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  1. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Agree... The charcoal should be isolated from concrete floors and weather to avoid absorption of moisture.  I keep mine on a wooden shelf and/or in a plastic tub (to carry the original bag, which I also fold over and clamp shut).  I use the tub for open bag(s) only. bd
  2. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Since the label says 'hardwood' not 'oak' ...I suspect it's a mix of American hardwoods (on the 'Made in the USA' version of RO).  That said, noting that the big green egg lump charcoal is a relabel of the same product, I'm not too worried about the quality and mix of woods ...they'd likely lose...
  3. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Ar ar arrrr.... :D bd
  4. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    My favorite is a blend of redwood, pine, douglas fir, and skunk cabbage... :D
  5. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    I understand the 'you never know' concept clearly, but statistics also show there is some value in avoiding known issues too - but avoiding nasties is not a real guarantee, but it may help some.  The nitrates (nitrites?) in sausages is one of the reasons that we make our own nowadays, and we...
  6. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    I'm glad that the RO that we're getting in Alaska has been as pure as it has ...there are only 2 other choices available in this region, and they are hard to find ...And one is made from south american wood (species I've never heard of) and the other is unknown - comes from Fred Meyer.  So...
  7. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Yup... All you can do is the best you can do.  My wife's mother was extremely healthy (food, exercise) all her life and then died from bone cancer in her early 70s.  I also know a guy in his late 80s who has beaten cancer 10 different times ...the old buzzard won't quit.  Still ...I think it's...
  8. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Oh wait ...I see "Mineral Char" and "Mineral Carbon" listed.  Can't find mineral char on the web (burnt minerals?) but the Wiki on Carbon says "Coal is the largest commercial source of mineral carbon, accounting for 4,000 gigatonnes or 80% of fossil carbon fuel.[51] It is also rich in carbon –...
  9. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    ...That's what gives it its unique flavor!  BTW, Is the wikipedia list accurate?  Borax and nitrates are the foreign ingredients ...but a book that I have says that charcoal briquettes have "asphalt type" chemicals in it ...which to me, means tar and petroleum products.  I don't see that in the...
  10. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Pine!  Yecch!  
  11. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    I've never seen a single foreign thing in my RO USA, and the mix of sizes have been great, and the dust level low (sometimes dusty at the end of the bag).  I think that 'some' dust is unavoidable ...it IS charcoal after all, not bound with chemistry like some briquettes.  Can't complain.  Of...
  12. brazosbrian

    Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

    Smaller pieces?  Fiberglass?  Rocks?  Lots of dust?  I'm fairly new and have used only about 12 bags of the Royal Oak lump charcoal and I've NEVER seen any of these issues.  If anything, a few too many chunks are too big.  NO foreign content like fiberglass or rocks found at all.  But then again...
  13. brazosbrian

    Water versus Sand in the WSM?

    I'll bet you can get surplus chunks of granite from your local tombstone maker.  In a prior life, we used to have custom slabs cut at the local tombstone maker for use in high-speed manufacturing to stabilized machines with fast-moving robotics in them.  There were always chunks of granite in...
  14. brazosbrian

    Water versus Sand in the WSM?

    Hmmm... not sure I can agree with the suggestion that using a porous thermal mass inside the cooker is better than one that is highly conductive (of heat).  Consider, for example, that the thermal mass is entirely contained inside the cooker and that any energy that it absorbs or releases is...
  15. brazosbrian

    Water versus Sand in the WSM?

    I think you make a good point.  Higher heat conductivity is better.  If, for example, your (very conductive) thermal mass is not working very well at dampening the peaks and valleys in temperature, then it just needs to be bigger.  Hmmm... someone ought to do a side-by-side comparison of brick...
  16. brazosbrian

    Water versus Sand in the WSM?

    I want to add a couple more water versus sand (or other dry thermal mass) to the discussion: Since water vapor counteracts temperatures above 212 F, you can get away with running your cooker with the vents wider open ...more forgiving and/or helpful if your charcoal doesn't burn well with very...
  17. brazosbrian

    Water versus Sand in the WSM?

    Water absorbs energy and converts the water to 212F water vapor ...and both this energy absorption and the injection of 212F water vapor, counters temperatures that are higher than 212F... the reason for the water.  It is to help maintain a stable low temperature for low and slow cooking.  THAT...
  18. brazosbrian

    1st Smoked Turkey Breast

    I did!  Last November 15th, 2014:  http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/172424/hello-from-knik-alaska#post_1270697 Thanks for making me feel very welcome ...everybody here has! (Or were you talkin' to someone else?  ) Brian
  19. brazosbrian

    1st Smoked Turkey Breast

    Hey ...Just wanted to say thanks for the brine recipe above, and thanks to all for the info on smoking turkey breasts.  I tried one in my 18.5 WSM this weekend that turned out fantastic!  Super juicy, full of flavor, super tender ...awesome!   Here's what I did: 1. Using the brine above (looked...
  20. brazosbrian

    Why is Franklin BBQ in austin so good?

    Babybacks (sorry for the divergence - hijacking):  I think pork spare ribs have more flavor (but take a little longer to cook).  For babybacks, I find that a mild soy sauce/beer marinade makes a big difference and adds flavor to the (otherwise slightly bland) meat in babybacks.  I just mix a...
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