Post by rangerone on Jul 28, 2014 18:54:22 GMT -5
Hello everyone,
I recently decided to try using a different brand of briquets with the Smokenator, after hearing that other people had switched to other brands as well. I chose Maple Leaf Charcoal Briquets because they are all natural hardwood briquets with the only additive being wheat starch as a binder. I bought a small bag and compared these briquets to the Kingsford I have been using all the time (blue bag). Here are the pictures for comparison, Kingsford on the left.
The side view shows that the Maple Leaf Briquets are thicker and fuller since they do not have the notches found in the Kingsford briquets. The overhead view shows the circumference to be the same. I would guess each Maple Leaf briquet is about 25% bigger.
When I load up my Smokenator with Kingsford briquets, I can stuff in 54 unlit + 12 lit + 1 chunk of cherry wood. This will give me about 3 hours of temperatures close to 225F before I start to see the temperature drop and have to add more briquets.
When I load up my Smokenator with Maple Leaf briquets, I can stuff in 40 unlit + 10 lit + 1 chunk of cherry wood. This will give me about 4 hours of temperatures close to 225F before I start to see the temperature drop and have to add more briquets. Also of note is that it was a much colder and windier day when I tested the Maple Leaf briquets and they still provided a longer cooking time.
In both cases above, I was leaving enough room to use the included water pan. I think I might have been able to squeeze in another 2-4 of the Maple Leaf Briquets initially if I had stacked them better. They tend to fall more easily than the Kingsford briquets. I believe the Kingsford briquets are easier to stack because the grooves help them stay where they are put.
Both brands of briquets ashed over in about the same amount of time (15-20 minutes) when lit in my chimney, and both took about 10 minutes to bring my Weber up to 240F after being added to the Smokenator with the water pan empty. I could easily control the temperature in both cases with minor adjustments to the Weber vents. The Maple Leaf briquets did have a nicer aroma in my opinion.
To sum it up, I found the Maple Leaf Briquets to smell nicer and last longer. I also like the fact that there is only one natural additive and only use hardwood.
I used the Maple Leaf Briquets to smoke 2 chickens today and they turned out fantastic. Even before I put the meat on the Weber, the smell was amazing. Even my wife commented she thought it was much nicer as well.
From now on I will be using Maple Leaf Briquets. I encourage anyone that enjoys trying new fuels to give Maple Leaf Briquets a go. They also have Maple Leaf Lump Charcoal which I will be trying in the near future. I have heard very good things about this type as well.
I recently decided to try using a different brand of briquets with the Smokenator, after hearing that other people had switched to other brands as well. I chose Maple Leaf Charcoal Briquets because they are all natural hardwood briquets with the only additive being wheat starch as a binder. I bought a small bag and compared these briquets to the Kingsford I have been using all the time (blue bag). Here are the pictures for comparison, Kingsford on the left.
The side view shows that the Maple Leaf Briquets are thicker and fuller since they do not have the notches found in the Kingsford briquets. The overhead view shows the circumference to be the same. I would guess each Maple Leaf briquet is about 25% bigger.
When I load up my Smokenator with Kingsford briquets, I can stuff in 54 unlit + 12 lit + 1 chunk of cherry wood. This will give me about 3 hours of temperatures close to 225F before I start to see the temperature drop and have to add more briquets.
When I load up my Smokenator with Maple Leaf briquets, I can stuff in 40 unlit + 10 lit + 1 chunk of cherry wood. This will give me about 4 hours of temperatures close to 225F before I start to see the temperature drop and have to add more briquets. Also of note is that it was a much colder and windier day when I tested the Maple Leaf briquets and they still provided a longer cooking time.
In both cases above, I was leaving enough room to use the included water pan. I think I might have been able to squeeze in another 2-4 of the Maple Leaf Briquets initially if I had stacked them better. They tend to fall more easily than the Kingsford briquets. I believe the Kingsford briquets are easier to stack because the grooves help them stay where they are put.
Both brands of briquets ashed over in about the same amount of time (15-20 minutes) when lit in my chimney, and both took about 10 minutes to bring my Weber up to 240F after being added to the Smokenator with the water pan empty. I could easily control the temperature in both cases with minor adjustments to the Weber vents. The Maple Leaf briquets did have a nicer aroma in my opinion.
To sum it up, I found the Maple Leaf Briquets to smell nicer and last longer. I also like the fact that there is only one natural additive and only use hardwood.
I used the Maple Leaf Briquets to smoke 2 chickens today and they turned out fantastic. Even before I put the meat on the Weber, the smell was amazing. Even my wife commented she thought it was much nicer as well.
From now on I will be using Maple Leaf Briquets. I encourage anyone that enjoys trying new fuels to give Maple Leaf Briquets a go. They also have Maple Leaf Lump Charcoal which I will be trying in the near future. I have heard very good things about this type as well.
