I'm new to the kamado game and I've always used Kingsford briquets. What are some brand favorites out there? And where are good places to find solid deals?
by Fast_Try_1252
14 Comments
Unusual-Economist288
I’m a fan of Jealous Devil. Kingsford sucks – small pieces and dusty.
JibreelND
I like Kamado Joe Big Block, and use smokey woods wood chunks. I’d like to try B&B sometime.
WolfpackFinancial
Kamado Joe big block is good but on the expensive side. Jealous Devil is my economical go-to brand. I frequently find bags of jealous devil at Home Depot with holes in them and they give up to 50% for a “open bag” discount. Fogo black bag has been fine but nothing I’d write home about.
Money_Rise1573
Jealous Devil is the way to go
jstef215
The one in this pic, Fogo Super Premium, is comfortably my favorite and my go-to. I’ve also used and had no problems with Jealous Devil and KJ Big Block, but Fogo (yellow bag, not black) just has more consistently big hunks and seems to burn cleaner with just the right amount of smokiness.
Glum-Suspect-4514
Whatever you use, storage matters. A LOT imo.
After chasing the ‘perfect charcoal’ for some time, I found storage was much more important. Storing my charcoal inside under AC (coastal central florida) cured SO many burn and temperature control issues. Hall closet worked great.
I was storing charcoal in my basement, or out on the porch. New bags always burned great, but second use and later I would go crazy trying to get good vent settings for a long burn.
Ondrehaymaykerbaker
How much do you pay for a big bag of jealous devil in America? I’m guessing that’s where yous are. 9kg is $56 in Australia which is expensive compared to other decent ones. For $50 I get 18kg of pro smoke which works well
Quiet-Champion4108
KJ Big Block is fine as a regular choice, BUT, you have to minimize handling. I had it shipped once, never again, it was basically gravel when it arrived. Buying from Ace is a little better, except they have local distribution centers where they break pallets and send bags to the stores, so those get tossed around I’ve been buying from Lowe’s for the past few years now. They park the entire pallet in a bin, so the first time the bag is picked up and handled is when it gently goes into my cart. It makes a world of difference.
1) the fogo XL lump (gold bag) is really good for smoking at low temps but not so good for hotter temps such as burgers/steaks/pizzas… they tend to get that bitter smoke taste
2) the fogo medium lump (black bag) is great for the normal day to day hotter temps grilling and not getting the bitter smoke taste
I personally buy fogo from their website mainly for the points/rewards.
The takeaway is large lump is good for smoking and the medium is good for standard grilling.
Thedancingsousa
Kj big block and fogo black bag have been very kind to me, especially the big block. It legitimately tastes better than other charcoal. It also gets hot and maintains stable temps for smoking.
skirmsonly
Fogo yellow bag, super premium but it’s also expensive as balls. I’m only using that for a brisket recipe that I don’t want to mess up. Especially if I talked up my skills.
Fogo black bag is okay.
Jealous devil is the go to for me. I typically load up on 3 or 4 bags when they go on sale. Absolutely love it. Can’t say anything bad about it.
Cowboy, royal oak, b&b, kamado joe big block. – all of these, you couldn’t pay me to use. Never again. Absolutely terrible experiences.
Aggravating-Corgi700
I currently use jealous devil from Home Depot. Good price. Delivery price is reasonable and sometimes free. But in the past I’ve tried different brands I can pick up locally, until I found I liked, I thought was a reasonable price, and the chunks seemed large enough to burn an extended time. My palate can’t tell the difference between wood types so for me that is not a problem. Try various brands until you find one you prefer.
14 Comments
I’m a fan of Jealous Devil. Kingsford sucks – small pieces and dusty.
I like Kamado Joe Big Block, and use smokey woods wood chunks. I’d like to try B&B sometime.
Kamado Joe big block is good but on the expensive side. Jealous Devil is my economical go-to brand. I frequently find bags of jealous devil at Home Depot with holes in them and they give up to 50% for a “open bag” discount. Fogo black bag has been fine but nothing I’d write home about.
Jealous Devil is the way to go
The one in this pic, Fogo Super Premium, is comfortably my favorite and my go-to. I’ve also used and had no problems with Jealous Devil and KJ Big Block, but Fogo (yellow bag, not black) just has more consistently big hunks and seems to burn cleaner with just the right amount of smokiness.
Whatever you use, storage matters. A LOT imo.
After chasing the ‘perfect charcoal’ for some time, I found storage was much more important. Storing my charcoal inside under AC (coastal central florida) cured SO many burn and temperature control issues. Hall closet worked great.
I was storing charcoal in my basement, or out on the porch. New bags always burned great, but second use and later I would go crazy trying to get good vent settings for a long burn.
How much do you pay for a big bag of jealous devil in America? I’m guessing that’s where yous are. 9kg is $56 in Australia which is expensive compared to other decent ones. For $50 I get 18kg of pro smoke which works well
KJ Big Block is fine as a regular choice, BUT, you have to minimize handling. I had it shipped once, never again, it was basically gravel when it arrived.
Buying from Ace is a little better, except they have local distribution centers where they break pallets and send bags to the stores, so those get tossed around
I’ve been buying from Lowe’s for the past few years now. They park the entire pallet in a bin, so the first time the bag is picked up and handled is when it gently goes into my cart. It makes a world of difference.
Fogo yellow bag for smoking, B&B for grilling.
Get you some Binchotan from the pacific rim!
https://preview.redd.it/r2vc2bwosyjg1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a71b83437057a2b52ad6f71117bb491c72d73354
Here is my guidance for charcoal that I follow.
1) the fogo XL lump (gold bag) is really good for smoking at low temps but not so good for hotter temps such as burgers/steaks/pizzas… they tend to get that bitter smoke taste
2) the fogo medium lump (black bag) is great for the normal day to day hotter temps grilling and not getting the bitter smoke taste
I personally buy fogo from their website mainly for the points/rewards.
The takeaway is large lump is good for smoking and the medium is good for standard grilling.
Kj big block and fogo black bag have been very kind to me, especially the big block. It legitimately tastes better than other charcoal. It also gets hot and maintains stable temps for smoking.
Fogo yellow bag, super premium but it’s also expensive as balls. I’m only using that for a brisket recipe that I don’t want to mess up. Especially if I talked up my skills.
Fogo black bag is okay.
Jealous devil is the go to for me. I typically load up on 3 or 4 bags when they go on sale. Absolutely love it. Can’t say anything bad about it.
Cowboy, royal oak, b&b, kamado joe big block. – all of these, you couldn’t pay me to use. Never again. Absolutely terrible experiences.
I currently use jealous devil from Home Depot. Good price. Delivery price is reasonable and sometimes free. But in the past I’ve tried different brands I can pick up locally, until I found I liked, I thought was a reasonable price, and the chunks seemed large enough to burn an extended time. My palate can’t tell the difference between wood types so for me that is not a problem. Try various brands until you find one you prefer.