Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

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I have 2 comments:

Charcoal is sold by weight. To compare briquettes to lump you have to use the same weight of each. An example is Alton Brown instructing his viewers to use x pound(s) of lump.

The problem most folks have with inconsistency is shape and density. Using a WSM I simply bought a second charcoal grate and turned it 90* to the original. When going for a long cook I use a fresh bag and dump it in. The big chunks are always on top therefore fill the bottom of the ring and the smaller chunks rest on the bigger chunks. I have had 16 + hour burns using low temps and a clay saucer in the water pan with coal leftover after snuffing the fire. Not using water causes me to close the vents more or even only using one vent therefore feeding the fire less oxygen so I burn less coal for the same temp.
 
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Cool ~~~~~     Good Information

Gary
 
I would say that is an excellent price.  I can only get Cowboy lump charcoal where I am and it is $13 something for a 20lb bag. 
 
I would say that is an excellent price too.  I can only get Cowboy lump charcoal where I am and it is $13 something for a 20lb bag. The other day I smoked a pork shoulder in my masterbuilt 7 in 1 smoker using Cowboy lump charcoal.  I started with one 3/4 chimney full lite about 90% of the way pour it in the pan with my wood chips and one 9 inch long 3 inch diameter or so apple wood log.  I did not need to add anymore charcoal for nearly 6 hours.  I was able to maintain temperature quite well without too much tampering and babysitting as long as my water pan was half full.  This was the best experience I have had smoking for a long period of time.  I highly recommend lump charcoal for smoking and direct cooking.  
 
Good morning, if you go to Cowboy Charcoal website there are a couple of coupons for a $1.00 on Cowboy Lump and Stubb's charcoal  It expires 10/15/13    But it is a buck off if you are buying charcoal anyway.

Gary
 
I think JIRodriguez's response is the most accurate regarding lump charcoal. I use only lump with my medium size Big Green Egg and prefer it to briquets. The biggest issue is that the smaller pieces fall to the bottom of the bag, so unfortunately, you do need to arrange it by hand a bit to get the best burn. Really not a big deal. We're talking 30 seconds, and it doesn't have to be a jig-saw puzzle, just arranged so there aren't any airpockets. The smaller pieces are fine if you do a short cook (fish, chicken) but the larger pieces are much better for long cooks (pork butt, brisket.)

I have tried Royal, Cowboy, Masterpiece and Publix Organic lump charcoal. Big Green Egg also makes their own charcoal, but it's very pricey. I haven't noticed a huge difference between any of them, but I usually can get the best buys on Cowboy and Masterpiece, at least here in south Florida. When these brands are mixed with the woods I use for smoking, they all give me long-lasting heat (14-24 hours worth in the Big Green Egg) and burn very clean.

Now, get smokin'!
 
Since I don't ,measure the ash and time everything and check temps at different stages I agree they all seem pretty much the same. Like anything you can get a bad bag every once in a while. Since Kingsford Blue Bag  is what seems to be on sale most of the time around here that is what I buy. It does produce more ash. I do not use only charcoal I use splits also. Work out good not really any complaints.

Gary
 
 I use Royal Oak almost exclusively as it is readily available. What I did to may WSM is add a piece of expanded metal to the charcoal grate (as recommended on this forum) so the smaller pieces won't fall right through. I may do this to my kettles as well. The fines at the bottom of the bag I save and use in my kettles if I need a little more heat at the end of a burn. Overall I've been pretty pleased.
 
I may give Royal Oak a try. I to use expanded metal in all my cookers.

Gary
 
I generally use KB because of the consistency in my UDS. I just picked up 400lbs in 40lb packs at home depot for $4.88 each. They price matched their own store that was having that sale in North Carolina. $50 for 400 lbs of KB? Yes please!!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4
 
We need some sales like that here in Tyler, Texas

Gary
 
I generally use KB because of the consistency in my UDS. I just picked up 400lbs in 40lb packs at home depot for $4.88 each. They price matched their own store that was having that sale in North Carolina. $50 for 400 lbs of KB? Yes please!!

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4
Wow, you either do a lot more smokin' than me or you have a barn to store this in!
 
I started doing competiions a little while ago, I figure I'm going to need it, might as well get it cheap!
 
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?

Are you using it in the fire box before it turns white? I found better results by starting it in a chimney and wait till it turns white. I don't put any in the fire box while I have meat in the Pitt that isn't 90% white and got rid of that chemical taste.
 
 
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?
Are you using it in the fire box before it turns white? I found better results by starting it in a chimney and wait till it turns white. I don't put any in the fire box while I have meat in the Pitt that isn't 90% white and got rid of that chemical taste.
I don't ever have a problem with tasting any sort of chemical when using KB. I also use the minion method so, I light a few briquets then let those light the rest while in my UDS to keep a consistent temperature. One thing I though of is, maybe you are using too much smoke or a wood that is too strong for the food you are cooking? A lot of times that can leave a bitter almost chemical taste on your food.
 
With KBB & the traditional minion method (fully lit poured over unlit), in my experience the chemical smell and taste of the unlit is filtered through the lit.

So for me it is a non-issue.

Now it could be a problem if using the non-traditional "soup can" method, but personally I would only attempt that with lump anyway.
 
I don't think ours does either, I will check this weekend.

Gary
 
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