I always get excited around Memorial Day. Obviously the remembrance of those men and women who have given so much of themselves for the betterment of our country needs to be at the forefront of any activities. However I feel it is also important to remember that because of their sacrifice we have the ability to freely enjoy the holiday. Memorial Day also marks the beginning of the summer season for so many people, and it is also attributed with the beginning of grilling season.
Those of you who plan on cooking out this weekend for the first time this year, not many of you I’m sure, might notice that the bag of Kingsford Original Briquettes (Blue Bag for those of you in the BBQ world) that you pick up at the store is a little lighter than last year. The reason for this is that Kingsford has a new formula in 2015 which reduces the weight of each piece, but maintains roughly the same number of briquettes per bag.
Any time there is talk of getting less of a product, it is only logical to wonder how that will affect whatever that product is involved with. The good folks at Kingsford were kind enough to send me a complimentary bag of their newly formulated briquettes for a test cook. I’m happy to say that I didn’t notice enough of a difference to change my opinion of the product. It seemed like the coals didn’t last quite as long, but a lot of variables affect that sort of thing, and after one cook it wouldn’t be proper to suggest that it was the new formula responsible for that change.
Full disclosure, I did not do a big detailed comparison experiment using older briquettes as a control. If you’re looking for that sort of thing you can find a great in depth review here. Based on my own uncontrolled test, the results seem to coincide.
So if you’re stocking up on charcoal this weekend and notice that the bags of Kingsford feel a little lighter this is why. Despite the change I still feel that Kingsford Original is still very much “Tailgate Approved.” I suspect the most detailed grillers will likely notice any change between the two formulas when it comes to the actual performance of the product.