First use Wicked Good and spiral cut hot dogs

DieselkW · July 2015

It's expensive. I paid $26.99 for a 20# bag, and $24.99 for Rockwood:

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The pieces on top were "medium" size I would say - I threw a bic lighter in there for size reference.

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Simple cook tonight, hot dogs by request to use up the packages we bought for a party and didn't cook. I saw something interesting somewhere - spiral cut dogs. Promises of holding more kraut, or onions, or chili, or whatever you're using. They don't curl, they stay straight during the cook.

It's pretty easy, just skewer them lengthwise with a shish-ke-bob stick and cut at an angle while rolling towards you keeping the knife blade on the stick, which you have hopefully centered.

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Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/pz/cx9n809o2tpd.jpg

To me, the WGWW was as smokey to start as Royal Oak, and although I place the starter dead center, the left side was an inferno and the right side, at the above point in the cook would not toast the rolls, I had to move them around. You can see the dogs on the right not even close to done. I would have blamed the spiral cut, but that roll to the right of the uncut dogs was still white, the one on the bottom left was nicely charred.

So, Weekend Warrior first cook:

More expensive (locally) than Rockwood.
Not enough info to blame WW for the uneven burn, could be there were small clinks in the holes on that side.
The hot side was "normal" hot from my lump experience.
It did not have that Rockwood aroma and it did not add any off taste to this simple cook. No "tink tink" either.

Unimpressed at the price point - I wouldn't buy it again at this price, might as well use Royal Oak, which I buy only occasionally when the sale price makes it less annoying that their bags are 3lbs short.

Rockwood and Ozark Oak (R.I.P.) are still my favorites if price is not considered. I really didn't like how long it took for the startup white smoke to dissipate. Very Royal Oak in that regard.

I'll clean the Egg out and use the WW again and see if it lights more evenly with a fresh fill, I assume it will. But I will not pay more than Rockwood for that lump again.

DieselkW · July 2015

Update:

As I use the last of the Wicked Good Weekend Warrior I can't say I'm happy to be out of it. It's good lump, seems to last a bit longer than what I'm used to, hard to quantify, but I feel like I'm adding less lump to each new cook. There are lots and lots of small diameter chunks in there, and not a lot of ash to clean out.

I bought this bag 7/7 and it's two weeks later... that's pretty good for 20 lbs. and my egging schedule. Got a 9lb. butt on right now, WGWW has been rock steady at 240f for the last 7 hours.

I'm going to open the Rockwood next.

ChillyWillis · July 2015

I enjoy WG, but I wouldn't buy it at that price point. IMHO it's a very good lump but not on par with rockwood. Their Jakes Blend is even better than the WGWW. It's extremely dense and burns forever, however it's a pain in the @$$ to light. When push comes to shove however, Rockwood takes the cake.

Phatchris · July 2015

ChillyWillis said:

I enjoy WG, but I wouldn't buy it at that price point. IMHO it's a very good lump but not on par with rockwood. Their Jakes Blend is even better than the WGWW. It's extremely dense and burns forever, however it's a pain in the @$$ to light. When push comes to shove however, Rockwood takes the cake.

Agree on Jakes, it's a B!tch to light, and super dense, but once it's lit watch out ... I left mine going 20 minutes and the dome read 200, I thought WTF and opened the done to a fireball at my face... Luckily no burns or missing brows , the dome thermometer went back around to 200 and was more like 1000 degree inferno... Oops

ChillyWillis · July 2015

That's happened to me too. I have an aftermarket dome thermometer that goes up to 1,000 and the Jakes Blend maxed it out and then some when I left too long while getting to temp.

I've never come across a lump that burns even close to as hot as jakes blend. I'd say that's a compliment but how many dishes to you really want to cook at 1,250?

Phatchris · July 2015

ChillyWillis said:

That's happened to me too. I have an aftermarket dome thermometer that goes up to 1,000 and the Jakes Blend maxed it out and then some when I left too long while getting to temp.

I've never come across a lump that burns even close to as hot as jakes blend. I'd say that's a compliment but how many dishes to you really want to cook at 1,250?

Exactly

DieselkW · July 2015

ChillyWillis said:

That's happened to me too. I have an aftermarket dome thermometer that goes up to 1,000 and the Jakes Blend maxed it out and then some when I left too long while getting to temp.

I've never come across a lump that burns even close to as hot as jakes blend. I'd say that's a compliment but how many dishes to you really want to cook at 1,250?

Isn't it a little like owning a car that will top out at 200+mph? You would rarely ever go that fast, but it's nice to go 0-70 in a hurry.

Having a lump that will get REALLY hot, but not using all that capacity gives you a lump that lasts longer at 500f. Perhaps?

Wicked Good has a "competition blend" as well, I've never seen it but I've read (here) that it's also a **** to light, but burns really hot, or really long for smoking.

I smoked a butt yesterday, 12 hour cook for 9 lbs to get that shoulder bone to wiggle out at 200f. Stall lasted at least 3 hours.

I still have at least half a load of WGWW under the platesetter - I think that's a good indication of a 24 hour lump.

This stuff is pretty damn good - but at a higher price point than Rockwood I can't see buying it again unless it was less than or equal to RW.

First use Wicked Good and spiral cut hot dogs

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