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Cost of Charcoal

TonyA
TonyA Posts: 583
So, I've always mail ordered my charcoal.  Wicked Good and Ozark are about $1.15/lb shipped and I just realized i can get Rockwood for $1.00/lb shipped.  Hind site is 20/20.  I was at the store and picked up a 17.6 lb bag of Royal Oak. I've tried Cowboy/Whole Foods, too much ash and a bit strong in flavor for me. So RO is what is available to me locally. 17.6 lb bag after tax is 96c/lb ... I'm curious to try the Royal Oak ... for some reason I thought it was much more economical.
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Comments

  • ChillyWillis
    ChillyWillis Posts: 893
    That's very pricy for a bag of royal oak. I pay $8 for a 17 lb bag at my local walmart (in MA).
  • tksmoke
    tksmoke Posts: 776

    Home Depot has RO for 12.97 for the 17.6 lb bag.  That comes out to about 74 cents/lb.  Out here on the left coast, Wal*mart only sells the 8 lb bags, and I believe those are normally around $8.00.  They had a one week sale on the 17.6 lb bags a few months back for $8.00 (probably trying to put the squeeze on HD).

    I'd love to get some OO or Rockwood, but the only folks willing to ship to CA charge so much for shipping that it is way too expensive.  The price we pay for living in paradise?

    Santa Paula, CA
  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    I'm with Chilly, where do you live?
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    tksmoke said:

    I'd love to get some OO or Rockwood, but the only folks willing to ship to CA charge so much for shipping that it is way too expensive.  The price we pay for living in paradise?

    Who is willing to ship to CA?  


  • Grill66
    Grill66 Posts: 15
    Charcoal in Canada is generally a little expensive but Lowes has been having 2 for 1 sales on Royal Oak Charcoal once or twice a year which brings it to $7.50/bag or 42.5 cents a pound (in Canadian dollars no less).
  • TonyA
    TonyA Posts: 583
    I'm in CT .. it was at a local grocer and that's tax included .. was 15.98 on the shelf. Given the store it might be 1-3$ more than somewhere else. but certianly not $8 here
  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
    I have been buying lump from Gordon Food Service for 11.99 a bag when you buy 5 or more and I always get 10% off coupons. It's pretty good lump.
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Nothing wrong with some of the on-line buys. Some of my experience with on-line has been less than stellar, some bags were great other's very "abused". Always nice if you can pick up a bag, roll it over and listen to hear if the small chips plinko through the larger ones. Fact of life for those of us in the PNW, not much hardwood lump production in our rainforest. 
    I also notice that the further you are from the source, the more the lump may suffer transit damage, which just makes sense as it probably was bouncing around in a semi for a few thousand miles. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • tksmoke
    tksmoke Posts: 776
    I've had great success with Fogo ordered thru Amazon - free shipping with Prime. Well packed and arrives in good condition. Price varies wildly. Payed $28 in April for 35 lbs - price is now $42. In the grand scheme of things $42 isn't all that bad. I still have 4 bags in reserve, so I'll wait for now.
    Santa Paula, CA
  • MagicMike
    MagicMike Posts: 40
    @tksmoke Why don't most people ship lump to CA? I've always wondered that.

    @Grillmagic I'm going to have to check out the GFS by me to see what they have. I never knew they sold lump. How big of a bag do you get for $11.99?
  • TonyA
    TonyA Posts: 583
    I like being consistent.  So if I can get Royal Oak right infront of me and like it .. I'll use it.  I used to get long WG but I wasn't happy with my last couple bags so I'm venturing back out.
  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,824
    MagicMike said:
    @tksmoke Why don't most people ship lump to CA? I've always wondered that.

    Because they have a bunch of laws about putting warnings on packaging about cancer causing materials and they are very litigious if you don't toe the line (or even if you do).
    NOLA
  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
    MagicMike said:

    @tksmoke Why don't most people ship lump to CA? I've always wondered that.

    @Grillmagic I'm going to have to check out the GFS by me to see what they have. I never knew they sold lump. How big of a bag do you get for $11.99?

    20 pounds, I believe It's packaged-by Royal Oak. I think
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
  • badinfluence
    badinfluence Posts: 1,774
    @MagicMike‌ because of all the stupid California laws. Heck after the first of the year i am not even permitted to go to California so again there laws backfired on them again as i won't have to pay for the cal. Permit and i know I'm not the only one that said screw it I'm not going anymore.
    1 XXL BGE,  1 LG BGE, 2 MED. BGE, 1 MINI BGE, 1 Peoria custom cooker Meat Monster.


    Clinton, Iowa
  • jllbms
    jllbms Posts: 381
    Fogo is great if you like football size lump. I ordered two bags, no more!
    Kemah, TX
  • Eggbertsdad
    Eggbertsdad Posts: 804
    GFS is Royal Oak. Sign up for their weekly specials and you'll get coupons. $5 off of $50 or $6 off of $60. Worth the trip for mustard, ketchup, and lump.
    Sarasota, FL via Boynton Beach, FL, via Sarasota, FL, via Charleston, SC, via The Outer Banks, via God's Country (East TN on Ft. Loudon Lake)
  • thailandjohn
    thailandjohn Posts: 952
    edited June 2014
    I buy 40lb sacks of Mesquite $11.50 per sack......I only use Mesquite and have been for years....I cook pork butts, brisket, chicken, fish, ribs and I have never had a complaint about the taste
  • MagicMike
    MagicMike Posts: 40
    @tksmoke Why don't most people ship lump to CA? I've always wondered that.

    @Grillmagic I'm going to have to check out the GFS by me to see what they have. I never knew they sold lump. How big of a bag do you get for $11.99?
    20 pounds, I believe It's packaged-by Royal Oak. I think
    That's a good deal! I will have to stop by there this week.

    @buzd504 and @badinfluence Cali laws sound pretty strange then. I mean it's just charcoal. I've always thought about moving to Cali someday but now I'm not so sure. Good charcoal for an egg is way to important.
  • Grillmagic
    Grillmagic Posts: 1,600
    MagicMike said:



    MagicMike said:

    @tksmoke Why don't most people ship lump to CA? I've always wondered that.

    @Grillmagic I'm going to have to check out the GFS by me to see what they have. I never knew they sold lump. How big of a bag do you get for $11.99?

    20 pounds, I believe It's packaged-by Royal Oak. I think

    That's a good deal! I will have to stop by there this week.

    @buzd504 and @badinfluence Cali laws sound pretty strange then. I mean it's just charcoal. I've always thought about moving to Cali someday but now I'm not so sure. Good charcoal for an egg is way to important.

    MagicMike, what's behind your screen name?
    Charlotte, Michigan XL BGE
  • tksmoke
    tksmoke Posts: 776

    Every place to live has it's strengths and weaknesses.  In some places it's the weather, others may be the availability of good jobs, educational opportunity, traffic, crime, etc.  Availability of lump charcoal probably isn't make or break.  With modern commerce, you can get good lump if you are willing to pay for it.  How much is it worth?  How much is a long cold winter worth?  How much is fighting traffic worth?  How much is not being able to walk outside for fear of crime worth?  I love where I live.  Yes it has some warts, but all in all, pretty darn nice. 

    I just got back from my morning walk with my dog off leash thru the hills, stopping to talk with friendly strangers along the way, never passed by a moving car, wearing light clothes.  I do this every day of the year.   The wart?  Now I need to get ready for work.  That part sucks...  But all in all, it could be much worse.

    Santa Paula, CA
  • Hotch
    Hotch Posts: 3,564
    I buy 40lb sacks of Mesquite $11.50 per sack......I only use Mesquite and have been for years....I cook pork butts, brisket, chicken, fish, ribs and I have never had a complaint about the taste

    @thailandjohn Did my first direct cook with the Lazzari mesquite lump charcoal, lots of prime burgers.

    I was a bit taken back at first at the amount of smoke, but once I got a clean burn it was great. A little more ash than my WW but at $14.00 for 40 lbs I will keep it in my stash. It does pop if you light it with a MAPP torch but so does everything else.

    Next is a low and slow to see about burn time. I will say that I did not notice any added smokiness to the beef.

    Large BGE, MiniMAX BGE, 2 Mini BGE's, R&V Fryer, 36" Blackstone Griddle, Camp Chef Dual Burner 40K BTU Stove
    BGE Chiminea
    Prosper, TX
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,110
    TonyA said:
    I'm in CT .. it was at a local grocer and that's tax included .. was 15.98 on the shelf. Given the store it might be 1-3$ more than somewhere else. but certianly not $8 here
    I picked up a bunch of RO from Walmart as well at $8 for the 17.6 pound bag. This was "not" their normal selling price but a great summer sale. When it was gone it was gone...

    Many on this forum do not like the RO but for the sale price I will buy it ever time. No complaints but I would use Ozark Oak if prices were even close. OO is a very clean burning lump.
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • jonnymack
    jonnymack Posts: 627
    I've been using the Kroger lump and find it to be just fine for my needs.  I'll check the local wal-mart/Home depot to see if they carry the Royal Oak and see what all the hub-bub is about.  

    Does anyone have an opinion on Kroger's lump?  
    Firing up the BGE in Covington, GA

  • MagicMike
    MagicMike Posts: 40
    @Grillmagic Not much really lol. My real name is Mike and it's just a screen name that I have used sometimes in the past. I've actually used it on and off for about 10 years now. I wasn't very excited when that movie "MagicMike" came out a couple years ago. I sometimes wonder if people think I am a male stripper or something haha.

    @tksmoke I totally agree. I bet Cali is a wonderful place to live and I wouldn't not live there just because of lump availability. I was mostly kidding around in my last post. I live in a state where winter starts in November and ends in May. I would gladly give up lump availability for a warmer climate.
  • revolver1
    revolver1 Posts: 372
    Walmart has a special once a year.  17.6/8.00 or 10.00 dollars.  I just stock up for the year.  Home Depot is 12.97/17.6 and if you are a vet they offer a 10% discount.  
    Dan, Columbia,Mo.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    @jonnymack-I occasionally use Kroger (a branded version of RO) lump for hot & fast cooks and have no issues with it.  I have used it on low&slows but prefer Rockwood or WGWW (they last longer).  Kroger price is actually cheaper per/lb than the RO at Home Depot.  FWIW-
    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.
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    jonnymack said:
    I've been using the Kroger lump and find it to be just fine for my needs.  I'll check the local wal-mart/Home depot to see if they carry the Royal Oak and see what all the hub-bub is about.  

    Does anyone have an opinion on Kroger's lump?  
    Kroger lump and briqs are pretty good. I bought a load of Kroger lump and briqs a couple of years ago, before I bought my eggs and liked both. The briqs were not as good as my favorite (Stubbs), but close. The lump was a great deal (4th of July sale that year) and I was pretty happy with it at the time. I would probably buy it again if necessary, but I currently have a large stockpile of lump to work through.

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • jllbms
    jllbms Posts: 381
    I prefer B&B and pick it up whenever I'm in TX. Runs about $19 for a 20 pounder. I buy it from a local guy who charges more than the grocery store. The atmosphere costs.
    Kemah, TX
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    @jllbms‌ - go to Academy next time. You'll save $5-7/bag

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