Everyday Lump Charcoal

bhugg · December 2011

What is the best lump charcoal for everyday use? I would love to grill everything with some Ozark Oak, but that could get a little pricey for everyday use. I usually get Best of the West Mesquit from Sam's. Any suggestions?

apache64 · December 2011

I have had very good luck with Royal Oak from Walmart. I also keep the Naked Whiz lump database link as a bookmark on my iPhone so that I can check the recommendation of various lump as I am out and about.

rodent · December 2011

I bought some cowboy lump from home depot this week and it was mostly dust and small pieces. Should have been forewarned by all the bags with holes in them. I buy royal oak in a blue bag in Canada and it is consistently good.

jerryp · December 2011

i agree with royal oak from walmart. it's the american stuff. the agway close to me sells the royal oak from paraguay and it sucks.

rodent · December 2011

You can't use my picture without my permission

sootyboy · December 2011

I agree cowboy lump coal has a lot of small pieces.

uncledave · December 2011

I also agree. I got two bags of Cowboy lump and can't wait for it to be gone. All small pieces and ash. The nasty smoke takes 1/2 and hour to burn clean also.

banzaitoyota · December 2011

I like weekend warrior; there is no such cook as "everyday" in my humble opinion

walleyv · December 2011

I sell and use Cowboy lump and love it.....no problems at all with small pieces. Royal Oak is good but it's hard to find for me and Wal Mart does not carry it. I have a Ace Hardware store and we get our Cowboy through Ace.

DIXIEDOG · December 2011

I like the Weekend Warrior also, good stuff. Clean and lasts a long time.

bhugg · December 2011

According to their website, there is not a WW dealer in or near Dallas. Is my only option to order?

Griffin · December 2011

If you are in Dallas, just go to Kroger and pick up a bag of their lump, its the same as Royal Oak or BGE lump, just in a different bag. Or go to Albertsons and pick up the Official Cowboys Lump if you like Mesquite.

Sundown · December 2011

I use Weekend Warrior every day I cook. I know how long it will take to start. I know how long it will burn. And I know that when I set the temperature on my Egg Weekend Warrior will keep that temp right where I want it.

When you find a great product why in the world would you use anything else?

billyray · December 2011

I sell and use Cowboy lump and love it.....no problems at all with small pieces. Royal Oak is good but it's hard to find for me and Wal Mart does not carry it. I have a Ace Hardware store and we get our Cowboy through Ace.

We've been Ace dealers in California for 40 years. Where are you located?

walleyv · December 2011

@billyray

We are in Waynesboro, MS.

billyray · December 2011

My wife was born in Kosciusko. We've got family all over the state, from Oxford to Hattiesburg. My youngest boy graduated from Ole Miss. with Eli.

walleyv · December 2011

Wow thats great.

reh111 · December 2011

I sell and use Cowboy lump and love it.....no problems at all with small pieces. Royal Oak is good but it's hard to find for me and Wal Mart does not carry it. I have a Ace Hardware store and we get our Cowboy through Ace.

The fact that you sell it probably influences your opinion?? Cowboy is crap - not only small pieces but a bunch of dust - clogs up the air holes and prevents high temps - makes it difficult to get up to temp - can't wait to get rid of my last bag - going to let it burn all night to get rid of it

Eggbertsdad · December 2011

My local Egg store sells Mali. I just bought a bag of it. Have any of you used this brand before?

Da Kine Green BBQ · December 2011

Here's a thought - check to see if the sack of lump says what wood it is made of - that may be a better indicator of how your smoke or cooked food will taste like.

For example, Royal Oak is made of - duh - oak.

Oak has a mellower smoke and lighter smoky taste. Great for smoking fruits, chicken and beef and pork - it is my everyday universal fuel.

Three Trees is mesquite. I think Cowboy is also mesquite.

Mesquite is pretty strong to harsh. Not good for chicken, but OK for steaks.

Last summer, I bought a 20 lb sack of some "special limited edition" orange wood lump. It is also a bit harsh, much like mesquite. Good quality chunks.

and - yes - check out the Naked Whiz's reviews of lump - - and - - don't be afraid to experiment until you find what you like.

The Naked Whiz · December 2011

Actually, Royal Oak is a mix of woods.

Da Kine Green BBQ · December 2011

Actually, Royal Oak is a mix of woods.

Thanks for the correction! I **assumed** it was Oak. (However, I have seen some cool-looking Moon rocks in the sack lately.)

joe@bge · December 2011

I had pieces of 3/4 hardwood (flooring) in a bag of Cowboy...that stuff seems to have all kinds of crap in it. My local butcher shops here all carry Nature Glo - made by Royal Oak - and I am very happy with it.

odie91 · December 2011

I had pieces of 3/4 hardwood (flooring) in a bag of Cowboy...that stuff seems to have all kinds of crap in it. My local butcher shops here all carry Nature Glo - made by Royal Oak - and I am very happy with it.

Da heck?!?! I wonder if some companies just take scrap wood from random sources and turn it into lump. I would be concerned with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and other such toxic chemicals if that were the case....

bluegrasstiger · December 2011

I use GFS (Gordon Food Service) lump everyday. If you have a store close by it is worth a try and considerably cheaper than Royal Oak or BGE...and word is that it is made by Royal Oak. I get a bag every time I am in there whether I need it or not.

http://www.gfs.com/en/store-locator.page

horseflesh · December 2011

After trying a lot of things, I settled on RO. I have to get it from Restaurant Depot though, no normal retailer carries it around Seattle. It's quite affordable.

(Well... I could get Big Green Egg brand, at $32 per bag!)

Squeezy · December 2011

My God! ... I thought the $30 a bag was the highest for BGE brand!

horseflesh · January 2012

That's $32 out the door, so sales tax is in there. Still... crazy expensive for rebranded RO!

It's easy to get cheap, good mesquite lump around here but I just don't like it as much as RO for most things.

ribnrun · January 2012

Cowboy lump can be tricky. Home Depot employees handle it like it was bags of peagravel. Have to look for bags that haven't been stepped on. I have noticed lately that the lump has gone from that milled stuff to actual wood though. Mine is mostly large pieces and burns hot as Hades. Always have to wait for the smoke to mellow out, but that has been the case no matter what brand I use. I'm in the SF bay area, I wonder if the stuff is different regionally?

Gravytrain84 · January 2012

That's $32 out the door, so sales tax is in there. Still... crazy expensive for rebranded RO!

It's easy to get cheap, good mesquite lump around here but I just don't like it as much as RO for most things.

so BGE coal is basically royal oak??

tnbarbq · January 2012

That's $32 out the door, so sales tax is in there. Still... crazy expensive for rebranded RO!

It's easy to get cheap, good mesquite lump around here but I just don't like it as much as RO for most things.
so BGE coal is basically royal oak??

Yes. RO makes BGE lump.

I use Best Choice lump, also made by RO. I get it at the local IGA. I've used Cowboy beforebut found scrap lumber in it and that turned me off.

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Everyday Lump Charcoal

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