What do you like, good folks? Briquettes, lump, other? And, how do you light it?

When I was using charcoal I could only find the blue and white bag of Kingsford.


The lump and others came into this country years later.


Never used fluid, always used a big propane torch.

Lump, chimney.

Lump. Light with a heat gun.

Funny learning about other areas.

Youse lot had choices....I remember when the briquettes came out that were pre soaked in fluid.


None of us had ever seen anything like it.

Lump or Kingsford briquettes.

Chimney, or on the side burner of my gas grill.

Either, Charcoal chimney & propane torch, or if camping, sit chimney on fire grate & push coals underneath !

Once a year Home Depot and or Lowe’s puts a twin pack 20lb sacks of regular Kingsford on sale for $10 or some ridiculous low price. Usually in April or May before Memorial Day.

If I'm not using C3H8, I make my own charcoal.

I thought you were supposed to do that with less oxygen?

Sure less oxygen than an ole dryer tub lets through.

I use mesquite wood

Royal oak lump ( made in USA) start it with a device called the bison. A Propane torch with integrated fan.

I make my own lump charcoal with a homemade retort. It's a barrel full of split hardwood upside down and inside of a larger barrel with a lid and a stack exhaust straight up out the top. Can't remember how tall the stack is, maybe 7 - 8 feet of 6" stovepipe. There's holes around the bottom of the outside barrel for air intake. Pack the area between the two barrels with brush, kindling etc. and light it off. It roars and burps after it gets going and will have a blue torch flame shooting out the stack. Makes great lump charcoal. I decided to start making the lump because of the excess dead trees that keep getting blown over in the woods behind the house. Here's a short video but only shows the bottom of the retort:

^^^ this preferably.

Briquets on the occasions when I can't find lump locally. Always check the bag to see where they are made. Mistakenly found out a bag off "non-Kingsford" was made in China.................with nuclearized pallet material? Liner from a pesticide mfg plant? Needless to say, it went away quickly and not on my bbq.

Someday I'll have to try making my own. Had a friend that did, he had a good source of oak chunks.


Geno

Lighting, back when I used it, many, many wooden matches, one after the other.

Well, sure. That was a bit TIC.

BTW, that's a washer tub.

Lump - Cowboy

As a side note, story is, charcoal briquettes were invented by Henry Ford, and his friend Thomas Edison. Ford could not stand anything going to waste. The oak scrap, and sawdust for Model T bodies were made into the charcoal.
When Ford became bored with the sideline, he sold it off to a cousin named Kingsford.

Herd that too.

Right now I am using Western lump that i bought at Walmart. 30# bag for $9.88. Its mesquite from Mexico. No question that it is real lump as you can plainly see it is actual cut up branches. Great for grilling, haven't used it yet for low & slow.

I get mine from Randy at Real Montana Charcoal! It's the best I've used!

I've been using Western and it's the schit.


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Western-30LB-Hardwood-Lump-Charcoal/375025590


I used to use chimneys but have just been using small torn off pieces of firestarter lately. Easy and zero smell.

https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Gear-Fire-Starter-Sticks/dp/B005X1YO08

Costco here has had the 2 Pack (18 lbs per bag) of the Kingsford Pro on sale all Summer for $13.

Great price and this stuff coals fairly quickly. It burns evenly and mid to mid-hot.

Just got started on a second pallet out in the garage.

The Big Green Egg runs on Royal Oak lump.

They do it 3 times every summer. Memorial Day,independence day and Labor Day. I stock up every time. I use kingsford briquettes and lite with a chimney. I let them turn white before I put the meat on

^^^ I meant to quote fatcity67.

For my Green Eggs I use lump. When I cook steak comps on my PK grill I use one chimney of lump and one chimney of briquets. The briquets produce a more consistent heat, but the lump creates better flavor IMO. Light the Eggs with a MAPP torch. Light the chimneys with Weber starter cubes and a Bic lighter.

Mike