Learn About Choosing Good Charcoal Briquets






by Sharlene Joyner


You can enhance the performance of your grill by burning the right fuel. Ideal fuel gets hot enough, fast enough and stays at a good temperature to get your cooking done. Charcoal briquets can be a great way to achieve this.

The first briquettes were made by Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. They needed to make use of the wood scraps that were left over from the construction of the Model T cars. They then created a briquette company which still exists today under the name of a relative of Ford.

These coal-like lumps are actually made of processed wood scraps. They may have certain additives to help them burn faster and longer. They also have binders that hold the shapes of the briquettes together. Lime is often added to create a white crust when the briquettes are ready to cook over.

The briquettes can come in two variants - self-lighting and regular. Self-lighting briquettes are coated with a flammable substance such as lighter fluid. Regular briquettes require you to douse them with lighter fluid to get them to ignite.

When you have unused briquettes make sure to seal them and keep them in a dry place. Exposure to air can dry out the flammable substance on self-igniting bricks and increase the chances of the lumps getting moisture in them. This can make them harder to light.

Aromatic woods are also mixed into the briquettes to make the food you cook have a nice smokey taste. Take your pick of hickory, mesquite, oak, and maple. Certain flavors will taste better with chicken, fish, or meat.

Good briquettes can be very effective fuel when you are grilling just about anything. Choosing the right charcoal briquets can help you create a flavorful meal.




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