Currently, the Kingsford Products Company remains the leading manufacturer of charcoal in the United States, with 80% market share.

He enlisted the help of Edward G. Kingsford, a real estate agent and timber cruiser from Michigan, to locate a supply of wood.

[3] A University of Oregon chemist, Orin Stafford, invented a method for making pillow-shaped lumps of fuel from sawdust and mill waste combined with tar and bound together with cornstarch.

[5] By the mid-1930s, Ford was marketing "Picnic Kits" containing charcoal and portable grills, capitalizing on the link between motoring and outdoor adventure that his vagabond travels popularized.

"Enjoy a modern picnic," the packages read, "Sizzling broiled meats, steaming coffee, toasted sandwiches."

But it wasn’t until after World War II that backyard barbecuing took off, thanks to suburban migration, the invention of the Weber grill, and increased marketing efforts.

[6] Kingsford charcoal is made by charring hardwoods such as oak, maple, hickory, walnut, etc., depending on the regional manufacturing plant.