Briquettes Question

[crizmo]

Hi Guys,
I got WSM a month ago. I've been really pleased with it but my initial order of heat beads has now run out. I've loved them as I can get at least 12 hours out of 1 bag for a nice long smoke and maintain the temp. The only issue is I'd like not to have to order online. My local butchers have standard supagrill briquettes. Has anyone tried these compared to heat beads as they are on my doorstep and cheaper.

Cheers

Chris

[keith157]

Heat Beads are some of the best you can get. They burn hot & for a long time, the only advice I can give you is try the others and see, if they don't work out for your low n slow use the rest for grilling.

[The Social Smokers]

We've used Supagrill before but nothing has compared to Heat Beads. Why don't you want to order online?

[crizmo]

We've used Supagrill before but nothing has compared to Heat Beads. Why don't you want to order online?

I'd just like not to have to be in the house when it's being delivered or pay for Sat delivery. If supagrill was as good I could walk round the corner for a bag if I decide last second that I want to smoke something instead of having to buy in bulk.

Cheers

Chris

[The Social Smokers]

We've used Supagrill before but nothing has compared to Heat Beads. Why don't you want to order online?

I'd just like not to have to be in the house when it's being delivered or pay for Sat delivery. If supagrill was as good I could walk round the corner for a bag if I decide last second that I want to smoke something instead of having to buy in bulk.

Cheers

Chris

Do you not have a work address you could get it delivered to? Supagrill briquettes are ok, they don't last as long or burn as hot as the cocoshell though.

[crizmo]

We've used Supagrill before but nothing has compared to Heat Beads. Why don't you want to order online?

I'd just like not to have to be in the house when it's being delivered or pay for Sat delivery. If supagrill was as good I could walk round the corner for a bag if I decide last second that I want to smoke something instead of having to buy in bulk.

Cheers

Chris

Do you not have a work address you could get it delivered to? Supagrill briquettes are ok, they don't last as long or burn as hot as the cocoshell though.

I do but I'm often off-site or in a meeting all day and I they'd frown on a pallet of charcoal sat in reception or outside the front door.

Cheers

Chris

[keith157]

As I say, just give one a try, I've several part bags of assorted charcoal that weren't suitable (mostly supermarket I admit). Try a test run and give it a fair go, you already know it's unlikely to be as good as Heat Beads but it may be okay for casual use.

[UKEgger]

I gave up using brickets a years ago, far too much ash produced which block the grate and hinder airflow plus its not so good when you put on the garden once used. Are their any benefits to using brickets over pure lumpwood ?

I order my lumpwood from woof wood fuels, produced from managed forest in Dorest and burns for ages and pretty reasonable.

[keith157]

I gave up using brickets a years ago, far too much ash produced which block the grate and hinder airflow plus its not so good when you put on the garden once used. Are their any benefits to using brickets over pure lumpwood ?

I order my lumpwood from woof wood fuels, produced from managed forest in Dorest and burns for ages and pretty reasonable.

I think it's a matter of personal choice, which I'm glad of. I could never get on with lumpwood "back-in-the-day" so used briquettes, and still do.

Oh and welcome

[BBQFanatic]

This is a topic that I just know will see more comments, but before it kicks off, my preferences have changed. I grew up in a wood and lumpwood only family. This was only for grilling, however I moved to briquettes based on the fact that I would get better quality heat when compared to lumpwood. What I didn't realise is that the lumpwood I was buying from the supermarket was generally bargain basement rubbish as a result the heat was variable, burn time no existent. For this reason briquettes offered good value for money in comparrison. They generally burnt longer and hotter. For grilling I still use them, however, since moving into the BBQ world I have rediscovered my love for lumpwood. The key I believe here is high quality, high grade, hardwood lumpwood, this is not the 3kg or 5kg stuff you generally find, typically they are sold in larger bags and have some real big pieces of wood in it, rather than the chips you find in the el cheapo supermarket bags. As a team we have explored various options including the sustainable stuff in our area(but they do such low volumes the cost is prohibitively high). The benefits I have found for using lump, is that kg for kg, in bulk I get as long, it not longer burn times as briquettes. Heat is never a problem and there is typically 1/3 the ash than briquettes without the binding agents residue. For clqrity, my understanding of the typical briquette, is 90% char and coal and about 10% bindin. a binding agent (typically starch made from corn, milo, or wheat), an accelerant (such as nitrate), and an ash-whitening agent (such as lime) to let the backyard barbecuer know when the briquettes are ready to cook over.

All of these I i believe can add something to the smoke and I find you dont get as sweet a smoke, but that's opinion only. I do challenge the briquettes are hotter and longer as I have cooked a pork shoulder for 14hrs with 1 chimney starter of lumpwood. To be fair they were the right conditions, but I maintained 230f for a grand total of 15hrs and it continued to sit at 200f for another 3hrs. This was on a 47cm wsm with a clay tray.

Value for money I believe the restaurant grade 10-15kg bags work out cheaper than briquettes as well. I appreciate if you are not purchasing 150kgs at a time then there is not much in it.


Apologies for the typos, doing this on a phone doesn't help.