Tarmac

I know the feeling! I did the Green Olive stuff and now I'm three bags deep, with half a bag of Big K left. Should get to to next Spring, I hope! That said, we are planning Christmas on the Kamado

Here we go! Just had this email and thought I'd share it with you

Well it's arrived and from what I've seen so far, pretty big chunks within the bag. It's certainly not smashed to bits. I'm hoping to give it a test this weekend.... Like you, Big K Dura is to become my go-to. A good price, nice sizes and plenty of heat! Thanks again for the tip buddy

Just ordered some! Thanks for the tip StevieBeavie. I’ve been using Big K Dura Restaurant Grade which I think is great. £22.99 per 15KG with some very big pieces. There was a 20% discount during the euros so I bought a few bags. I’m down to my last one, so was looking for an end of season deal and this looks like the perfect deal! Incidentally my BBQ buddy said that Big K Dura is in Morrison’s for a pound less £21.99 per 15kg if you can find it.

Hey, I've been on the look out too. I've just bought some from Big K: https://bigkproducts.co.uk/range/professional/ 12kg of Apple Wood and 12kg Chilla-Chilla which works out at £37.98 or £1.58 per KG. 48hr delivery is free if you spend over £30. If you're a bit fussier with regard to local charcoal and you're in the East Mids this guys makes it on his farm. Good stuff, nice smokey taste but not the cheapest at £7 per 4KG. https://www.homefarmlogs.com/collections/3-coal/products/bbq-charcoal

Did you order it from Totally BBQ? What was the cost of the chimney and fan?

Just had a look on their website; I like the look of the new Slow n Sear Kettle, nice bit of kit. I went with the Weber one in the end, the big one. It does what it says on the tin, heats up in 15 mins and the perfect amount for a 57cm Weber Kettle cook. It also fill the imitation slow n sear I use perfectly.

Ahh that's great news. I like the look of their products. However I've nought another chimney starter now. I contacted totally bbq via email and social media and no one got back to me, I thought they might have closed down. The fan looks especially helpful and is definitely buy one of their side tables.

Sounds perfect! Where did you purchase it?

Just found this place offfering 10KG Big K Lumpwood for £14.20. There's a delivery charge of £4.95. 20kg delivered for £33.35. Works out at £1.66 per Kilo. https://www.pubshop.co.uk/catalogue/lumpwood-charcoal-10kg-cm826-p-77088.html I've not personally used them, but I found them when looking up fuel.

Who needs a Big Green Egg eh???

Very true. She has a look of scorn everytime I say "On the smokers forum they recommend...." I've gone with the large Weber Chimney as my friend lent me his over the weekend and I was impressed how quickly it heated up a whole slow n sear's worth of coal. About 20 mins, just before I did Kettle Fried Chicken That said, if you have any recommendations I'd love to hear them bud? I saw the BBQ Jet air which looks very impressive. Saves on firelighters too:

Thanks for this David, looks ideal. Not a bad price either. A nice alternative to the Dragon fan. Whether I can justify spending money on it right now I think not. The wife may rightly ask why I'm being so impatient waiting for coal to light lol. Hi Ice, you're right. It's just a case of trying to get the coals to temp as quickly as possible. This quest began when I was looking for a new chimney starter as I only have the little weber one. Upon researching I came across the Dragon BBQ Insanity Chimney and tried to find a UK distributor, of which there isn't one sadly. David joined in the discussion and found this one as a suitable alternative.

I stocked up on the Olive Green stuff last summer on this forum's recommendation. However, I've always gone to Booker or Makro and bought the Blue Bag Restaurant Grade stuff in there, which I think is around £13-£14 for 12KG. It burns hot and is occassionally sparky when added to an already hot bed of coal, but it's perfectly usable.

Wow, thanks for sending these videos over. I think it's time to assemble 'The A-Team'!

Interesting, I may try that then. Currently I use on bbq hand fan which helps, but only for as long as I can do it without wrist ache lol

You are right MIkey, but I did think the fan might be useful. I also thought an old hair dryer might do the trick too. I was researching the idea of buying the large chimney starter from Weber, as I have the smaller one and it's not really big enough. By that I mean it's get's the coals up in about 15 -20 but I have to add almost the same amount again for a family bbq and wait a further 20-30 mins to hit cooking temp. The idea of getting it all ready so quickly very much appealed to me.

Hi, I was wondering if any of you knew where I could find BBQ Dragon products in the UK? I quite fancy their chimney starter and fan kit, which could help drive the heat right up on my grill. Does anyone have one or both of these items? If so, are they any good and where could I get them? For those that don't know here's a link to a video of them in action: https://youtu.be/nap0Bg_wAnE Tarmac

I was really impressed with the Olive Green briquettes. For me they were stable and burnt at a high temp, almost 300C according to my thermometer. That said, I do use an imitation slow n sear which helps hugely concentrate the heat. My favourite are Big K's coco-shell, but I tend to use them for longer cooks as they last up to eight hours.

I just realised I actually ordered briquettes! I thought I'd ordered Lump, my bad it seems

Hi, My charcoal has arrived and strangely as briquettes. I'm not too bothered given tedmus & Phlashter's reports on the loose charcoal. 30KG of briquettes on 5KG bags, so 6 in total. £30 all in. That should keep me going for a wee while

Just jumped on this! Ordered a few bags! Thanks for the tip 😁

I did my first cook with them on Saturday! Amazing! Super Hot! Like hotter than I'm used to having gotten used to lumpwood and charcoal quantities over the years. I kinda scorched a few sausages..... felt pretty bad as I normally don't burn my food. That said smoked some chicken thighs on it for an hour beforehand the temp was steady at 150C! They came out perfect! I love the cocoshells, but without the discount they are expensive! That said, the coals are only half burnt, so I can use them again next time 6 bags for £34 which works out at £1.42 per KG.

Gotham (Yes like Batman) , Nottingham

I've found it does spark a lot, but the big chunks hold heat for a good while especially on a slow cook. I've only ever used these to be honest, but would like to compare it to say Big K's version of this. Has anyone tried the hexagonal briquettes?