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What do you do for charcoal during the winter?

A lot of people can get lump locally all year long and others can only get it certain months of the year. I fall partially in the latter category but I still like to have a nice supply on hand and not have to worry about chasing it down. I typically go into winter with 400 pounds + on hand and my stash fell to under 100 lbs yesterday so I took a trip to restaurant depot and started my 2013-14 hoarding with 12 of the 17+ lbs bags of RO. I hope to try a hundred or so pounds of Ozark Oak if I can find someone with decent delivery cost that has it in stock, right now GrillStuff.com is out of stock. I always liked dealing with the Wicked Good people but it seems they changed so I plan on buying a couple of bags to check it out before me and a couple of buddies lay out the money for a whole pallet.

Here is todays haul.

 

 

 

 

image
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Comments

  • I am fortunate enough to live in North Alabama where we can find lump year round very easily.  I never keep more than 4 bags or so on hand. Lucky for me. Especially since I don't have room for much more.  
    Large BGE Decatur, AL
  • That is still not enough....
    If it ain't a CAT, it's a dog!!! 2 LBGE's & BGE Backyard Chef Edition Cart
  • This is my first winter with my LBGE, like you I started hoarding - have 14 bags in garage for when COSTCO stops selling for the season.
    Ottawa winters are long and brutally cold, intend to be bbqing throughout it all to shorten the season.
  • Get it all year round here...
    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Keywords: Gator, Nashvegas, LBGE, Looftlighter, Thermapen in Racing Green (faster than the red one!), PSWOO2, Spider with CI, IQ120
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    I think I am goin to order a pallet of Rockwood. My Wally World is very sketchy on when they have lump and I am not using BGE if I can avoid it.

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,427
    You guys cook SO MUCH MORE than I do; I need to start another thread...
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • I can get lump year round but not as easily as in the summer so last October I bought all the bags of Royal Oak our local Canadian Tire store had left in their display, it was 8 or 9 bags.  This along with 2 or 3 bags already in the shed lasted me into March which is when it started appearing on the shelves again.  I imagine I will be doing a bulk purchase in the next month or so.

    Gerhard
  • I intend to not allow my stash get below a couple of hundred pounds even though I can probably get it year round here in the Big Easy.

    image

    Every time my elbow bends my mouth flies open.
  • Hoard it when it's on sale but with a dealer 5 minutes away I'm never in short supply

    the city above Toronto - Noodleville wtih 2 Large 1 Mini

  • NervousDad
    NervousDad Posts: 307
    edited September 2013
    I jurst picked up the last 60# at wegmans for $32, not a bad deal considering 20# bge is 28.
    Aurora,OH
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    What is "winter"?

    I have ~200lbs of lump and ~200lbs of briqs. I don't use the briqs much since I don't use my other cookers that often now. I get uneasy if I have less than 200lbs of lump in stock (it is hurricane season after all), so I usually pick some up every now and then depending on what is on sale, or what i want to try based on recs from the forum.

    But yes, I'm definitely in favor hoarding. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • I have started my winter stash, er, hoard.  At the Gordon Food Service (GFS) store, I bought a couple of 20# bags of GFS lump (made by RO) for $14 each.  My plan is to buy a couple bags every couple of days so Wilma won't be upset about my hoarding problem.  SSHHHH!  Don't tell Wilma! 

    image
    Flint, Michigan
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    I'm down to 23 bags... And getting worried.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Tjcoley
    Tjcoley Posts: 3,551
    Our Wegmans has already stopped stocking lump.  I've only got 150 pounds stocked up, along with another 100 or so of ForrestLump and a couple bags of WGWW.  That will probably get me through the end of the year, but will need to find more for the rest of winter. The Mrs. was so happy I finally got around to cleaning out the shed, but it was short lived as I quickly filled it with lump.  
    __________________________________________
    It's not a science, it's an art. And it's flawed.
    - Camp Hill, PA
  • TFols
    TFols Posts: 241
    Fortunately I can get RO year round at Restaurant Depot.
    Bloomfield, NJ
  • BYS1981
    BYS1981 Posts: 2,533
    I don't worry about it because I'm blessed enough to be in California.
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,102
    I'm down to 200 pounds.  But they sell it here all year round thanks to warm weather and football.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I think I still have about 100lbs. I can get it year round though.

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • I'm down to 200 pounds.  But they sell it here all year round thanks to warm weather and football.

    GFS by me stocks it year round. The difference is when I run out in winter, I gotta hitch up the sled dogs! Ok, We don't have sled dogs in Michigan, but it gets pretty friggin cold!
    Flint, Michigan
  • hondabbq
    hondabbq Posts: 1,980
    edited September 2013
    I have 120 lbs stocked. Gets might cold here in the Great White North. I assume that will last me till spring. Too nervous to spark up the egg at minus 20-30C. Gonna do a couple of bulk cooks before the snow flies and vac seal. I found RO in the spring for $10 for 20 lbs and bought 10 bags. I can get it all winter but its scarce to find.
  • We're good to go 24/7/365........

    BTW, to save you the math, that's about 2800 bags and just one corner of the warehouse (my private reserve/stash!)

     

  •  

    We're good to go 24/7/365........

    BTW, to save you the math, that's about 2800 bags and just one corner of the warehouse (my private reserve/stash!)

     


    We are going on a cruise in February and may be driving from MN to FL and back.  If we do, I need to figure out where were need to stop in St. Louis on the way home to load up.  If not, I want to arrange a group by in MN next year.

     Jen

    Lakeville, MN

  • Home depot. Or Lowe's for cowboy. Wal-Mart nearly always has royal oak. Gfs lump is great and if they don't have it in stock they can get you some in two days.
    Kroger has lump.
    XL   Walled Lake, MI

  • My employer is a BGE dealer so I have it at work.  Great fringe benefit.

     

    Ernie McClain

    Scottsbluff, Nebraska

    (in the extreme western panhandle of NE)

  • JenGang said:

     

    We're good to go 24/7/365........

    BTW, to save you the math, that's about 2800 bags and just one corner of the warehouse (my private reserve/stash!)

     


    We are going on a cruise in February and may be driving from MN to FL and back.  If we do, I need to figure out where were need to stop in St. Louis on the way home to load up.  If not, I want to arrange a group by in MN next year.

    Yikes.....that's a long drive at bad time of the year.  It would only be getting better driving down there, but that would be a sad drive back.  LOL.

    We've got you covered if you're coming down through KC or STL.  Hopefully by then we'll be in ATL as well.  Just check out the website for the dealers.

  • My local Wally World is already out of stock on RO for the season.  I've only got about 150 lbs hoarded.  I'm a little nervous because it's RO, BGE (too pricey) or Cowboy (don't really like) in my area.  Hopefully some Wally Worlds a little further away are not out yet.

    Damascus, VA.  Friendliest town on the Appalachian Trail.

    LBGE Aug 2012, SBGE Feb 2014

  • @stlcharcoal, where are you located in St. Louis?
    Brighton, IL (North East of St. Louis, MO)
  • Good Lord...that's a lotta lump.  I typically buy 4-5 bags at a time, and it lasts me a month or two.  Lucky for me, our hardware store stocks RO year round. If I bought pallets of charcoal, my wife would be upset.  And, she wouldn't be upset because of the cost, but because of the space it took up.  We have a third car garage, and it's the last bit of real estate I call my own.  It's my workshop, bike storage, kayak storage and when the bathroom is occupied by someone else, it's where I hide. 

    She wants to park a Mini Cooper there.  I'm holding on to my Man Cave like grim death. 

    LBGE since June 2012

    Omaha, NE

  • This is my first winter with my LBGE, like you I started hoarding - have 14 bags in garage for when COSTCO stops selling for the season. Ottawa winters are long and brutally cold, intend to be bbqing throughout it all to shorten the season.
    I have been egging in Ottawa since 2007 and I cook regularly throughout the winter with no problem.  You can usually count on Rona selling Maple Leaf lump throughout the year if the stock runs a bit low.

    Tom

    Charles is a mischevious feline who always has something cooking

    Twin lbge's .. grew up in the sun parlor of Canada but now egging in the nation's capital

  • CANMAN1976
    CANMAN1976 Posts: 1,593
    I buy buy buy.....stock up bud.
     About 450 lbs of RO here:))
    Hows ya gettin' on, me ol ****



    Kippens.Newfoundland and Labrador. (Canada).