Oh, dear.... I have to admit that I was WRONG! It’s not a new charcoal product.
It’s a charcoal alternative. The disk is filled with ethanol made from corn. Ah, well.... I don’t think the aluminum is a problem because that is on the lower grid and the steaks were on a separate grilling surface above that; so, the steaks didn’t actually come in contact with the aluminum. I don’t know if the corn-based ethanol is a problem or not but I doubt it. If anybody knows for certain, please let me know. (Thanks.)
Tonight, I became the guinea pig as I tried that little disk out. I followed the instructions to a ‘T’ and barbecued some rib-eye steaks for 5 minutes on each side. Were they good? They had a lovely charcoal-like crust on the outside and were the perfect dark pink inside, for a steak done to Medium. The taste was good, too.
The flames are supposed to last about 40 minutes. I didn't intentionally time the disk; but, I started at about 5:30 and, when I looked at 6:18, the flames were out and the fuel was used up. I could see having one of these on hand for those times when charcoal is gone or running low or you're on a camp trip and don't want to waste time or cleaning effort. The only thing I had to clean was the food grill that the steaks sat on. This product seems pretty convenient.
Sorry, I can’t show you the results. It was yummy and went in my tummy...without delay!
(Besides, my camera is still broken.)When I took the disk out of the package, there were instructions on the top covering of the disk. So, I pulled that off, washed and dried it and scanned it in, in case you want to see that part.