My charcoal is not lasting

mtnbikeninja · June 2011

I've been a egg owner for a couple of months now and love it. The only thing I don't love is spending a ton of money on charcoal. I have tried other brands and the only one that I love is the BGE brand which is $30 per bag. I usually fill my firebox up about 3/4 full but it doesn't matter what I cook and how long, most of the charcoal is turned to ash. I've heard stories that you should be able to cook 2 more times on the same amount of charcoal. Is this true and what am I doing wrong?

Thanks
ash

NC-CDN · June 2011

Maybe you are getting it going for too long before cooking? Are you shutting all of the vents when you are done cooking? Do you have a large gap between the top and bottom of the EGG? I can get 2 cooks most any time unless I do a longer cook where I use the bulk of my lump.

Richard Fl · June 2011

BGE charcoal is good, but you might want to try some different charcoals, Lowes carries Cowboy, Wally World Royal Oak and several regional brands. If you are near an ACE hardware here in Fl they just started carrying their own brand "GrillMark" and it works well for me, good price also.
Where do you live?
When you are done with the cook and shut the egg down make sure the bottom vent is closed and if you have the ceramic top use it, as the metal one lets air in and will take longer to snuff out the fire.

fishlessman · June 2011

first few years i egged averaged about 400 pounds of lump a year. at first i thought it high but then realized i was cooking on the egg every night instead of occasionally cooking on a grill maybe twice a week. i burn way less now, leaky gaskets do burn more lump, too slow to shut the egg down, but the biggest saving on lump consumption is from cooking more cooks raised grid direct. more lump is used with an indirect setup, alot more lump, maybe twice as much. dont know if bge still advertises a handfull of lump is all you need, but that is not all true :whistle:

Vanzo · June 2011

When I fill up the Egg I can get several cooks of steaks, burgers, chicken, etc. It usually takes about 20 minutes after lighting to get it to the temp I want then I start closing down the vents to keep at that temp. And as soon as I take the meat off the grill, I shut down ALL vents immediately. I have never had a problem with using too much lump.

The EGG charcoal is way too expensive for me....go to Walmart and get their Royal Oak natural wood lump (about $6.50 per bag everyday). It is great, gives good high temps and does not burn up too fast. After you try the Royal Oak I would bet you never go back to the Egg brand.

Good luck,
Vanzo
Alabama

Metalhead · June 2011

Just an FYI, BGE and royal oak are 1 in the same. B)

tjv · June 2011

you need to start looking for it at your local stops. Many of the big box and grocery stores carry lump, especially in the summer. You should be able to find it for $0.60 to $0.75 a pound.

close the vents when done cooking to snuff the cooker and preserve the remaining lump. t

Metalhead · June 2011

I don't know where you are at, but at the mothership(BGE eggquarters) lump is 17.96 a bag when you buy 4 bags at a time. I have 180 llbs on hand for a BBQ emergency.

Grillin Guy · June 2011

What size egg do you own, mtnbikeninja?

Vanzo · June 2011

Then why would you pay $30 for the BGE brand? I didn't know they were the same but if that is true then I don't know how BGE justifies that price!!!!

I used lots of different brands including Cowboy, which I don't like, and Royal Oak has become my favorite.

Vanzo

Vanzo · June 2011

$25 a bag at my dealer!!

I never use it any longer, can't afford it, especially when Royal Oak is available around the corner.

Vanzo

fishlessman · June 2011

read the commentary on the bottom, its overpriced royal oak
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag5.htm

probe1957 · June 2011

Wow. $30 for a bag of charcoal that only lasts you one cook? You might as well go to a steakhouse.

Lit · June 2011

I ordered Ozark Oak at grillstuff.com. It is $8.95 per 10lb bag but in my opinion it is much better than Royal Oak. It is not as light and seems to burn longer but just as hot. If you spend $99 they ship it free. I ordered 12 bags for like $110 and it was at my door in 2 days. If you check the Naked Whiz site the Ozark Oak had the best ratings if I remember correctly.

Vanzo · June 2011

Steaks not as good!!

Botch · June 2011

Metalhead wrote:

I don't know where you are at, but at the mothership(BGE eggquarters) lump is 17.96 a bag when you buy 4 bags at a time. I have 180 llbs on hand for a BBQ emergency.

That's what my BGE dealership was charging, too; but I'll definitely try the Royal Oak for my next bag.

Bacchus · June 2011

Assuming you are using a Large BGE, get a Small to supplement. You will find yourself using it for many if not most of the cooks, and with reduced rate of lump consumption.

walrusegger · June 2011

Something doesn't sound right. Make sure your egg is completely shut off from any air getting to it after you cook. Use the green top and shut the bottom vent and it will practically stop burning lump immediately. Cowboy is ok, but like others have said, find somewhere that sells RO, Wal-Mart, K-Mart (at least mine), Wegman's brand is RO. If you're able to get a Restaurant Depot membership, they sell 17+lb bags in the $9 range. I don't really understand why anyone uses BGE lump unless it's given to them...outrageously overpriced...I'd rather use Cowboy or a store brand than pay well over $1.00/lb for repackaged RO.

BarManBean · June 2011

Walrus, do you have a restaurant depot membership? I live near you and would love to get a few of the 20lb bags

Photo Egg · June 2011

If you take the time to "read" the post you might understand that he never used a "full bag" per cook.

Vanzo · June 2011

vk

jaydub58 · June 2011

I have had very good experience with Cowboy, good for fairly long burn (just haven't tried any real long yet), quick start, low ash residue. I am going to try Royal Oak from WM next for a comparison.
As long as I get top and bottom shut down after a cook, I always have lump left for next time.

walrusegger · June 2011

I don't get there too often, but am due for a visit. Send me an email at brnwlr@aol.com and maybe we can meet up this weekend and stock up.

mtnbikeninja · June 2011

Thanks for all of the replys. I have a large BGE and do shut down all of the vents when I'm done cooking. I also cover the top with the ceramic topper instead of the daisy wheel. I guess I'll try the Royal Oak brand if I can find it. i have a walmart near me but the last time I checked, they didn't carry it.

Thanks again everyone,

Metalhead · June 2011

18 dollars for 20 llbs of lump doesn't seem bad to me. about 90 cents llb

I dislike wally world so I won't buy too much there. I'm 8 miles from the mothership
so that is where I go.

I hope you find a cheaper lump source!!

Hoss · June 2011

How much do you put in to start with??? :huh: I clean my egg and dump in a 10 pound bag.It will last quite a while(several cooks).All you have to do is stir and relight the leftover lump.Make sure your dome and base close securely,gasket or not.If it does,it should extinguish the fire pretty quickly.

BTW,I use Ozark Oak.Royal Oak IS BGE,just cheaper.

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