Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

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danbono

Master of the Pit
Original poster
OTBS Member
Feb 19, 2012
1,702
115
North New Jersey Paramus
Hi All
Is Royal Oak Lump better then the Standard Kingford charcoal?
I'm a newbee when it comes to charcoal..Read some raves reports about Royal Oak Lump.I can get the Royal for same price as the Kingsford. Looking for something that burns hotter & longer then Kingsford.
Just used my offset twice.. It is Brinkmann's Some N pit..
Thanks Dan
 
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Lump in general burns a lot cleaner than briquets - no filliers. However the results can be inconsistant, primarily due to how well of a job you do in packing it into your charcoal basket. Due to it's irregular shape if you just dump it in you end up with a lot of big air pockets in the pile, this in turn allows it to burn hotter, and if you don't have a pit that seals very well you can end up being unable to keep the temps down - and you go through your fuel faster. If you can take the time to layer it in by hand and adjust the pieces for a tighter pack you will get good results.

Briquets pack in more evenly due to their consitant shape, so they are a little easier to controll if your pit has air leaks. I have a 22.5" WSM and for short runs I like lump, but for long stuff (brisket, pork butt, ect.) I will use Kingsford Blue Bag - strictly for the longevity and consistancy. Another method is to mix a few big chunks of lump in with briquets. As the fire burns and hits a piece of lump it gets a shot of heat from the lump that helps keep it going - this works good when smoking at night in cool weather.
 
Hi Sounds like I just might give the Royal a try.. Mixed it with Kingsford. At this point everything is trial & error with me.Just don't want to go for a fortune buying charcaol.:biggrin:

Thanks Dan
 
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There should be some great sales on charcoal next week in preperation for the 4th of July. That is a great time to stock up - I usually buy about 200 lbs. and stash it in the garage.
 
Hi JIRodriguez Will be on the look out for the upcoming sales..I can buy Royal Oak Lump/Red bag 18 lbs at Restaurant Depot for $10.97 .
Is that a good price?
Thanks Dan
 
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Restaurant Depots pricing is the best I've seen. Almost the same price as Walmart and it's a bigger bag.

I like RO because it burns cleaner and is a little more pure. It is harder to regulate temp, but I think it's worth it in the end.

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I like RO because it burns cleaner and is a little more pure. It is harder to regulate temp, but I think it's worth it in the end.

 
It's been my experience that lump charcoal responds more quickly when you open and close the intake vent, making it easier to control temps in the pit. In addition you don't get ash build up that you do with briquettes, which will choke the fire and make it difficult to keep temps up on long cooks.
 
Up early this morning and just saw the Menards circular if they have one in your area.

they have Royal Oak 16.6 Lb bags of Hickory & Mesquite Charcoal for 2.99 a bag after rebate. 

Awesome Price .....    I usually catch the RO Lump for under $5     Love the lump for direct grilling Burgers & Steak
 
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Hi All WOW does are great prices for Royal Oak. Hope some one in my area puts them on a 4th July sale. Restaurant Depot had the 18 lb Red bag for $10.97.
Yesterday was my 2nd smoke using Charcoal. I got 3 hrs out of just 1 Weber chimney, thought that was pretty good. Temps were around 210-230 most of time.
I'm curious to how well the Royal Oak will work..I'll have to wait till after the 4 th July.

Thanks Dan
 
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Harry Soo from Slap yo Daddy BBQ swears by Kingsford Blue in his WSM, but I really am torn. It burns efficiently and is very predictable but I just feel like I can taste that chemical filler and doesn't make for as good of a smoke session. Anyone else agree?
 
Harry Soo from Slap yo Daddy BBQ swears by Kingsford Blue in his WSM, but I really am torn. It burns efficiently and is very predictable but I just feel like I can taste that chemical filler and doesn't make for as good of a smoke session. Anyone else agree?
I'm a lump burner but have been using KB for my mini and when i want like you said "very predictable" and steady temps in my drum.... no problem with any off taste, just don't like the ash but it is what it is. 
 
Hi All Just a note Home Depot by me has Kingsford Blue 2/20lbs, $12.88. Just picked up  another 40 lbs. Now I have 140 lbs
drool.gif


Time to stock up?

Dan
 
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Hi All just an update Lowe's now has 2 /20lbs of Kingsford Blue f or only $9.99. limit 2 packs. Hard to beat that deal, looks like I have to go and get another 40 lbs to add to my already 140lbs.
yahoo.gif

Dan
 
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Hi Does Royal Oak add any smoke flavor to the meat you are smoking?
Thanks Dan
Dan, every combustable adds "smoke flavor" to food. Remember, lump charcoal and briquets are a wood-based product. In BBQ/smokers, the flavor profile is determined by the chemical nature of the fuel.

Generally speaking, when using seasoned wood chips/chunks/splits, lighter woods with mostly thin to no bark (i.e. citrus, apple, ash, pear, white oak) are going to give a somewhat lighter, more "fruity" or "sweet" smoke and impart less colorization than a darker, richer wood (i.e. red oak, hickory, walnut, etc). Check out this chart, it's a good reference on wood options:

http://www.deejayssmokepit.net/Woods.htm

FWIW, I use a combination of Kingsford Blue (consistency, base heat), Ozark Oak lump (maintain heat, longer burning), and fist-sized chunk wood (smoke profile control, clean-burning heat) when I do my smokes. They ALL impart a certain amount of "smokiness" to the food.

You have to practice to find the right smoke flavor for your tastes. My current go-to wood is any kind of citrus. In my area (Southern California), that means an abundance of orange, lemon, lime and grapefruit. Great heat, clean-burning, and a very approachable smoke profile. However, I will be doing a Santa Maria-style tri-tip soon and will be using red oak to get the richness and color I want with that marinated and rubbed piece of protein.
 
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my problem with RO is the inconsistency of the chunks, most bags are half dust and pieces so small they fall through the grate. when i used to use it it will burn better and hotter (if you want it to) but you get much less charcoal by volume. so a full basket on my WSM 22 would only get me about 8 hours where a full basket of briquettes will get me in to the low teens. 

that being said and having tried a lot of charcoal the best, most expensive and hardest to find for me is Wicked Good weekend warrior. but for ease of finding and ease of use and fairly priced i go for Kingsford comp briquettes. they burn very well and have very little fillers. plus i get it when on sale at me local Costco for $16 for two 18 lb bags. 
 
Give Ozark Oak a try. Good stuff. Minimal splinters/gravel. I get it from bbqguys.com. They only charged $7 to ship 40 lbs of lump to California ($9.95/10lb bag).
 
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I picked up a bag recently of RO Chef's Select briquettes from Cash & Carry. They are labeled "for restaurant use". They are supposed to be wood-based, I guess.

After going thru the bag, I have to say I'm not that impressed. Though the briquettes are larger than Kingsford, they are not as dense. Sort of, I dunno, punkier? Although they last as long, if not longer than the Kingsford, they didn't seem to put out as much heat. But they did leave more ash behind than even Kingsford.

Anyone else tried them?
 
Hi All I'n NOT to crazy about the Royal Oak Lump..Wish the pieces were more uniform, some were slipping thru my weber fire starter.Did burn hotter the the Kingsford blue bag, but didn't last as long.
I'm going back to 1/2 RO and 1/2 Kingsford.
Dan
 
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