quote:

Originally posted by Charlie J:
I've read on the other forums that the new Kingford is made more for grilling (hot and fast) rather than smoking (low and slow).

I was at the local Sam's Tuesday and saw a almost full pallet of the old Kingford but passed it by. The very next day I had to go back and the old Kingford was nowhere to be found but they did have two full pallets of the new Kingford. I asked about it hoping to be able to buy the old stuff but was told they send it back. The new stuff is all they are going to have from now own unless you special order it.

Thanks for all the input everyone. Based on the reports I am seeing, this sounds like Kingsford's version of New Coke.

Even if it is designed for grilling, I won't even use it for that. It doesn't burn as long and costs more. It also appears that many major retailers will not be carrying the old stuff. I had good experience with Royal Oak last year and will use that if I can't find the original formula.

I am 13 hours into a 4 butt (30lb total of boneless) cook and had to add the rest of the 18lb bag of new style Kingsford I started with last night. Don't think I had ever finished off a full bag of charcoal in one overniter before. It was rather windy last night here in Chicago and we got a bit of rain while I was sleeping, so my findings are anything but scientific.
Jamie

Looks like John Mason will be selling more if his WSM carts. One of the tasks that his cart assists with is the loading of more charcoal. With this new Kingsford, it looks like more people will be re-loading charcoal.

It's now shown on the Kingsford Web site:

New! Kingsford® Charcoal with Sure Fire Grooves™ delivers the first major improvement to regular charcoal since it was created in the 1920's. Each briquet continues to be made with natural ingredients and real wood resulting in the authentic smoky flavor you can expect from Kingsford®. Now, with new Sure Fire Grooves™, Kingsford® delivers three big improvements to regular charcoal:

Ready to Cook on in about 15 minutes (22% faster than before)
Longer Burn Time
Easier lighting

Available in a variety of sizes, from 4.5lb bags to 21.6lb bags

------------
There is also a lot of material in the FAQ section:

New Frequently Asked Questions about Sure Fire Grooves

The charcoal briquet that I am used to looks different, I meant to buy the regular Kingsford
You purchased new Kingsford with Sure Fire Grooves. The new grooves make the briquet ready to cook on faster while burning longer. Now you should be able to cook over in the coals in about 15 minutes. Sure Fire grooves were introduced to all Kingsford charcoal products and have replaced the Kingsford charcoal you previously purchased.

How do the new Sure Fire Grooves work?
Kingsford's new Sure Fire Grooves give the briquet more edges and surface area to catch the flame more quickly making for easier and faster lighting. Additionally, the grooves provide air channels that increase airflow through the pile of briquets causing the coals to heat up faster than ever before. Now you are ready to cook your food in about 15 minutes.

Do these coals burn hotter?
You might notice that the new Kingsford briquets with Sure Fire Grooves burn slightly or a little hotter than the old product. One method to avoid burning food when you are grilling is to use the indirect method of grilling. Push the hot coals to either side or around the perimeter of the grill. Then place a drip pan in the middle of the grill with some water and replace the grate. With the top closed, your food will cook by the circulating heat rather than the direct fire from the coals.

If you feel that the coals are burning too hot when grilling directly over them, you should space out briquets more and make sure that they are in a single-layer vs. piled on top of one another—too many briquets will create a higher cooking temperature. You could also close the vents (top, bottom or sides) slightly to decrease the amount of oxygen that feeds the fire and makes it burn hotter. However, do not close all vents completely as this will extinguish your briquets.

If you do not mind a hotter fire, you may want to monitor your food more often than normal the first few times you cook on new Kingsford with Sure Fire Grooves to determine whether you must remove the food from the grill earlier than before.

Where can I find the original briquet without the grooves?
Kingsford only has briquets with Sure Fire grooves. We took the best of the old briquet and made it even better (easier lighting, ready to cook on faster and longer burning time). You now get even more for the price of the old Kingsford regular briquets.

If the charcoal performs better, should I grill with fewer briquets?
The number of briquets you use should be based on the size of your grill, what you are cooking and how you are cooking it. Because everybody's grilling experience is unique we recommend that you use the same amount as before. The primary difference is that the briquets are ready to cook on faster, which does not influence how many you use. While the briquets do burn longer and a little hotter, the difference it is not enough that would cause you to have to use fewer briquets.

I noticed that my old bag weight has changed.
While the weight of each briquet has changed, the new bags are the same size, have the same number of briquets as before, and the same number of uses as previous Kingsford® but offer a performance improvement at the same price. Essentially you are getting more for the same price! Due to the Sure Fire groove shape each new briquet performs better than each old briquet (lights faster, is ready to cook on faster and burns even longer).

I noticed that the new briquets do not burn as long
Be sure to take note that new Kingsford with Sure Fire grooves is now ready to cook on in about 15 minutes. This is significantly less time than it takes current Kingsford charcoal and all other charcoal available today to get ready to cook on. As a result, you will need to put the food on the grill earlier to take advantage of the extended cooking time that New Kingsford charcoal with Sure Fire Grooves provides. New Kingsford briquets with Sure Fire Grooves burn longer than ever before.

How is the new Sure Fire Grooves product different from Match Light?
Sure Fire Grooves have been added to all Kingsford charcoal products including Match Light. For regular Kingsford (the blue bag), the grooves make the briquet light quicker allowing the coals to be ready to cook on faster. You still have to use either lighter fluid or a chimney to get the regular coals started whereas with Match Light the lighter fluid is already on the briquet making for easy lighting.

Do I use Sure Fire Groove briquets any differently than before?
No. Sure Fire Groove briquets light the same way (with lighter fluid or a chimney) as old Kingsford briquets. You still get the same great smoky tasting food and authentic grilling experience you have come to expect from Kingsford but with a shorter wait for the coals to get hot and with a longer burn time.

Do the grooves make the briquet more fragile?
No. The new briquets have been put through rigorous testing to ensure that they measure up to the same high quality you have come to expect from Kingsford charcoal.

How does a lighter briquet manage to light faster while at the same time burn longer?
The weight of the briquet is only one aspect of the change. In addition to Sure Fire grooves, which make the briquet light and burn more efficiently, leaving more of the briquet to burn while you are cooking, we have made a significant investment in formula enhancements and high quality ingredients that contribute to longer burn time.

---------------

Regards,
Chris

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Chris Allingham,

Chris, what about the formulation of the briquet?

Sooo how on earth do they"burn longer"?

They may light easier but, that is not a factor for anyone using a chimney.

This is marketing at it's worst.

It is called a price increase at best. At worst they may have altered the formula....

This says it all:

quote:

Where can I find the original briquet without the grooves?
Kingsford only has briquets with Sure Fire grooves. We took the best of the old briquet and made it even better (easier lighting, ready to cook on faster and longer burning time). You now get even more for the price of the old Kingsford regular briquets.

Disappointing. Really disappointing...

Well, this is what stood out the most when I read it..

Where can I find the original briquet without the grooves?
Kingsford only has briquets with Sure Fire grooves. We took the best of the old briquet and made it even better (easier lighting, ready to cook on faster and longer burning time). You now get even more for the price of the old Kingsford regular briquets.


Now, do I run to all the HD's and such to scarf up all the old Kingsford I can find, or just give in and start using the new stuff and get use to it best I can????

First, let me state I don't like the direction Kingsford has taken and will either have to adapt or find fuel alternatives. But, let's think about this from Kingsford's perspective. Like others have said, they figured out a way to use less material to manufacture a product while charging the same price AND market it as an improvement. Their up-front costs included some research to make sure it didn't suck too much and to change the dies in their presses.

The average mouth-breather will probably like the new product. They just want to grill some burgers, steaks, or brats and don't care about something called the Minion method or 18 hour cooks So, from a purely business perspective, it'll probably work out well for Kingsford. As I've said before, those of us on this board are more like enthusiasts than anything like their "average" customer. So, while we grouse and hate the change (and you can add me to that camp), the cost savings alone to Kingsford will make it worthwhile to them. So, they're probably not going to listen to us except with answers of hand-waving platitudes.

So, now that you've suffered yet another long-winded post from Ed from Columbus, I'll finish with a question:

What easily attainable, non-lump alternatives are there to Kingsford? I ask for non-lump because I think there is a big group of us who would prefer briquettes for long-duration cooks so we don't have to add fuel as much. I likes me lump too, so don't flame me.

Thanks!

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Jones:
What easily attainable, non-lump alternatives are there to Kingsford? I ask for non-lump because I think there is a big group of us who would prefer briquettes for long-duration cooks so we don't have to add fuel as much.

I've heard that duraflame makes a good briquette product. However, I have never found it out here in the NY Metro area. Maybe a viable competitive product will see an opportunity and find its way out here soon...

quote:

What easily attainable, non-lump alternatives are there to Kingsford? I ask for non-lump because I think there is a big group of us who would prefer briquettes for long-duration cooks so we don't have to add fuel as much. I likes me lump too, so don't flame me.

I was at the Lakeland Pig fest yesterday, and many of the teams were using Sam's Choice. You get it at Wal-Mart, and I think it's made by Royal Oak. I didn't see any of the new Kingsford, but did see plenty of the old. Users were pretty evenly split between the two brands.

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Jones:
What easily attainable, non-lump alternatives are there to Kingsford? I ask for non-lump because I think there is a big group of us who would prefer briquettes for long-duration cooks so we don't have to add fuel as much. I likes me lump too, so don't flame me.

Thanks!

I was extremely pleased with Royal Oak briquettes when I tried it last year. No different than the old Kingsford as far as I could tell.

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Chris, what about the formulation of the briquet?

Sooo how on earth do they"burn longer"?

They may light easier but, that is not a factor for anyone using a chimney.

This is marketing at it's worst.

It is called a price increase at best. At worst they may have altered the formula....

Because they are ready sooner your cooking time is longer, sounds like a sales pitch. They have not taken into consideration how we use their product so we will have to find other brands to do the job. DurFlame is sending me 40 bags of briquets and 15 lump for comepititons. I will be talking with them soon, they have asked recomendations, my first one will be to make their product easier to find. They have a real good chance to grab market share here.
Jim

Boy, glad I checked in. This is really a bummer. On the bright side, I had been contemplating going to lump. Guess there is little choice now.

I would love to hear a report from the Duraflame, Jim. Everytime I hear the name, I think of Firelogs! Until then, I think I'll have to adapt to the new Kingsford and also, see if I can get Humphrey's Lump a little more under control, it's widely available in these here parts and at a good price if you look in the right places..

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Chris, what about the formulation of the briquet?

I have sent Kingsford a message asking to clarify if the ingredient list has changed. I'll post their response if I get one.

I have enough of the old Kingsford to last through 2006, but maybe I'll pick up a bag of the new and try it in a Minion Method cook to see what happens.

Regards,
Chris

Just curious Chris - how much is enough to last through 2006??

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Hays:
Well, this is what stood out the most when I read it..

Where can I find the original briquet without the grooves?
Kingsford only has briquets with Sure Fire grooves. We took the best of the old briquet and made it even better (easier lighting, ready to cook on faster and longer burning time). You now get even more for the price of the old Kingsford regular briquets.


Now, do I run to all the HD's and such to scarf up all the old Kingsford I can find, or just give in and start using the new stuff and get use to it best I can????

Exactly what I did yesterday. HD had original kingsford 2-20lb bags for less than 8 bucks. I bought 10 bags. I will probably go back this weekend and get some more. Hopefully it will still be there. Everyone on all the forums I visit have had nothing but bad things to say about the new stuff.

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Minion:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Petrone:
Chris, what about the formulation of the briquet?

Sooo how on earth do they"burn longer"?

They may light easier but, that is not a factor for anyone using a chimney.

This is marketing at it's worst.

It is called a price increase at best. At worst they may have altered the formula....

Because they are ready sooner your cooking time is longer, sounds like a sales pitch. They have not taken into consideration how we use their product so we will have to find other brands to do the job. DurFlame is sending me 40 bags of briquets and 15 lump for comepititons. I will be talking with them soon, they have asked recomendations, my first one will be to make their product easier to find. They have a real good chance to grab market share here.
Jim

Jim

I have seen DuraFlame in our Dillons grocery stores. Do you find that DuraFlame is a better product than Kingsford. My assumption, with a 40 bag order on the way, is yes, you do

Mike J

quote:

Originally posted by Bill Hays:
I would love to hear a report from the Duraflame, Jim. Everytime I hear the name, I think of Firelogs! Until then, I think I'll have to adapt to the new Kingsford and also, see if I can get Humphrey's Lump a little more under control, it's widely available in these here parts and at a good price if you look in the right places..

I tried both types of Duraflame and would take either over Kingsford.

You and Bryan are lump lovers! And, I'm right behind you!!