Original Charcoal Company Briquettes

I posted this originally a couple of years ago.  I had good results with these Rancher briquettes, but haven't been able to find them since.  I'm pretty sure I got this bag at Wal-Mart, but can't find it locally any more. Has anybody got any suggestions for who might carry this charcoal the Tampa, FL area?

For this bbq blog article, I'm testing some charcoal briquettes from The Original Charcoal Company as I cook a packer brisket purchased from a local butcher shop.

The label says these rancher briquettes are 100% all-natural hardwood briquette charcoal carbon madera which is bound together with yucca starch. The back of the package explains that you get lump flavor, heat, and burn time from a briquette.

When it was available, I used to purchase 40 pound bags of madera lump charcoal from a bbq supplier. I had some very good results with the madera lump in bbq competitions. The burn time was a lot longer than the Royal Oak lump I had been using. I'm expecting the same type of results from the briquettes as compared to Royal Oak briquettes. I guess we'll see how the testing goes and if the madera briquettes continue to be available from my suppliers.

Compared to oak and hickory, I think the madera lump burns even hotter, but I'm not sure I can prove it. I call it the "seat of the pants" testing method, which isn't very sceintific, but most of the time it's the best testing technique a barbecue guy can use...because it's quick, fast, cheap, and easy!

Superior Smokers

I recently discovered a new bbq smoker manufacturer - Superior Smokers. I don't own one and haven't seen one up close, but based on research conducted via their website here's a run down of the basics:

• insulated
• vertical design
• gravity feed charcoal chute
• grease pan collector
• heat deflector
• D-ring tie downs

I believe Munchees Smokehouse uses one and is currently performing pretty well in FBA competitions.

Charcoal Maze

If you're having difficulty maintaining consistent and even burn times in your upright cooker, a simple charcoal maze will probably solve your problems.

The charcoal maze pictured is made from plain old sheet metal and the grate between the charcoal and the ash pan is constructed from expanded metal.

There is about a 2 inch gap between the grate and the ash pan.

This cooker also has 1 inch of insulation throughout the walls and doors, which makes it very efficient. In warm weather I can cook for 20+ hours on one load of charcoal.

Barbecue Charcoal Trivia

Henry Ford invented charcoal briquettes as a by-product of the automobile manufacturing process. Ford created the briquette from wood scraps and sawdust at his car factory. E.G. Kingsford bought the invention and put the charcoal briquette into commercial production.

Henry Ford is also credited as the inventor of the automotive assembly line as we know it today.

If you ever visit Detroit, MI, take the time to visit the Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI. You'll be glad you made the trip.