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Offline pmillen

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They did send me another Email informing me of the meaning of each digit of the bag code.

Will you share the ability to decode the dates?
Paul

MAK 2-Star - M Grills M-36 - Hunsaker Drum - Basic 36" Blackstone Griddle - PK Grill - Masterbuilt 1050 - Kamado Joe Big Joe w/FireBoard Blower - Broilmaster H3 Gas

Offline Chief Mac

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They did send me another Email informing me of the meaning of each digit of the bag code.

Will you share the ability to decode the dates?
pmillen
Yes, sure I will share the bag code enigma with everyone.  The bag code was : M314362A-1902. The explanation I received is as follows:
M3 = Product Code
14 = Year
362= The day packaged by the Julian Date ( 28 December). 365 days to the year except leap year add 1 day. Either do math to find the Julian day or look it up on the Internet. 
A= Production Shift
1902 = Code for the Plant Producing the Material.
Some other items I learned doing the research was: #1. Ford Motor Company was the origin of Kingsford, a way to recycle Model "T" wood scraps.
#2. If you E mail or contact Kingsford product support the reply comes from the Clorox Company?
#3. If anyone is interested how  Kingsford Charcoal is produced here is the link: http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/destinations/2013/02/05/kingsford-charcoal-factory-tour/1890923/
#4. A Gee Whiz Fact: If you have to store a Freezer, Refrigerator, or Clothes washer for any amount of time, fill a piece of  a woman's nylon stocking or panty hose leg with  8 -10 charcoal briquettes. Hang the filled nylon in the appliance to prevent moisture build up and mildew. It will work for -- I know for up to 3 years.   
CM   
 
« Last Edit: March 15, 2015, 09:46:50 PM by Chief Mac »
Weber Genesis E-320
Charbroil - CB600X Gas Smoker
Landmann Smoky Mountain Electric Smoker
PBC
14" Kingsford Charcoal Take Anywhere Grill
A Maz N Tube Smoker 6" & 12"
GrillGrates
Anova--Sous Vide Device

Offline pmillen

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Thanx, Mac.
Paul

MAK 2-Star - M Grills M-36 - Hunsaker Drum - Basic 36" Blackstone Griddle - PK Grill - Masterbuilt 1050 - Kamado Joe Big Joe w/FireBoard Blower - Broilmaster H3 Gas