G
7

"Premium" charcoal briquettes vs. the cheap store brand... worth it?

I dropped $30 on a bag of jealous devil charcoal for a brisket last weekend, but my buddy swears by the $8 kingsford blue bag. The expensive stuff burned super hot but I ran out halfway through my 8-hour smoke. Has anyone else tested both sides and found a clear winner?
2 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
2 Comments
holly_foster
...and that's exactly the problem with the premium stuff. Jealous Devil burns insanely hot but you get way less cook time out of it. Kingsford blue bag is the workhorse for a reason, it's consistent and predictable for long smokes. I wouldn't use cheap store brand lump though, that stuff has rocks and sparks in it half the time. For a brisket, stick with Kingsford or a middle option like Cowboy if you want a hotter fire but don't want to run out.
1
holly_foster
Wait is this really that big of a deal? I bought a random bag of lump at the grocery store for a pork butt and it worked fine.
0