I was at lowes a couple days ago and saw Kingsford Hickory briquettes
for sale. Says 100% hickory on the bag, but I am guessing it has the
same additives that the regular kingsford has. Same shape, different
color. I was wondering if anyone has tried this stuff and if it is
any good. Same price as the blue bad stuff.

I know a lot of you use sticks, or lump, but I still use charcoal and
throw in chunks of wood for smoke. I'll probably play around with
lump some this summer.

Got two 10 pound picnics on right now and they are starting to smell
pretty good. The wife found two lonely ones on the cheap meat rack
that were getting close to the sell date for either $.98 or $.99 per
pound, don't remember which she said. I told her to keep an eye out
for more.

Any thoughts on freezing and re-thawing those if she finds more at
that price? Cryopacked, so they were probably shipped frozen and
thawed on the shelf at the store.

On 19-May-2011, mike > wrote:

> I was at lowes a couple days ago and saw Kingsford Hickory briquettes
> for sale. Says 100% hickory on the bag, but I am guessing it has the
> same additives that the regular kingsford has. Same shape, different
> color. I was wondering if anyone has tried this stuff and if it is
> any good. Same price as the blue bad stuff.
>
> I know a lot of you use sticks, or lump, but I still use charcoal and
> throw in chunks of wood for smoke. I'll probably play around with
> lump some this summer.
>
> Got two 10 pound picnics on right now and they are starting to smell
> pretty good. The wife found two lonely ones on the cheap meat rack
> that were getting close to the sell date for either $.98 or $.99 per
> pound, don't remember which she said. I told her to keep an eye out
> for more.
>
> Any thoughts on freezing and re-thawing those if she finds more at
> that price? Cryopacked, so they were probably shipped frozen and
> thawed on the shelf at the store.

I freeze stuff with questionable ancestory all the time. You want to
plan on cooking it pretty soon after thawing though. Another trick
that I use is too cook it all and then vacuum pack the whole batch
in one or two pound packages for return to the freezer. It works great
for ribs and butts. Not as good for chicken, but still doable.

--
Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)

If I buy a 2 pack, we usually cook one right away, and while I'm doing
rub,
I do both and freeze the 2nd one already rubbed. Thaw when ready, and
it's ready to hit the grill. No one could tell the difference. Makes
the rub
mess only once!!
Nan in DE

>Be sure to rinse and dry the meat well when you get ready to use it before
>doing anything else. This will fix any problem with any off taste or smell
>in cryo meat that is getting near the end of it's usable life.

Amen. I use a dilute vinegar rinse and it seems to work fine.

Alex

Omelet wrote:
> In onster.com>,
> > wrote:
>
>
>>> No reason to expect they were frozen because they were in cryo. Most meat
>>> is shipped that way to the stores.
>>> If you're going to freeze it by all means leave it in the cryo and freeze
>>> it immediately.
>>> Be sure to rinse and dry the meat well when you get ready to use it before
>>> doing anything else. This will fix any problem with any off taste or smell
>>> in cryo meat that is getting near the end of it's usable life.
>>> MartyB
>>>
>> Ditto what Marty said, particularly about the washing part.
>>
> Mom taught me to rinse meat in plain white vinegar if it has an off
> smell, then rinse with water.
>
> Works a treat for stuff that is beginning to go bad.
>
No thanks. I'd prefer to toss it and buy another. Too many reasons not to.

On Mon, 23 May 2011 19:58:09 -0400, L G
> wrote:

>Omelet wrote:
>> In onster.com>,
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>> No reason to expect they were frozen because they were in cryo. Most meat
>>>> is shipped that way to the stores.
>>>> If you're going to freeze it by all means leave it in the cryo and freeze
>>>> it immediately.
>>>> Be sure to rinse and dry the meat well when you get ready to use it before
>>>> doing anything else. This will fix any problem with any off taste or smell
>>>> in cryo meat that is getting near the end of it's usable life.
>>>> MartyB
>>>>
>>> Ditto what Marty said, particularly about the washing part.
>>>
>> Mom taught me to rinse meat in plain white vinegar if it has an off
>> smell, then rinse with water.
>>
>> Works a treat for stuff that is beginning to go bad.
>>
>No thanks. I'd prefer to toss it and buy another. Too many reasons not to.

The meat hadn't gone bad by any means. When I mentioned smel, I was
referring to the smell of the cooked meat on the smoker. Anyway, it
hadn't hit the stores sell by date by several days, they just tend to
move it what we call "the cheap meat" rack at a pretty decent discount
when it gets within a few days. The meat was just fine, just wasn't
sure about refreezing the cryopacks assuming it had already been
frozen. Sounds like it is no big deal.

I've never heard of the vinegar trick, but it makes sense, should
reduce any thing that might be left over from any kind of handling no
matter what the shelf life of the pork. Going to give that a try next
time.

Thanks for all the responses!

On Fri, 20 May 2011 02:38:59 GMT, "Brick"
> wrote:

>
>On 19-May-2011, mike > wrote:
>
>> I was at lowes a couple days ago and saw Kingsford Hickory briquettes
>> for sale. Says 100% hickory on the bag, but I am guessing it has the
>> same additives that the regular kingsford has. Same shape, different
>> color. I was wondering if anyone has tried this stuff and if it is
>> any good. Same price as the blue bad stuff.
>>
>> I know a lot of you use sticks, or lump, but I still use charcoal and
>> throw in chunks of wood for smoke. I'll probably play around with
>> lump some this summer.
>>
>> Got two 10 pound picnics on right now and they are starting to smell
>> pretty good. The wife found two lonely ones on the cheap meat rack
>> that were getting close to the sell date for either $.98 or $.99 per
>> pound, don't remember which she said. I told her to keep an eye out
>> for more.
>>
>> Any thoughts on freezing and re-thawing those if she finds more at
>> that price? Cryopacked, so they were probably shipped frozen and
>> thawed on the shelf at the store.
>
>I freeze stuff with questionable ancestory all the time. You want to
>plan on cooking it pretty soon after thawing though. Another trick
>that I use is too cook it all and then vacuum pack the whole batch
>in one or two pound packages for return to the freezer. It works great
>for ribs and butts. Not as good for chicken, but still doable.

We make good use of the wife's FoodSaver vacuum packer, especially
when doing a couple of picnics. More than we will eat in a few days.
We usually do about one or two pound packages and it keeps very well
frozen. Those vacuum sealers are great for freezing meat, and no
worries about freezer burning it. Bonus is you can sink thaw it
quickly to make a meal when you forget to get it out to thaw...

On Sun, 22 May 2011 22:26:18 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Thu, 19 May 2011 16:11:54 -0400, mike wrote:
>
>> I know a lot of you use sticks, or lump, but I still use charcoal and
>> throw in chunks of wood for smoke. I'll probably play around with
>> lump some this summer.
>
>"Sticks"?!? Are you trying to make fun of our primitiveness while
>admitting you use regular Kingsford?
>
>Because that would be very bad.
>
>OB100%: I would think that if the bag said 100% hickory that it was
>ALL hickory with no fillers. But I suspect not because I don't know
>they'd bind it together. It takes at least 3% cornstarch to bind.
>
>Here's a comment from the BBQ Breththern forum that I found funny:
>
>"More flavor and smell then the regular Kingsford."
>
>-sw

Nope, not trying to make fun of stick burners at all, actually wishing
I had the patience for it.

I'm guessing that when kingsford says it uses "100%" of any wood, they
are talking about just the wood, and not all the binders and the
useless crap they throw in to make extra ashes that just get tossed
out. Since it looks exactly like the formed briquettes of the regular
stuff, it has the same extra crap in it.

The thing I was wondering about is if it actually gives of enough
smoke for good hickory flavor, like real wood does, or just more of a
sales gimmick.

On 1-Jun-2011, tutall > wrote:

> On Jun 1, 5:09*am, "Brick" > wrote:
> > On 31-May-2011, mike > wrote:

Let's all step back an apologize for not clipping these posts. We didn't
neet two pages to enlighten the masses that Walmart has some good
lump for sale at a decent price. And yes, it is good lump. Large pieces
and very little dust. (Well, dust will always be depedent on how it's
handled.)


>
> > Walmart has been selling Royal Oak Lump around here for the last
> > year. It's good lump at a decent price.
> >
>
> Shit, Royal Oak is the gold standard for lump.

--
Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 06:21:11 -0700 (PDT), tutall wrote:
>
>> Shit, Royal Oak is the gold standard for lump.
>
> That would be B&B Lump for the rest of the world :-P
>
> http://www.bbcharcoal.com/
>
> -sw

I strongly agree. Great stuff.

--
Dave
"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance
accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders,
give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new
problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight
efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."

On Jun 1, 4:59*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
> > On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 06:21:11 -0700 (PDT), tutall wrote:
>
> >> Shit, Royal Oak is the gold standard for lump.
>
> > That would be B&B Lump for the rest of the world :-P
>
> >http://www.bbcharcoal.com/
>
> > -sw
>
> I strongly agree. Great stuff.

Never seen it, and think more people know Royal?

A decade ago used to buy Royal Oak before Lazzari went to some Mexican
producer.

On 1-Jun-2011, tutall > wrote:

> On Jun 1, 4:59*pm, "Dave Bugg" > wrote:
> > Sqwertz wrote:
> > > On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 06:21:11 -0700 (PDT), tutall wrote:
> >
> > >> Shit, Royal Oak is the gold standard for lump.
> >
> > > That would be B&B Lump for the rest of the world :-P
> >
> > >http://www.bbcharcoal.com/
> >
> > > -sw
> >
> > I strongly agree. Great stuff.
>
> Never seen it, and think more people know Royal?
>
> A decade ago used to buy Royal Oak before Lazzari went to some Mexican
> producer.

Used to have a Royal Oak kiln down here right next to Big Jim, but a lot
of folks bought up the cheap land around the plant and then legislated them
out of business. They were the reason the land was so cheap. We could go
to the plant and buy fight off the shipping dock. Good prices there for 20
and
40# bags.

--
Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)

On 6/7/2011 11:48 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:32:39 -0700 (PDT), tutall wrote:
>
>> Never seen it, and think more people know Royal?
>
> I've seen it once here in Texas (the BBQ Capital of the world) at
> Walmart. And it was not cheap. Walmart here rarely carries lump
> since they market to folks with bad taste.
>
> -sw


I get Royal Oak at Menards, a home improvement store. About $4.50 for
an 8.8 lb bag of lump. I was getting it at a butcher store and probably
paying more. Expensive, yes. But no other alternative locally for lump
that I am aware of.

I won't order lump online and pay the shipping cost.....

BBQ
--
Vegetarian

An old Indian term for poor hunter...

On 7-Jun-2011, bbq > wrote:

> On 6/7/2011 11:48 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> > On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:32:39 -0700 (PDT), tutall wrote:
> >
> >> Never seen it, and think more people know Royal?
> >
> > I've seen it once here in Texas (the BBQ Capital of the world) at
> > Walmart. And it was not cheap. Walmart here rarely carries lump
> > since they market to folks with bad taste.
> >
> > -sw
>
>
> I get Royal Oak at Menards, a home improvement store. About $4.50 for
> an 8.8 lb bag of lump. I was getting it at a butcher store and probably
> paying more. Expensive, yes. But no other alternative locally for lump
> that I am aware of.
>
> I won't order lump online and pay the shipping cost.....
>
> BBQ

Fifty one cents a pound for lump is not bad. Just be careful to not
waste it. I typically use a full bag (or about 10 lbs to cook 2 butts and 4
racks
of ribs. Figure about 25 lbs of meat. So say I spend something like $0.25/lb
for fuel. I can't go to a store and buy what I cook in my own pit. So how do
you compare prices? I may do an Om and use free raw wood.

--
Brick(Too soon old and too late smart)

On 6/8/2011 11:30 PM, Brick wrote:
> On 7-Jun-2011, > wrote:
>
>> On 6/7/2011 11:48 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>>> On Wed, 1 Jun 2011 18:32:39 -0700 (PDT), tutall wrote:
>>>
>>>> Never seen it, and think more people know Royal?
>>>
>>> I've seen it once here in Texas (the BBQ Capital of the world) at
>>> Walmart. And it was not cheap. Walmart here rarely carries lump
>>> since they market to folks with bad taste.
>>>
>>> -sw
>>
>>
>> I get Royal Oak at Menards, a home improvement store. About $4.50 for
>> an 8.8 lb bag of lump. I was getting it at a butcher store and probably
>> paying more. Expensive, yes. But no other alternative locally for lump
>> that I am aware of.
>>
>> I won't order lump online and pay the shipping cost.....
>>
>> BBQ
>
> Fifty one cents a pound for lump is not bad. Just be careful to not
> waste it. I typically use a full bag (or about 10 lbs to cook 2 butts and 4
> racks
> of ribs. Figure about 25 lbs of meat. So say I spend something like $0.25/lb
> for fuel. I can't go to a store and buy what I cook in my own pit. So how do
> you compare prices? I may do an Om and use free raw wood.
>


That is fine if you want to use raw wood. Your style of cooker, you
can. The WSM, I understand you can't or shouldn't. Plus, I do not have
access to a lot of free wood. I have lots of apple logs, but would be
used up quickly, if I burned them to coals first. Plus, I don't have the
patience to make coals for a cook.

A typical long cook(brisket or butt) is probably about $1.50 - $2.00
worth retail lump. Not gonna complain about it. It's not a money
saving hobby, even though we may want to think it is!!!! Just like a
small garden. Got $$$ invested in the garden, but if going to the
farmers market for locally grown produce, it may be cheaper to purchase
the produce from there. And you don't have the maintenance; watering,
fertilizing, weed pulling, etc.

A local bbq place charges $9.50/lb. for A la cart q'ued brisket. I pay
$2.98/lb for raw brisket. If yield is 50 percent, that means $6.00/lb.
plus the fuel cost and time. It seems it is more efficient to purchase
the A la carte brisket. But the product needs to be up to par to.

I'll find out soon enough if their product is good enough for me.

As I understand it, OM has trees on her property that are dieing and
losing branches, storm by storm. Not a bad way to for a tree to go. I
did that with a birch tree. Each storm, branches would fall off. Easy
to clean up. Finally, when there was not much left, easy to get the
chain saw out and take down the main part, cut it up and give away as
fire wood. Birch is not not good for coals, AFAIK.

BBQ
--
Vegetarian

An old Indian term for poor hunter...