Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Been pretty unlucky with lump

rmercier
rmercier Posts: 212
edited October 2015 in EggHead Forum
the last few bags I've gotten...Rockwood, BGE...VERY little large or even medium pieces...mostly small to minuscule.

I've actually only purchased so far:

2 7 lb Harris Teeter bags
1 20 lb rockwood
1 20 lb BGE

the Harris teeter bags were the best for large pieces
LBGE in Northern VA
«13

Comments

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    from where did you buy them?
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    The Rockwood from Dizzy Pig in Manassas VA. The BGE from the hardware store I got my egg from (Rankins)
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    The 1st bag I ever got, just because I was itching and raring to go (and the place I got my egg from only had Cowboy in stock), was Harris Teeter and was mostly large and medium...I thought "well this is awesome". The next bag was HT and was sh!t and the trend continues
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,657
    i have never really understood the want for large pieces, im perfectly content with small to medium lump because it burns with steady heat during a long cook. i currently have three open bags were ive used the small pieces up first in my mini kub =)
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    I agree Michael! When I encounter large chunks I throw them in a bag and when I have time I take a hammer to them!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    edited October 2015
    I guess I've been pulled in by the YouTube videos that always recommend using large pieces on the bottom for long cooks. I don't do many long cooks, but I like to put big pieces aside for when I need them.

    i suppose I shouldn't be so concerned
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • berndcrisp
    berndcrisp Posts: 1,166

    My experience with three bags of Rockwood was disappointing, the  largest piece was tennis ball size. BGE is a no-no for me. Kamado Joe was great, many large chunks that I needed to break up. Next up is Wicked Good Weekend Warrior.

     I have seen deliveries at a local hardware store where the bags of lump were on the bottom of the pallet with 50 pound bags of sand and Quick Crete on top, go figure.

    Hood Stars, Wrist Crowns and Obsession Dobs!


  • KSwoll
    KSwoll Posts: 129
    You can try Home Depot. They have 17.5 lb bags of Royal Oak for $12.97. I have had pretty decent luck with the Home Depot on Ball Ford Rd in Manassas. They are just down the road from Dizzy Pig. Have you tried the Wicked Good brand? They sell that at Dizzy Pig. I would also speak with the folks at Dizzy Pig about your concern with the quality of the bag you bought from them. They are genuinely concerned with customer satisfaction. 
    XL, Large, Medium, and Mini Max
    Northern Virgina
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    KSwoll said:
    You can try Home Depot. They have 17.5 lb bags of Royal Oak for $12.97. I have had pretty decent luck with the Home Depot on Ball Ford Rd in Manassas. They are just down the road from Dizzy Pig. Have you tried the Wicked Good brand? They sell that at Dizzy Pig. I would also speak with the folks at Dizzy Pig about your concern with the quality of the bag you bought from them. They are genuinely concerned with customer satisfaction. 
    Hello fellow local egger. Thanks for the heads up. I believe the HD in Warrenton (where I live) has Royal Oak, I will try that next. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the BGE lump, the lowest amount of ash I've noticed so far and a nice neutral flavor.
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    rmercier said:
    KSwoll said:
    You can try Home Depot. They have 17.5 lb bags of Royal Oak for $12.97. I have had pretty decent luck with the Home Depot on Ball Ford Rd in Manassas. They are just down the road from Dizzy Pig. Have you tried the Wicked Good brand? They sell that at Dizzy Pig. I would also speak with the folks at Dizzy Pig about your concern with the quality of the bag you bought from them. They are genuinely concerned with customer satisfaction. 
    Hello fellow local egger. Thanks for the heads up. I believe the HD in Warrenton (where I live) has Royal Oak, I will try that next. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the BGE lump, the lowest amount of ash I've noticed so far and a nice neutral flavor.

    @rmercier

    If you have tried BGE lump you've had Royal Oak. The only difference is your paying more for the bag to say BGE instead of Royal Oak. Bagged for BGE but actual lump is Royal Oak
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    WeberWho? said:
    rmercier said:
    KSwoll said:
    You can try Home Depot. They have 17.5 lb bags of Royal Oak for $12.97. I have had pretty decent luck with the Home Depot on Ball Ford Rd in Manassas. They are just down the road from Dizzy Pig. Have you tried the Wicked Good brand? They sell that at Dizzy Pig. I would also speak with the folks at Dizzy Pig about your concern with the quality of the bag you bought from them. They are genuinely concerned with customer satisfaction. 
    Hello fellow local egger. Thanks for the heads up. I believe the HD in Warrenton (where I live) has Royal Oak, I will try that next. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the quality of the BGE lump, the lowest amount of ash I've noticed so far and a nice neutral flavor.

    @rmercier

    If you have tried BGE lump you've had Royal Oak. The only difference is your paying more for the bag to say BGE instead of Royal Oak. Bagged for BGE but actual lump is Royal Oak
    That's what I've heard. The place I got the BGE from started carrying RO but was out when I went to get it...what's a guy to do?
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • I've had great success with Rockwood. Must have gotten a bad shipment/handled batch. Talk to your store. 

    Also so check the Rockwood website for other dealers/retailers. @stlcharcoal is a stand-up group and the owner, Jonathan is a great guy. 

    My my second and 3rd are very close....  Carbon Del Sur and Forest Lumps. Do some googling and look them up. I like the Forest Lumps because is 20 pounds in 2 10 pound bags that's in a box. I think that helps protect it. It's a product of Eastern Europe. 

    LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014

    Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies!  #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!

  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    I've had great success with Rockwood. Must have gotten a bad shipment/handled batch. Talk to your store. 

    Also so check the Rockwood website for other dealers/retailers. @stlcharcoal is a stand-up group and the owner, Jonathan is a great guy. 

    My my second and 3rd are very close....  Carbon Del Sur and Forest Lumps. Do some googling and look them up. I like the Forest Lumps because is 20 pounds in 2 10 pound bags that's in a box. I think that helps protect it. It's a product of Eastern Europe. 
    Don't get me wrong, the Rockwood worked well. 1 thing I did notice though, it looked like a lot of the coal was derived from planed boards, I haven't seen this in any other lump.
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • It's from cuttings from lumber yards. Go check their website.  It's a great sourcing technique they use!

    LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014

    Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies!  #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!

  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
    rmercier said:
    I guess I've been pulled in by the YouTube videos that always recommend using large pieces on the bottom for long cooks. I don't do many long cooks, but I like to put big pieces aside for when I need them.

    i suppose I shouldn't be so concerned
    I used to sort my lump but now I don't bother. I just give the old lump a few stirs and then dump in the new stuff on top.  I can't see anything different in how it burns.

    I used to use Humphrey charcoal which always had very large pieces.  The last batch we got had a lot of sparking and many pieces that weren't fully turned in to charcoal.  Will probably stop using that brand.  I temporarily went back to Royal Oak and the pieces were small to medium but still burned fine. I've recently bought some Rockwood and will start using it in the next week.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    Shiff said:
    rmercier said:
    I guess I've been pulled in by the YouTube videos that always recommend using large pieces on the bottom for long cooks. I don't do many long cooks, but I like to put big pieces aside for when I need them.

    i suppose I shouldn't be so concerned
    I used to sort my lump but now I don't bother. I just give the old lump a few stirs and then dump in the new stuff on top.  I can't see anything different in how it burns.

    I used to use Humphrey charcoal which always had very large pieces.  The last batch we got had a lot of sparking and many pieces that weren't fully turned in to charcoal.  Will probably stop using that brand.  I temporarily went back to Royal Oak and the pieces were small to medium but still burned fine. I've recently bought some Rockwood and will start using it in the next week.
    I did notice the BGE Sparks a lot, more than any others I've used (of course the only others I've tried is Rockwood and HT)
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    Even with Royal Oak, a bag of small pieces and a lot of dust is not the fault of the manufacturer ... that is the result of improper shipping and handling. I realize this is not for everyone, but when I'm getting low, my local dealer adds a pallet of Rockwood to his next order.  He gives me a bulk-buy discount, calls when it arrives, and I show up to take it right off the pallet.  My son and I split the last pallet.  It's probably a little OCD, but I've not found a bad bag yet.

    Side note ... my dealer helped me load the bags right off the pallet into my son's pickup.  Earlier in the summer, he'd commented on getting torn bags.  After noting that only one bag on my pallet had a minor puncture, he asked how it was that I had all the luck.  After smarting off that "Jonathan hand picked this pallet for me", I mentioned that probably one of his stock boys was a little heavy handed.  He later confirmed that he'd found the problem and had a discussion with all of his stock boys.  So, discussing the problem with your dealer might also improve the process.  Mention that lump is much, much more fragile than the bags of briquettes that most folks are familiar with handling.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    My last bag of Rockwood was large pieces from top to bottom.  Very little shake in the bottom of the bag.  

    It all depends on handling.

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,482
    @rmercier, on the Rockwood it was probably how it was handled like @Jeepster47 said above.  I get my Rockwood from dealer who gets by the pallet from @stlcharcoal, so there is little handling of the bags.  I have had some RO in the past like you experienced with Rockwood.   I got those bags from Home Depot and I am sure they aren't that careful with the bags.  Give Rockwood another try, one bag is not enough of a try to get a good feel of it IMO.

    Here is a post I just did on how Rockwood is made.  They use a lot of wood from saw mills that would just be waste.

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1187806/how-rockwood-is-made?new=1

    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
  • rmercier
    rmercier Posts: 212
    Even with Royal Oak, a bag of small pieces and a lot of dust is not the fault of the manufacturer ... that is the result of improper shipping and handling. I realize this is not for everyone, but when I'm getting low, my local dealer adds a pallet of Rockwood to his next order.  He gives me a bulk-buy discount, calls when it arrives, and I show up to take it right off the pallet.  My son and I split the last pallet.  It's probably a little OCD, but I've not found a bad bag yet.

    Side note ... my dealer helped me load the bags right off the pallet into my son's pickup.  Earlier in the summer, he'd commented on getting torn bags.  After noting that only one bag on my pallet had a minor puncture, he asked how it was that I had all the luck.  After smarting off that "Jonathan hand picked this pallet for me", I mentioned that probably one of his stock boys was a little heavy handed.  He later confirmed that he'd found the problem and had a discussion with all of his stock boys.  So, discussing the problem with your dealer might also improve the process.  Mention that lump is much, much more fragile than the bags of briquettes that most folks are familiar with handling.

    Jeepster, good deal you have there. And yes, I'm well aware that his is not the fault of the manufaturer, hence why I said unlucky
    LBGE in Northern VA
  • charcoal is not going to pulverize in shipping to the level that it seems some bags are. 

    it just doesn't.

    it's a result of the way the stuff is handled and filled.  bigger stuff floats to the top, just as in a cereal box.  when you are moving piles of stuff around in the yard where they make this stuff, and running it down conveyors, etc., it gets sorted during the bagging process.  not sorted with screens, but just by virtue of settling out.

    a bag with a ton of little stuff isn't a bag that was on the bottom of the pallet, or just mishandled by a stockroom guy at the store, it's a bag that was filled at a certain point in the process, after a bunch of others before it, and it's what's left.

    like fishless, i actually like the smaller stuff.  best overnighter i ever had was an end-of-the-bag cook, of tiny stuff.  a low and slow fire needs little oxygen. even with tiny lump, you can't close off the firebox airflow.  the lower vent opening is much smaller than the holes between the lump in a firebox

     anyway...  i've yet to find a lump that didn't burn.  shrug.

    some of it sparks like crazy, but that's independent of size.  i'd rather thave small bits that sparky stuff any day
    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

  • tarheelmatt
    tarheelmatt Posts: 9,867
    I don't pay attention to the size of lump.  For a low and slow, I'll clean out the bottom,  dump with lump, light, and cook. 
    ------------------------------
    Thomasville, NC
    My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
    Instagram
    Facebook
    My Photography Site
  • I like the larger chunks to build around the vents to ensure airflow. 

    One bag of bad lump, no matter who it comes from, is inevitable. But don't write it off because of one bag.  

    LBGE #19 from North GA Eggfest, 2014

    Stockbridge, GA - just south of Atlanta where we are covered up in Zombies!  #TheWalkingDead films practically next door!

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,162
    And as has been said before, lump is like politics and religion around here ;)
    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.
  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    Of course, you could make your own lump coal ... https://www.facebook.com/hookwaycharcoalretort?fref=ts

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    charcoal is not going to pulverize in shipping to the level that it seems some bags are. 

    it just doesn't.

    it's a result of the way the stuff is handled and filled.  bigger stuff floats to the top, just as in a cereal box.  when you are moving piles of stuff around in the yard where they make this stuff, and running it down conveyors, etc., it gets sorted during the bagging process.  not sorted with screens, but just by virtue of settling out.

    a bag with a ton of little stuff isn't a bag that was on the bottom of the pallet, or just mishandled by a stockroom guy at the store, it's a bag that was filled at a certain point in the process, after a bunch of others before it, and it's what's left.


    How many charcoal plants have you toured?  I have never seen one in the US operate like you describe it.

    Every one I've ever been to screens, not sorts.  I have no idea how you would sort without screens.  The charcoal comes out of the kilns via a loader, then spread thin on a concrete floor to cool for a day or two.  It's scooped back up and pour into a hopper than feeds a screened conveyor belt.  The size ours is on is 1x1 screen that feeds into the bagging room--anything under an inch falls through the screens.  The bags are filled then laid flat on a pallet until the retailer or consumer stands them up.

    There is no "top of the pile" or "bottom of the pile" charcoal, nor are their bags that are "filled with the leftovers".  The fines are screened out and sold for a multitude of uses--agricultural soil amendments,  livestock & poultry feed, copper manufacturing, briquettes, and other industrial uses.  We are not dumping fines in the bag--they have value elsewhere.  Plus, it doesn't do our reputation very good if we know that 1 of 10, 20, or even 50 bags is going to suck.  They leave our place in good condition and rarely does a bad bag pop in in St. Louis if that tells you anything.

    Fact is, these bags do get damaged on their way to the retailers.  See the attached pictures.  That pallet was on the way to Dizzy Pig when the shipper crushed it or dropped it off the truck.  Normally our pallets stand 48-52" high......this one was about 40" when it got there.  I am still fighting the shipper on getting them to cover the damage, but I paid over $250 to ship it back to STL so we weren't throwing 600# of charcoal away.   I donated all of it to an organization with open air grills that smaller size wouldn't matter and Dizzy Pig got a new pallet to replace that one.




  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
    edited October 2015

     I have seen deliveries at a local hardware store where the bags of lump were on the bottom of the pallet with 50 pound bags of sand and Quick Crete on top, go figure.

    We fight this problem constantly.  It doesn't matter how many "top load only" stickers we slap on a single pallet, the LTL carrier is going to do what's easiest.  When we ship an even number, they usual stay stacked though.

    Last week we had a pallet show up in OK with oil all over the top--god knows what the carrier put on top of it.  We filed a claim for those 5 bags.

    BTW, if you run into bad bag of ours, just take it back to the store where you bought it for a refund or exchange. 

    rmercier said:

    Don't get me wrong, the Rockwood worked well. 1 thing I did notice though, it looked like a lot of the coal was derived from planed boards, I haven't seen this in any other lump.

    Any domestic lump comes from timber mill scraps.  There isn't a single state DNR that's going to allow a charcoal company to take down a tree for charcoal.  Even if there was, there's no way anyone could afford it.  Domestic charcoal from the knotty, crooked, rejected lumber from the hardwood mill.  You'll get some cord wood made from limbs some times, but it's mostly slabs as that's the most efficient way for the mill to get rid of them.  Limbs are harder to tight stack and band, so those go are more apt to go in the chipper for sales to the mulch companies. 


  • I'm talking about sorting stuff donthat some bags are filled for better customers while a other gets crap

    and the general excuse for bags that are all chips is that it is the bottom bag on a pallet or ettong tossed around. Every nag on the bottom isnt pulverized, or you're piling them too high

    The video explains that people complain about small chips without realizing it is a part of the process

    My point was it is the process. Not a teenager at walmart mishandling bags

    sure, bags get crushed, but a bag of small bits isn't always the bottom bag on a pallet. Sometimes that's just the lump

    i didnt say you were filling with fines. I said small stuff is part of the process. 

    No. I dont own a charcoal
    plant. My point is, none of this is evil conspiracy. **** happens. It all burns, including the small stuff

    Most bags are overweight. 

    Complaints about lump are typically overblown

    [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]