mark1101 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 I used the Kingsford competition briquettes last night to cook some ribeyes and sausages. I noticed the briquettes are smaller and denser than regular Kingsford and they have a "K" imprinted in them. They definitely burn hotter but for not as long as regular Kingsford. I used a chimney to start them but I never let the coals get white hot in the chimney. I dump them when just the bottom few are white, so there are many black coals and this generates more smoke in the Weber. Once out of the chimney they quickly turn white anyhow. Works for me. Noramally, I use regular Kingsford. I would not try and use the competition coals for slow cooking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ace168516 Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Thanks for the heads up on this...don't have a costco, but Sam's may have the same product...will have to watch. Although not a fan of gas, I do have a nice 4 burner SS propane grill, as well as my weber gold kettle. I find myself only using the gas in early spring/late fall when the weather isn't really condusive to standing out waiting for charcoal to get ready. However, I love the flavor of the charcoal, so in the summer there is no question...stand out, have a beer and enjoy the time spent grilling. ACE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsear Posted March 29, 2010 Author Share Posted March 29, 2010 I sent Kingsford an email about the problem. They promptly replied this morning (which is appreciated). Per Kingsfords customer service the competition briquettes are designed to be ready in "5 minutes" and they do NOT recommend them for slow cooking (although the packaging states otherwise). Got me a coupon for their regular product, too. Someday I will get a more sophisticated BBQ rig and will use real hardwoods charcoal. For now BBQ still needs to be more convenient and smoke chips do work well. No propane here. I still need the rocket hot fire and cast iron grates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 Gonna get me a coupon too before the rest of you bombard their customer service dept![] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 29, 2010 Moderators Share Posted March 29, 2010 The way everyone is talking Charcoal = Tubes Gas = SS Hardwood = mono with Tubes Open fire with logs = live music...........which everyone is trying to duplicate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted March 29, 2010 Share Posted March 29, 2010 You think too much dtel. (that's a compliment) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators dtel Posted March 29, 2010 Moderators Share Posted March 29, 2010 You think too much dtel. (that's a compliment) That's the first time I have ever been accused of that ! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwwrs Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Thanks for the heads up. I had a Costco coupon and almost bought them before I realized how expensive they were compared to regular Kingsford charcoal. I think I'll stick to the old tried and true! And yes, I do use the chimney starter which might be the best bbq invention since the original weber grill! Glad you like it, Gary. Now for a little history. The chimney charcoal starter was invented right here in my little hometown of Corinth by Garner Byers. The original patent,http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3116704.pdf'> http://www.freepatentsonline.com/3116704.pdf lists Garner and Lavaughn Johnson as the inventors. The next patent (click the pdf) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimney_starter'> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimney_starter adds Hugh King as a co-inventor. The inventor was actually Byers, who was a sort of mad scientist with things mechanical and who went on to form Tyrone Hydralics Inc. after he had amassed a good bit of money from this little invention. Johnson, as it was told to me was the money man to start things off. Hughes came into the picture after they contracted out the actual manufacturing from him. He was a machinist and evidently made a few improvements which the second patent reflects. He later formed Hughes Manufacturing and Engineering. As an aside to all this is that some years after Byers death, I was able to see his workshop which was on the second floor of a building downtown. It was a staggering experience, around 2500 sq. ft. of just amazing things in various stages of development. The thing that stuck in my mind was that at some point he had made out of wood a working model of what I recognized as a Wankel rotary engine. I have no idea if this was his idea or just something he had read about and wanted to see how it worked. It had a hand crank and when you turned it, everything went around and the rotors functioned with an almost silk like movement. And now you know the rest of the story...with apologies to Paul. Randall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Very interesting! Thanks for the history lesson Randall. I don't think it really caught on (no pun intended) until sometime around the early 90s. Actually, I never even saw one until then. Is it just me? I don't know why anyone would ever use lighter fluid if the chimney was available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Well, I complained to Kingsford, as well. Here's the response: Thank you for contacting us about your Kingsford Competition Charcoal. We always appreciate hearing from our customers. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this problem may have caused you. We assure you that this is very unusual and would not expect this to occur. The competition briquets are ready to cook in 5 minutes, they are used in competitions. You can slow cook on them, however, it depends on how the grill is vented. We would recommend the regular Kingsford for your type of use, you may want to try the Kingsford with Hickory or Mesquite. We are happy to send a coupon and you should receive it within 7-10 business days. We certainly hope you will continue to use and have confidence in our products. Again, thank you for contacting us. Sincerely, Patti Copper Consumer Response Representative Consumer Services I guess I'm just not ready for big-time grillin' competitions... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Well, I complained to Kingsford, as well. Here's the response: Thank you for contacting us about your Kingsford Competition Charcoal. We always appreciate hearing from our customers. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this problem may have caused you. We assure you that this is very unusual and would not expect this to occur. The competition briquets are ready to cook in 5 minutes, they are used in competitions. You can slow cook on them, however, it depends on how the grill is vented. We would recommend the regular Kingsford for your type of use, you may want to try the Kingsford with Hickory or Mesquite. We are happy to send a coupon and you should receive it within 7-10 business days. We certainly hope you will continue to use and have confidence in our products. Again, thank you for contacting us. Sincerely, Patti Copper Consumer Response Representative Consumer Services I guess I'm just not ready for big-time grillin' competitions... Probably best to stick to "Kingsford Novice Charcoal". [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 I received the exact same canned response. I'm looking forward to my coupon.[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Here is some hardwood charcoal. I love hardwood charcoal. It is great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Very interesting! Thanks for the history lesson Randall. I don't think it really caught on (no pun intended) until sometime around the early 90s. Actually, I never even saw one until then. Is it just me? I don't know why anyone would ever use lighter fluid if the chimney was available. Gary, do you use scrunched newspaper, or some kinda fire starter? Either works fine for me. BTW, if anyone was going to get free charcoal, I figured it'd be you!! [] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Are you saying I am cheap or just lucky with free stuff?[] Scrunched newspaper all the way! Just a couple sheets is all it takes. When I first got one, I used way too much paper and my neighbors came over to see if my house was on fire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 Scrunched newspaper all the way! Figures. It's free. Love ya, Gary!![{][}] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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