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I got to say Rockwood



Makes a huge difference..... only being a newbie and using only BGE and Royal Oak so far.

After reading about it, I took the plunge and picked up a couple bags.  Especially after I charcoaled (is that a word?) the heck out of some
perfectly good burgers with RO the other day.  That irritated the heck out of me, even after letting the egg warm up for over an hour too.

Did a stuffed loin roast today and it was great.  Tomorrow will be my first brisket (attempt at least).

First thing I noticed and I hope this is routine... after lighting there was significant less acrid smoke to be seen and smelled.  Very pleasant surprise and I think I found my new lump.   Thanks to this forum!
Bruce
L BGE
Kennesaw, GA

Comments

  • 4Runner
    4Runner Posts: 2,948
    I agree. Been through 3 bags and just recently put together a 90 bag order. General consensus is this is good :;-###!
    Joe - I'm a reformed gasser-holic aka 4Runner Columbia, SC Wonderful BGE Resource Site: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramicfaq.htm and http://www.nibblemethis.com/  and http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2006/02/recipes.html
    What am I drinking now?   Woodford....neat
  • bo_mull
    bo_mull Posts: 363
    edited October 2013
    I hate to say this but.... I have mixed feeling about Rockwood charcoal. I picked up 4 bags on a group buy in knoxville a couple months back for me and a few friends to try out to see if we liked it. I like the way it burns and I like neutral flavor of it,but I had to throw away 1/3 of my bag because it was nothing but dust and small pieces. So far one of my friends has said the same thing about his bag.We were thinking about doing a group buy for the four of us but after first impressions, it dont look like it will happen. I'm glad that everyone is having good luck with Rockwood but I think I will stick with Ozark Oak.   

    Cleveland, TN.

    LG BGE, PSWOO2, Stoker WIFI.

  • I have had consistently bigger chunks and less small stuff with RW thrn I ever had with the other brands
    Beaufort, SC
  • Spaightlabs
    Spaightlabs Posts: 2,349
    I've had great luck with lump size with Rockwood. I had one bag that was very snappy/sparky , but it was one out of 5.
  • dlk7
    dlk7 Posts: 1,053
    I've gone though several bags and all have been good - very little chips and dust.  I'm almost ready to order another pallet.

    Two XL BGEs - So Happy!!!!

    Waunakee, WI

  • We did a group buy about 2 months ago. Best lump I've used. Good size, burns hotter and longer than anything else I've used.
    Austin, TX
  • i do say mine is sparky poppy also, my current bag is worse then the other 2 i used but all do it that i have used
    Beaufort, SC
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    bo_mull said:
    I hate to say this but.... I have mixed feeling about Rockwood charcoal. I picked up 4 bags on a group buy in knoxville a couple months back for me and a few friends to try out to see if we liked it. I like the way it burns and I like neutral flavor of it,but I had to throw away 1/3 of my bag because it was nothing but dust and small pieces. So far one of my friends has said the same thing about his bag.We were thinking about doing a group buy for the four of us but after first impressions, it dont look like it will happen. I'm glad that everyone is having good luck with Rockwood but I think I will stick with Ozark Oak.   


    First off, I am very sorry about your experience with these bags.  This is the first I'm hearing of it--please feel free to email me when this happens.  In fact, this is the first complaint I have heard about that entire load.  We do not track individual bags or pallets, but based off when that one shipped, I know what load it came out of.

    Was this just one bag out of the four, or was it all four?  What about your friend?  If it's all of them, I can tell you without a doubt that the shipper must have damaged it.  They may have used a clamp-type fork truck or a set something extremely on top of it during shipment.  We could stick "top-load-only" or "do not clamp" labels all over them--they don't listen.  LTL shipping is like the USPS of freight, they don't care since it's cheaper to pay claims once in a while rather than wasting the dead space in the truck.

    We only have so long to file a claim, so it's imperative we are notified ASAP.  Problem is that you don't know about what you're describing until it's too late.  Lot easier to take a picture and prove negligence when they stuck a forklift blade through the bottom layer of bags.  Even then, it's not worth fighting.  It took my friend over a year+half to get paid for a damaged set of rotor blades off his helicopter.

    Was it really the 1/3 bottom of the bag reduced to chip and dust?  Because that much chip & dust would be well over 10 lbs, thus reducing the overall volume of the bag (i.e. when you opened it, it would have appeared to be a little over half full.)  Please do not think I'm doubting you, I'm just trying to figure out what's going on.  Every bag is going to have some "fines" in it.  Hopefully, that's less than a pound by the time it gets to the consumer, but if it was upwards of 10 lbs, that's completely unacceptable and we need to eliminate the cause.

    I'm hoping the next few loads we get are ok on chunk size.  With the wet and mild summer we have had, the wood is smoldering in the kilns and result in a smaller chunk size.  Same problem in the spring (the best charcoal come in Nov-Feb kilns.)  In any case, since 80% of lump charcoal is from the Ozarks, you're going to see it with most other US brands until things dry out.

    To sum this up--lump charcoal is a natural product and it's fragile.  I'm sorry about the bad bags, but please be assured it does not represent 99% of the rest of the bags that are delivered.  I feel very good about what leaves the plant or our warehouse, but I have no way to quality control/assure the chunk size once it leaves our dock.  There can be a lot of people between here and the consumer that do not care about their jobs.  Reminds me of this line from Seinfeld when Jerry worked as a postal carrier:

    JERRY: Hey, I've been trying to jam stuff in the box, like you told me, but sometimes it says, like, "Photographs - Do not bend".

    NEWMAN: "Do not bend". (Laughs evilly) Just crease, crumple, cram.. you'll do fine.
     

    Try another pallet, you won't be disappointed next time.

  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    I've had great luck with lump size with Rockwood. I had one bag that was very snappy/sparky , but it was one out of 5.


    Just curious, did that bag get wet?  Was it really humid outside?  Usually the sparks and pops on lighting are from moisture--that's why they stop once the coals are glowing (any moisture is cooked out at that point.)  And if you relight the charcoal within the next few days, you won't get any sparks or pops either.  I say that; however.......

    All the bag I use at home are damaged by fork lifts--they're torn open and just sit on a shelf in my garage until I'm ready to use them.  They should all be acclimated to the same level; yet I can light two different bags on two different eggs at the same time, and some spark, some do not.  It depends on the wood, the carbon content, the relative humidity, the airflow, method of lighting, or some wild combination thereof.

    I wish I could figure out what all the nuances were.  We shoot for a consistent chunks that last for a long time and do not smoke......those are the most important qualities to me.  After that, the lighting properties and ash production would be next on the list. 

    Again, natural product......so as much as we try, there's no way it will ever be as consistent as a manufactured briquette.  There are trade offs, and I think most will agree that the bit of unpredictability in natural lump far outweighs the negatives of briquettes.

  • brzelt
    brzelt Posts: 62
    @stlcharcoal, I can really appreciate your attempt at figuring out what could have possibly happened in the case above.  We could only hope for the same attention and drive from any manufacturer, producer or supplier.  Kudos to you.

    Have a brisket on as I type this btw!  
    Bruce
    L BGE
    Kennesaw, GA
  • Spaightlabs
    Spaightlabs Posts: 2,349
    My sparky bag was during a time when it was more humid than normal here, we are usually no humidity, and it was all when I had just added some to what was left in the egg so that half load had been subject to higher humidity for sure. Still a great lump product!
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170

    @stlcharcoal-I echo the sentiments above about trying to find and deal with the root cause.  You have a superior product and I hope it stays that way.  Since I found a supplier in the land of Kentucky Jelly I use Rockwood all the itme.

    BTW-How 'bout the Cardinals...gonna be a great series.

    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Ahhhhh Mine is sparking because i live on the river in South Carolina and it's normally 100% humidity... Makes sense!
    Beaufort, SC
  • bo_mull
    bo_mull Posts: 363

    @stlcharcoal, Thanks for the reply. So far it's only 2 bags out of the four that had really small pieces. I have 1 unopened bag left, if it is like the others, I will take a picture and email it to you. It could have been like you said the shippers mishandled it or who knows what happened.

    Cleveland, TN.

    LG BGE, PSWOO2, Stoker WIFI.

  • tjv
    tjv Posts: 3,830
    lump is like baseball (st. louis reference), every so often you get thrown a curve ball (funky bag) when looking for the pitchers bread and butter (typical good bag) fast ball, shouldn't  stop your next appearance up at the plate (retailer) and thinking fast ball.......

    This coming from a TX Ranger fan, hey I remember......

    t
    www.ceramicgrillstore.com ACGP, Inc.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @stlcharcoal - Always appreciate your charcoal insight here:)

    Quick question: if the Nov-Feb kilns are the best, does that mean that the best time to buy lump would be in those months or some time after?

    About sparking and popping, I usually notice that the lump sparks more after I have opened the bag and it has sat outside (remember that Houston= high humidity) for a few days i.e. when I am using lump form an already opened bag. The sparking stops once the lump is lit and doesn't seem to affect anything else (burn time, flavor, etc).

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    caliking said:
    Quick question: if the Nov-Feb kilns are the best, does that mean that the best time to buy lump would be in those months or some time after?
     

    There's really no telling since every charcoal company operates differently.  Some shut down altogether over the winter.  We just pull whichever pallet is closest to the door--that's what goes out first.  Some may use the FIFO method (first in, first out); some may JIT (just in time) delivery.  Who knows.

    If you want some of our "Winter 2014 Vintage" out of my private reserve, just shoot me an email in a few months.  I'll tell the guys to load the specific pallets vs. whatever is closest.

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @stlcharcoal - you're turning into a boutique charcoalier... without the stuck-up airs, of course. :)

    Thanks for the offer. I am still lusting after some Rockwood. Will probably try to put  together a Houston group buy with some of the eggers in the area next spring, so we can get the cream of the crop!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684

    @Pacuare........... Why did you flag me for off-topic??  @caliking asked me a question, I answered it.  This thread is about Rockwood, so it was on topic.

     

  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    caliking said:
    @stlcharcoal - you're turning into a boutique charcoalier... without the stuck-up airs, of course. :)

    Thanks for the offer. I am still lusting after some Rockwood. Will probably try to put  together a Houston group buy with some of the eggers in the area next spring, so we can get the cream of the crop!


    @caliking ........... Yeah, you'll have to pay extra for the attitude.  But I'll sign the bags and emboss them with a wax seal for free though.  LOL

    Just remind me when the time comes.  I have had quite a few emails from Houston, so you should be able to get people together fairly easily.  Please get it organized prior to March--things get pretty crazy around here once spring has sprung.

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    Check. Baby due in January, but I'll try and do it before then!

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    caliking said:

    Check. Baby due in January, but I'll try and do it before then!

    Easy pezy, tell SWMBO lump will keep baby Sinclair warm.
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    caliking said:
    Check. Baby due in January, but I'll try and do it before then!

    Me too!!  #4.....and just like I said after the first one, I'm done after this!!  Can't wait until they're old enough to bag charcoal and stack pallets!
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025

    @Pacuare........... Why did you flag me for off-topic??  @caliking asked me a question, I answered it.  This thread is about Rockwood, so it was on topic.

     

    Probably hit the wrong button..
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Springram
    Springram Posts: 430
    caliking said:
    @stlcharcoal - you're turning into a boutique charcoalier... without the stuck-up airs, of course. :)

    Thanks for the offer. I am still lusting after some Rockwood. Will probably try to put  together a Houston group buy with some of the eggers in the area next spring, so we can get the cream of the crop!


    @caliking ........... Yeah, you'll have to pay extra for the attitude.  But I'll sign the bags and emboss them with a wax seal for free though.  LOL

    Just remind me when the time comes.  I have had quite a few emails from Houston, so you should be able to get people together fairly easily.  Please get it organized prior to March--things get pretty crazy around here once spring has sprung.

    Count me in.

    Springram
    Spring, Texas (just north of Houston)
    LBGE and Mini
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @Springram - will do. There are quite a few of us Houston folks around here, so we should be able to cobble something together. We can be rolling in Rockwood in time for Salado! 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • bicktrav
    bicktrav Posts: 640
    Just got my first bag of Rockwood and cooked a brisket with it over the weekend. I typically use Ozark Oak, which is of course great stuff, but I have to say I was extremely impressed with Rockwood. It seems to burn hotter than OO. The egg came up to temp very quickly and stayed dead steady for 10 plus hours. It lit quick, hot and steady, with excellent sized pieces, and a pleasant taste/aroma. Fantastic product. I'll be ordering again or sure. On a side note, I also ordered a replacement grate from Rockwood. Cooking with that has been a night and day difference over the stock cast iron. Great company all around.
    Southern California