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Lump Question

I purchased my XL about 1 year ago and initially used BGE lump however after reading the reviews on Naked Whiz's site, I switched to Royal Oak. Does anyone have any comments regarding Royal Oak ? What is your favorite brand of lump ? I am interested in trying another however my options here in East Tennessee are limited............thanks for your comments.

Comments

  • Lmidkiff
    Lmidkiff Posts: 442
    RO is fine but most agree that Rockwood is the all around favorite.
    McKinney, TX
  • divecj5
    divecj5 Posts: 18
    I've had my Large since last June and have tried the BGE lump, Royal Oak, and Cowboy.  Here have been my impressions:
    • BGE and RO seem to be on par with one another.  Decent mix of large, medium, and chip-sized pieces.  Some bags of RO have been really good size wise, which probably depends on how much the stockers at Wally World or HD/Lowes toss them around, while others I've had are basically lump dust the bottom 1/6 of the bag.
    • Cowboy seems to have larger chunks (some are damn near log sized) than BGE/RO and seems to impart more of a smoke flavor to foods.  
    Rockwood and Wicked Good (and maybe Fogo via Amazon Prime) are next on the list to try.
    Charleston, SC // LBGE
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,672
    bge lump IS royal oak in an expensive green bag.  tennessee has a lump manufacturer with the worst marketing team, parker mountain. try and get some and if you like it buy it in bulk
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    Rockwood is now distributed in eastern Tennessee through Ace Hardware. Your local Ace may not stock it, but they can special order it for you. You should try a bag.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    First up welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  And lump threads around here are like religion-it could be quite a ride.
    But regarding your limited access to lump, here's a link that will definitely expand your choices:  http://www.firecraft.com/ Give it a look.
    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.
  • MeTed
    MeTed Posts: 800
    I love my Royal Oak from Home Depot.
    Belleville, Michigan

    Just burnin lump in Sumpter
  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 894
    Royal Oak = BGE  Same stuff, different bag, different price.
    Rockwood is really good, get what you pay for here.
    Fogo/Quebracho/Kebroak from Amazon are good lumps delivered for a $1/lb in 40 lb. bags.
    Cowboy is junk, I have found pieces of 2x4 square chunks in those bags - ugh.

    For most of my cooks, I use the stuff from Amazon, whichever is selling for less. When I see Rockwood I buy it, but I won't make a special trip for it.

    Heard (here) that Weekend Warrior is also a fine lump.

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



  • blukat
    blukat Posts: 354
    royal oak here unless I randomly find another to try.
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Welcome - Lump is like trying to discuss your favourite brand of pickup truck.
    Me, I'm a lump whore; any kind, any place, anywhere - but I do have some favourites. Basques Sugar Maple and Maple Leaf (both Canadian Brands) are very good and Napoleon now has a house brand Black Gold (it might be made by Basques or Maple Leaf), Royal Choke if it is on a BOGO special and WGWW (not that Brazilian crap). FOGO and Kebroak are also good, if they are on sale. 
    Yesterday at my local Cash and Carry (Bellingham WA) they had 40# Lazzari Mesquite for $15. I don't use it straight up, but a few pieces thrown in with a regular cook adds just the right amount of flavour, IMHO. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • NCEggSmoker
    NCEggSmoker Posts: 336
    Current favorites are Wicked Good Jakes Blend and Kamado Joe which I can get at my local ACE. 

    Royal oak Was fine but is not as dense and takes longer to burn clean. 

    Frontier (only tried one BJs bag) took forever to burn clean even at higher temp cooks. Egg was belching billowing clouds of stinky black smoke. I still have half a bag. I think it had some uncarbonzed pieces that made the smoke. 
    Raleigh NC, Large BGE and KJ Joe Jr.
  • mahenryak
    mahenryak Posts: 1,324
    edited April 2015
    Current favorites are Wicked Good Jakes Blend and Kamado Joe which I can get at my local ACE. 

    Royal oak Was fine but is not as dense and takes longer to burn clean. 

    Frontier (only tried one BJs bag) took forever to burn clean even at higher temp cooks. Egg was belching billowing clouds of stinky black smoke. I still have half a bag. I think it had some uncarbonzed pieces that made the smoke. 
    @NCEggSmoker would you say Kamado Joe lump has a somewhat neutral flavor?  I've been tempted to try it as offerings up here are somewhat limited.
    LG BGE, KJ Jr, Smokin Bros. Premier 36 and Pizza Party Bollore



  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,566

    RO has been my main go lump for almost ten years. Wicked Good and Fogo are better in my eyes but I wait until I can get it less then $1 a pound to my door. I shoot for around $.75 a pound. I've tried most brands favored here but these are my favorites.

    I have a pallet of Wicked Good coming in May for .$71lbs.

    If anyone is near South Jersey I still have 15, 22lbs bags available.

    The only reason I plan to move them is to make the wife happy. If they don't go she will forget about them soon enough. :)

  • Chowman
    Chowman Posts: 159
    Here in Michigan our choice is limited. RO in large orange bags from HD, RO in small green bags at Menards, Frontier at SAMs club, and Cowboy which I've never tried due to bad reviews.  I'm good with the RO, also is supposedly sold by GFS under their name, which I bought but have not tried.
  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    @chowman. Where you at? I bought Rockwood here last year. A few $ more per bag than online but it was in stock and its supports a local B&M store so I was ok with it. He had other brands too. http://www.thisisitshop.com
    Dearborn MI
  • NCEggSmoker
    NCEggSmoker Posts: 336
    mahenryak said:
    Current favorites are Wicked Good Jakes Blend and Kamado Joe which I can get at my local ACE. 

    Royal oak Was fine but is not as dense and takes longer to burn clean. 

    Frontier (only tried one BJs bag) took forever to burn clean even at higher temp cooks. Egg was belching billowing clouds of stinky black smoke. I still have half a bag. I think it had some uncarbonzed pieces that made the smoke. 
    @NCEggSmoker would you say Kamado Joe lump has a somewhat neutral flavor?  I've been tempted to try it as offerings up here are somewhat limited.
    I hesitate to say neutral flavored. It's not overly smoky, but we like grilled food flavor. It's less woodsmoke flavor than royal oak. Don't know how it compares to Rockwood as I haven't tried it. I did have one KJ bag that smelled a bit chemically almost like lighter fluid and wouldn't burn clean and it got tossed. Otherwise it's big fully carbonized chunks with that nice clink sound when you pour it and burns clean pretty quickly. So far the Wicked Good Jakes blend has been my favorite lump, but the Kamado Joe is 20 a bag and the Wicked Good is 25 at my Ace. 
    Raleigh NC, Large BGE and KJ Joe Jr.
  • tfhanson
    tfhanson Posts: 219
    Picked up a bag of Wicked Good Weekend Warrior last night and used to it on chicken wings.  Wife and daughter swore they were the best wings ever.  I was very pleased with the lump.  I have been using a luft lighter (sp) with Rockwood, as things are getting drier around here, thought I would have to stop using the lighter as the sparks jumping off the RW was horrible.  Zero sparks came off the Wicked Good.  Took longer to get going.
    Johns Creek, GA - LBGE and a some stuff
  • KenfromMI
    KenfromMI Posts: 742
    No kidding, no sparks from the two bags I bought but had sparks and mini explosions with the BGE charcoal that came as a free gift when I purchased it. 
    Dearborn MI
  • tfhanson
    tfhanson Posts: 219
    My local Ace "Expert" said the sparks are caused by the charcoal dust all over the lumps, more dust more sparks.. More broken down more sparks...
    Johns Creek, GA - LBGE and a some stuff
  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    tfhanson said:
    My local Ace "Expert" said the sparks are caused by the charcoal dust all over the lumps, more dust more sparks.. More broken down more sparks...
    That is probably one cause of sparks but I think it is caused more often by wood that is not totally converted to charcoal.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • loveTheEgg
    loveTheEgg Posts: 573
    Rockwood 
    Brandon, MS
  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    Shiff said:
    tfhanson said:
    My local Ace "Expert" said the sparks are caused by the charcoal dust all over the lumps, more dust more sparks.. More broken down more sparks...
    That is probably one cause of sparks but I think it is caused more often by wood that is not totally converted to charcoal.

    It's moisture and airflow more than anything else.  The moisture in the charcoal boils, it makes a snap/crackle/pop, and sends a tiny piece of charcoal flying which is hot and has plenty of airflow = spark.

    As far as the dust, all charcoal has char dust all over it.  Pull out a lump and see if you get dirty.  If there is plenty airflow, like from a heat gun or torch, blowing the dust off the lump at a high temp, then it could spark.  Try lighting with electric, alcohol, or veg oil and see if you still get the sparks.......if you do, it might be moisture.  Let the bag acclimate inside and see if it's still a problem the next time.