As you walk through the grocery store, home improvement, or gas station you can’t help but notice the Kingsford briquets, Matchlight, or other brands of charcoal for cooking BBQ.
The briquet started in 1919 with a relationship between Henry Ford and Edward Kingford, Henry’s brother-in-law. The model T required wood to manufacture and shipping. Kingford sold a track of land with trees on it to Ford. Ford wondered what he was going to do with the excess scrape wood from shipping crates for the engine and the wood used on the Model T.
A process was developed to turn the wood scrapes and the saw dust from the lumber mills to charcoal that could be used for heating, and cooking.
The main ingredient for briquets is char. Char is created from wood. the char is dried and mixed with a binding agent and the into a mold to form that briquet.
These ingredients are from the following:
- Heat fuel – wood charcoal, charcoal fines, mineral carbon, coal, biomass, etc.
- Burning speed – sodium nitrate and waxes. Sawdust can also be used.
- White Ash Color – calcium carbonate, lime or limestone.
- Binder – starch. Cement, kaolin, and ball clay can also be used.
- Press release – borax.
- Filler – for adulteration use silica, clay, soil, etc.
I don’t know about you but I not sure I want these chemicals on my BBQ creation.
Let’s not even go to Matchlight. Who wants lighter fluid on there burger?