Charcoal

News from the World of Foodsville and Beyond

Not Always Fresh, but Rarely Stale

Thursday, July 3, 2008

A Brief History of Charcoal
Fuel for the Fires: 19th Century Charcoal Making
Light Up the Grill, but Trim the Pollutants
How to Use a Chimney Starter

Video: Dirty Jobs Charcoal Maker Clip

Of Interest to Neighborhood: Outdoor Cooking

Question: What kind and brand of charcoal do you use?

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	philz: The deed is done. After buying the bag of charcoal, I headed over to Kimball Farms. In celebration of the 4th, they had red, white, and blue jimmies (sprinkles) to adorn my swiss almond ice cream in a kiddy cup. I also got a free hair in my ice cream, too. Yuchhh! Can't wait to fire up the new wicked good charcoal. BTW, here's the Wicked Good Charcoal website: http://www.wickedgood... comment left Jul 03
	philz: Fern's, our local general store, is less than a mile from the international headquarters of Applewood Books. How convenient. I'm going to buy a bag at lunch time, then stop at Kimball Farm for ice cream. Here's a link to Fern's: http://www.fernscount... comment left Jul 03
	GrillMyBunz: Believe it or not... Fern's... at the little rotary in Carlisle, MA. It's about $20 for a 22 lb. bag. But it burns hot and slow, so be stingy. It goes a long way. comment left Jul 03
	philz: Where do you buy Wicked Good Charcoal Weekend Warrior? comment left Jul 03
	GrillMyBunz: My charcoal adventures began in the 1980's on a snowy night in Boston. I decided I wanted to try smoking a chicken (burned my lips twice... ba-da-boom), so I went to the legendary Brookline Ice and Coal. As I was paying for the smoking chips, the fellow asked what kind of charcoal I used. I said, "Kingsford". He snickered. I ended up walking out of there with a 25 lb. bag of hardwood lump charcoal and never looked back. Hardwood charcoal burns a LOT hotter than briquets. I use a chimney starter (never any fluid), and I'm stingy with the charcoal. A little goes a long way. I also use a variety of smoking woods... chunks of oak, alder, pecan, hickory, mesquite, apple and cherry. Once I bought my Big Green Egg, I entered a new realm where it isn't whether or not you use hardwood lump, it's what brand. They are VERY different. I've been using Wicked Good Charcoal Weekend Warrior for a year or so. It's great... slow, even burn and large natural chunks with only a little dust. I've also used Big Green Egg brand and a bag from a BBQ shop in Arlington, MA. The quality of the hardwood, the evenness of the heat, the burn time, and the size of the chunks all make a huge difference. And if you switch to one of the better blends, you'll realize that the quality of the ubiquitous Cowboy brand is not so hot (so to speak). If you're really into charcoal, or you simply don't have a life, you can go to nakedwhiz.com where they review at least 50 brands of charcoal in detail. But if you do that, you have to promise me that once you figure out the best brand available in your area you'll buy it and stop analyzing the crap out of your decision. It's just a bunch of burnt wood. Barbecuing is for relaxin'. comment left Jul 03