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 Topic: gas or charcoal BBQ?
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13/8/2010 at 11:06pm
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Joined: 09/5/2010 Standard Member
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I'm afraid I'm a bit of a greeny.
I wouldn't touch most charcoal sold in the UK with a bargepole. The majority of it is imported and a lot comes from dodgy operations in south east Asia where there is wholesale and uncontrolled destruction of natural forests to be planted up to grow oil palms. There is also a thriving market here in re-bagging cheap imported charcoal to make it more attractive to UK customers.
I use and sell charcoal made by a traditional coppice worker operating in the woodlands of the Lake District restoring ancient coppice woodlands and managing others. It's about as different to "garage forecourt" rubbish as you could possibly get. You don't need lighter fluids or other unpleasant petrochemicals to light it, just some scrunched up newspaper and a bit of a draught. It's ready to cook on in about ten to fifteen minutes flat and produces WAY more heat than the imported stuff, and much less smoke due to the better methods employed by UK charcoal makers, which convert more of the wood to carbon. The usual conversion rate for UK stuff is around 90%, as opposed to just 60% for the imported stuff.
There is a small network of traditional charcoal producers around the UK - check www.localcharcoal.co.uk to find your nearest supplier. Yes, it may be a little more expensive than forecourt/DIY store stuff, but it's streets ahead in terms of quality and performance, and it's also helping to ensure the future of our own native woodlands, rather than supporting the destruction of woodlands in other countries.
Charcoal briquettes are even worse. These are made from the fines and rubbish that can't be sold as lumpwood. A whole cocktail of ingredients are then added to make them into a material than can form a briquette. These include borax, various nitrates, cement, coal dust, sawdust and so on. I wouldn't eat anything cooked over the fumes from that little lot! Self lighting charcoal is just soaked in petrochemicals to get it to light - no thanks - I can do without paraffin fumes in my burger! Good quality charcoal will light faster than petrol soaked stuff with just a bit of paper.
Crackle logs and the like are in the same bin as self lighting charcoal for me - just full of chemicals to make them burn. The thing is - you can use a 100% natural product like firewood briquettes, which contain ABSOLUTELY NOTHING other than wood, and get a better fire, with more heat, less fumes and smoke, and longer lasting for less money! I really can't understand why people would buy anything else!
Campers by their nature appreciate the great outdoors and fresh air - I just think it's a pity that a lot of them are prepared to fill that air with chemical fumes from "synthetic" fires and BBQs, when they could use eco-friendly alternatives AND get better results by doing so!
Cheers,
Andy
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