Charcoal in Woodbox

I would use cowboy charcoal.. the pure charcoal. But you could also use like a Kingsford. Many wouldnt here because of the binders and fillers in the brickets, but they wont hurt you.

bob

If you want a good smoke ring then use the "regular" charcoal.


"good" charcoal burns too clean and won't give you the smoke ring you desire. I mean, if it's a big enough deal to do it....might as well do it right. Right?


EDIT: when I said good charcoal won't give you the smoke ring you desire, I meant a lighter smoke ring. In case some thought I meant none at all.

The charcoal briquettes such as Kingsford will provide a much better ring than the lump will. As was stated before, the impurities in the bricks make the difference. The lump is too pure. The optimum amount to use is two bricks.

To give credit where credit is due, I picked this info up from forum friend Wheelz and it worked great.

The charcoal will produce a ring. But no flavor.

So we will get none of that groovy flavor we get when cooking over charcoal if we use charcoal in the woodbox?

Are the impurities what we are tasting when we eat meat cooked over charcoal?

Are there other impurities than nitrates and nitrites from the charcoal burning?

Are these impurities a by-product of charcoal briquet manufacturing or naturally occuring in charcoal?

quote:

Originally posted by Derek:
The charcoal will produce a ring. But no flavor.

I don't completely agree with that. If we cook our foods in the smoke of woods to impart the flavor into the food then it's only natural that the smoke from a piece of charcoal will impart it own flavor in the meat as well.

It's just not as pronounced as one might think. Since the "groovy" flavor from using charcoal comes mainly from the fat dripping onto the coals from the food we cook directly over them.

I use cowboy (lump) charcoal for the heat. I believe it imparts no taste to the meat other than the dripping fat burning, as was mentioned. But a "flavored" charcoal like Kingsford would impart a smokey flavor and add to the smoke ring. And remember, the smoke doesnt have to be visible and billowing out of the smoker to be doing its flavoring job.

bob

I tried the Cowboy charcoal with no smoke ring. I then tried the Kingsford and it worked like a charm. I didnt notice a flavor difference but that doesnt mean it wasnt there. Might just have been faint. The smoke ring doesnt mean much to a lot here, but I like it. Its just another part of what has become a fun hobby for me. Trying new stuff and experimenting is the fun part for me.