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Am I using too much charcoal or is cowboy lump is terrible?

duffg
duffg Posts: 5
edited March 2012 in EggHead Forum

I just bought my large egg about 2 weeks ago.  First cook was a spatchcock chicken, and an attempt at Smore's pizza. Second cook was a beer can chicken (without the beer can) and some bananna's with honey and cinnamon.  Third cook was beer bread.  Fourth was cornbread and small london boils.  Last cook was pork tenderloins.  Sorry for the details but the bottom line is, I went through three (3) 8lb bags of cowboy lump.  Granted, the first didn't go as planned becaused I tried to cool the egg off and opened the lid to soo which caused the charcoal to continue burning.  Anyway, does this sound normal?  I just bought Royal Oak from Kmart but haven't tried yet.  The bag is tan with green on the bottom.  Says it's made in the USA.  $6.00 for an 8lb bag.   

Comments

  • Doc_Eggerton
    Doc_Eggerton Posts: 5,321
    Cowboy lump is awful.  Burns too fast, too much ash, and small pieces that fall into the ash pit.

    I just noticed Publix has lump.  Their own brand (Greenwise) and something called Western.  For my part the best available around here is BGE.



    XXL #82 out of the first 100, XLGE X 2, LBGE (gave this one to daughter 1.0) , MBGE (now in the hands of iloveagoodyoke daughter 2.0) and lots of toys

  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    I have been buying the 20 pound bags of cowboy and have atleast as good luck with it as royal oak.
  • XLentEGG
    XLentEGG Posts: 436
    Walmart should have the spring stock of Royal Oak.( orange bag USA ) It is 8.8lb. for @ $6.50. Last year it was 10lb for the same price.???? Good stuff. Check out the "naked whiz" lump reviews.
    More meat please !! :-)
  • NightwingXP
    NightwingXP Posts: 448
    I too have been using a 20lb bag of Cowboy with good success. Nice even sizing. Consistent burn. Not too much popping and cracking. I like it fine.
    Only 3 things in life matter. Family, Steelers and my BGE!!
  • biznork
    biznork Posts: 112
    It burns really quickly. Ton of ash left over after long cooks.
  • walleyv
    walleyv Posts: 147
    I use Cowboy for every cook no matter what it is.  I've done countless chuck roast for 18 hours and then turn around and do fish or somthing the next day without adding any charcoal to the egg.  I've also done a lot of high temp cooks with Cowboy and always have plenty of charcoal left over.  I used to use RO but I will never use it again because it does not last as long as Cowboy.  That's my .02
  • njl
    njl Posts: 1,123
    Publix (Greenwise) lump is pretty good, usually.  It's not terribly consistent, and can have lots of tiny bits, and after a year or two using it, I finally got a bag that did some serious popping, as if it was live wood.
  • MikeG
    MikeG Posts: 174

    This Cowboy you guys are talking about, is it the same one sold at HD that is scraps from a hardwood flooring factory?  

    Can't say I cared for the bag I tried.

  • XLentEGG
    XLentEGG Posts: 436

    This Cowboy you guys are talking about, is it the same one sold at HD that is scraps from a hardwood flooring factory?  

    Can't say I cared for the bag I tried.


    Yes that would be the stuff.
    More meat please !! :-)
  • gerhardk
    gerhardk Posts: 942
    Looking at what you were cooking I understand why you went through a lot of charcoal.  Pizza and bread really use up a lot of fuel because they cook at such high temperatures.

    Gerhard
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Cowboy lump is fine. All lump is controlled by the vents. Opening the lid to cool it cools nothing but the thermometer, and instead gives the egg more air than it coulg get if the vents were wide open

    Wood is wood. Mill scrap or trees
    It all burns well. Just gotta control it


    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante