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Did backyard charcoal guys notice a big drop in searing power after they switched to those lower-grade briquettes?
I've been doing competition-style ribs and steaks for about 5 years now, mostly on a Weber kettle with Royal Oak lump. Last summer I ran out and grabbed a bag of the cheap store-brand briquettes from the gas station near my house in Austin. My steaks took almost 8 minutes longer to get a good crust on them compared to the lump stuff I used before. I timed it too - same thickness of ribeye, same grill setup, just different fuel. The briquettes burned way cooler and left a ton of ash that clogged my vents halfway through. A buddy of mine swears the cheaper stuff is fine if you let it burn down longer, but that just uses more fuel and time. Has anyone else noticed this kind of before-and-after drop when switching fuel types, or am I just imagining things?
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the_brooke4mo ago
Did your friend actually try the hair dryer trick on a hot grill? @the_mary that sounds wild. I had a buddy in Dallas who tried to save cash with the cheap briquettes for his comp ribs and ended up with a pale, chewy crust that took forever to set. He went back to lump after one cook.
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