I know............ANOTHER Best of the West Mesquite Lump thread!!! This stuff is terrible!!

NightwingXP · June 2012

Ok, so I have read numerous threads on the Best of the West mesquite lump from Sams. Some good and some bad. Well mine is going to be bad. I had seen postings from Cen Tex and a few others that have said that they have used 800+ lbs of this stuff and not had any problems. My local Sams ( bought one bag in Omaha, Ne. and one bag in Council Bluffs Ia ) has this stuff for $8.99 for a 20 lb bag. Heck for that price who could pass it up especially with mostly good reviews!! ME THATS WHO. No reflection on Cen Tex or anyone else that likes this stuff, but the bags I have are crap!! I use a propane bottle with a trigger nozzle to start my Egg and I had to stand at arms length while ducking and weaving to try ( to no avail ) to keep from getting hit by all the popping and crackling debris and I also had to keep my daughter 10 feet away while lighting it. LOTS of crackle and easily twice as much smoke as anything I have used before. Honestly ( I hate to say this ) I was given a bag of Kamado Joe lump and it was great stuff. No pop, no crackle and the smoke was just right. Piece size was spectacular through the whole bag and the flavor was great! Sorry!! Just sayin!!! My Mom loved some ribs that I made so she bought me 2 racks of BB's and this 20lb bag of Kamado Joe she found at a True Value. Wasn't going to not burn it!! If you see this Best of the West anywhere and don't think you can pass up the deal........run for cover! it's no good! Sorry to anyone that likes it. I just don't. To each their own! Thank you!

Z_Eggineer · June 2012

But what about the flavor of it?

NightwingXP · June 2012

I have burgers on the Egg right now so I will update after supper. Was honestly choking on smoke just putting the burgers on. I had the Egg stabilized at 450 for indirect for 50+ minutes. I would have thought that the creosote would have burnt off by then. I looked at the coals and everything is gray so not sure why so much smoke?

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

No worries here. I've had better luck to be sure. One thing I've noticed, everyone who hates it has the 20 lb bags. Mine are all 40 lb bags and the others who have said they like have bought the 40 lb bags. I highly doubt they are different or bagged at a different facility but I find it interesting. Almost to a person- 20 lb bags suck and 40 lb bags are ok. Just a thought. My biggest issue is that it produces a lot of ash. To me, no biggie. Had one sparky piece as noted in the other thread but outside of that, it's been ok for me. Going to buy some ozark oak this weekend to compare. I certainly may have myopia since I've been using it so long.

NightwingXP · June 2012

I did notice that you mentioned that you buy 40lb bags Cen Tex. I was curious what the difference could have been. I just went back out to check the burgers and the smoke seems to have settled down some. Very interesting nugget about the bag size. What are they doing differently? The pieces were huge too. had 4 pieces as big as my foot and 5 others that were not much smaller. Crazy stuff

ArizonaBGEguy · June 2012

The Good One is my favorite for an all around lump.. Burns well for slow cooks.. Anything between 225 and 400 and it's great. Not the best for high temp though..

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

I did notice that you mentioned that you buy 40lb bags Cen Tex. I was curious what the difference could have been. I just went back out to check the burgers and the smoke seems to have settled down some. Very interesting nugget about the bag size. What are they doing differently? The pieces were huge too. had 4 pieces as big as my foot and 5 others that were not much smaller. Crazy stuff

Sounds like the same stuff. I light with a zip fuel lighter cube and don't get a lot of spark. I did have another sparky batch last night but it settled pretty quick.

NightwingXP · June 2012

Well I just flipped them. I normally like to sprinkle cherry chips in when I go burgers. Gives em a nice smokiness that accents the burger well. They get real red from the smoke as to without. These burgers have a nice redness to them so hopefully they taste good! Z_Eggineer I will keep you updated. The excess smoke seems like it may have a silver lining.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

I did notice that you mentioned that you buy 40lb bags Cen Tex. I was curious what the difference could have been. I just went back out to check the burgers and the smoke seems to have settled down some. Very interesting nugget about the bag size. What are they doing differently? The pieces were huge too. had 4 pieces as big as my foot and 5 others that were not much smaller. Crazy stuff

Sounds like the same stuff. I light with a zip fuel lighter cube and don't get a lot of spark. I did have another sparky batch last night but it settled pretty quick.

I'm going to light mine tonight with a torch and see if that makes a diff.

Newportlocal · June 2012

Wondered the same thing on how does it taste. Can always do the vegetable oil and paper towels instead of standing there receiving sparks, but does it taste good. I usually love the taste of mesquite.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

Wondered the same thing on how does it taste. Can always do the vegetable oil and paper towels instead of standing there receiving sparks, but does it taste good. I usually love the taste of mesquite.

I like it.

NightwingXP · June 2012

Ok, I jumped the gun a little. Still am not happy about the popping and cracking and excess smoke but it's HARD to argue with the flavor. Maybe just a tinge strong but awesome burger!!! One of the best I have made on the Egg. These are half deer/beef burgers. Got some deer out of the freezer and mixed for some killer good burgers! Good smoke ring, great flavor. Daughter/Wife are devouring them as I type! I will admit this is pretty good lump as far as the flavor but as with anything else in life I guess you gotta take some good with some bad! Good eats! Just wish they would fix that snap crackle pop!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

Ok, I jumped the gun a little. Still am not happy about the popping and cracking and excess smoke but it's HARD to argue with the flavor. Maybe just a tinge strong but awesome burger!!! One of the best I have made on the Egg. These are half deer/beef burgers. Got some deer out of the freezer and mixed for some killer good burgers! Good smoke ring, great flavor. Daughter/Wife are devouring them as I type! I will admit this is pretty good lump as far as the flavor but as with anything else in life I guess you gotta take some good with some bad! Good eats! Just wish they would fix that snap crackle pop!

I don't get the pop very often. 2 times that I recall (last night being the 2nd). I will say, when it decides to spark, look out.

Newportlocal · June 2012

Ok, I jumped the gun a little. Still am not happy about the popping and cracking and excess smoke but it's HARD to argue with the flavor. Maybe just a tinge strong but awesome burger!!! One of the best I have made on the Egg. These are half deer/beef burgers. Got some deer out of the freezer and mixed for some killer good burgers! Good smoke ring, great flavor. Daughter/Wife are devouring them as I type! I will admit this is pretty good lump as far as the flavor but as with anything else in life I guess you gotta take some good with some bad! Good eats! Just wish they would fix that snap crackle pop!

Thanks for the update. Meat Combo sounds great. I want to try some Bison that I just realized was available locally.

The Naked Whiz · June 2012

Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.

BYS1981 · June 2012

I used an entire 40lb bag and it sparked once. I really like it for the price, $15 for 40lbs is unbeatable. I like the flavor as well, and I haven't had to add any chips to it. I made a pork shoulder last week and my mother in law (who is sorta foo foo as far as food goes) said it was the best pork shoulder she has had. She then went on to say it was one of best meals she has had in her life, and really liked the smoke flavor. I use an electric fire starter for reference.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.

I did once and I think it's in the other thread. I'll say the bag I have open now has at least tripple that amount. This is the worst bag I've had as far as shake goes. Now that I think of it, I still have the shake from the 1st bag I weighed. I'll weigh them both tonight and get back to you.

NightwingXP · June 2012

Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.

This begs some investigation.Whiz in your experience do you know of anything that could cause this? Don't understand why such a difference in behavior between 20 and 40 lb bags. I haven't even seen 40 lb bags in my area.

Rich_ie · June 2012

I also like the flavor.

Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.

I'm a dumper so I never notice very many small chips or dust. One of the best things I've cook so far was a pork rib roast.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

I just lit a full load (half new half used last night) with my torch. I held it on there for 1 minute each in 4 spots. No sparks that came out of the box. Just the same as any other lump that I've noticed. Like I said, last night I had a nice little fireworks display for a few minutes but those have been few and far between. I'll post the video of the last one I had. Pretty telling. It was one piece. I moved it over the fire and it went nuts. Moved it off to the side and everything settled down immediately.

NightwingXP · June 2012

I will try to video mine the next time I start it up too. It's crazy to hear this stuff not snapping cracking and popping!

NightwingXP · June 2012

I also like the flavor.
Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.
I'm a dumper so I never notice very many small chips or dust. One of the best things I've cook so far was a pork rib roast.

That is one great looking rib roast Rich!!

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

I will try to video mine the next time I start it up too. It's crazy to hear this stuff not snapping cracking and popping!

Oh I've seen it. Just not often. I've had the same with several (B&B comes to mind) but this seriously has not been that bad over the amount that I have used.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

I also like the flavor.
Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.
I'm a dumper so I never notice very many small chips or dust. One of the best things I've cook so far was a pork rib roast.

I place everything in by hand and I don't use any very small pieces so any shake or dust will be in my bags. I probably throw out more than most so we'll get a good idea of what's left. This bag I have open now will be pretty telling because it's quite a bit more than normal. I'll ake some pics so The Whiz can dissect.

killborn · June 2012

Cen-Tex, as I had mentioned I have also just recently bought a bag. Will be using it on Friday for a brisket. Just curious how long you leave the lump burning before you stabilize it at temp? I noticed with the lump from BBQ Galore this passed weekend that after about 45min the heavy smoking and flames stopped and the lump "calmed" down a fair bit. I had already put my chicken on earlier and it still cooked as normal, but think I may wait a bit longer after lighting before putting anything on the grill.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · June 2012

It's ready in 10-15 minutes but I go longer when I do a low and slow. I'll let it sit at temp for up to and hour while I prep everything. I do that just so I don't have to babysit the fire. When I out it on, I forget about it for the most part. As far as smoke/sparks etc. 10-15 minutes and it's ready. Just choked tonight's down for wings after 15. It was blazing hot and no sparks or smoke to speak of.

Rich_ie · June 2012

I also like the flavor.
Cen-Tex, some time if you feel like it, you could take a 40 pound bag and weigh all the dust and chips to see what % you get. Interesting to compare with the small bags I've tested.
I'm a dumper so I never notice very many small chips or dust. One of the best things I've cook so far was a pork rib roast.
That is one great looking rib roast Rich!!

Thank you the Wife, Kid and my Mom loved it.

eggo · June 2012

I am a fan of best of the west mesquite. I have only seen 20# bags at our N MS Sam's club. I am on my 6th bag and have not had any sparks til this past Saturday. I got the sparks for about 5 minutes then it settled down. Smoke has never been a problem. I use an electric fire starter. Don't have a clue why some spark more than others of the same brand. I will continue to use BOTW til it gets much worse. I also like the mesquite flavor.

The Cen-Tex Smoker · July 2012

OK- I've been using Ozark Oak for the past 2 weeks and bought 5 bags yesterday. I went to Sam's today to pick up some other stuff and figured i would throw my normal 5 bags of BOTW in the garage while I was there.

I have never seen more beat up bags of lump in my life. Every single bag was torn and tattered. The bags were so worn it looked like they were dragged from Mexico behind a train. I thought I would get one anyway and every single one I picked up sounded like one of those bamboo rain sticks. these bags were pulverized and full of dust. They ended up with a 50/50 mix of best of the west and generic "Mesquite Charcoal" in brown bags on the shelf. I skipped the BOTW but I bought one of the generics just to see what was in there. it was beat to hell as well but for $14, there's no way I'm not digging into a brown bag that just says "Mesquite Charcoal" on the outside.

I can say that anyone that took the BOTW that I saw home today would be extremely disappointed in the quality. I've had much better luck with it but if you didn't know what to look for you would ave ended up with a bag of black sand at my Sam's today. Horrible.

PS- Some of the only other words on the generic "Mesquite Charcoal" I bought today were: "WARNING- This product can produce spark showers when lighting. Use caution when lighting"

Can't wait :)

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I know............ANOTHER Best of the West Mesquite Lump thread!!! This stuff is terrible!!

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