So I have used Rockwood in the past and it has been very good. When my supply of Ozark Oak ran out I ordered 10 bags of Rockwood from Firecraft.com. I just opened the first bag of it last week and have noticed it is nothing but small pieces. I hope I just got a bad bag.
Has anyone else noticed a change in the size of lump in the Rockwood?
I hope I did not make a mistake buying so much Rockwood...
Here are some pics. The larger pieces you see in the picture is pretty much the largest I have come across in the bag. I am probably 1/2 way or better into the bag. I remember the last few bags I used had lots of large chunks and there was not much small stuff at all.
Comments
Me too! I hate those big pieces that I have to break up with a hammer! BTW I have never used Rockwood and I'm sure it is a fine product as I too came from MO, but shipping and handling makes a big difference. I always pick up each bag and feel how full it feels and sounds when I shake it.
Nothing has changed on our end. But remember, it's a natural product, so it's never going to be the same. The only way to ever promise a consistent product every single time is to sell briquettes--and that's not happening.
The bigger variable is shipping.....and the bags you have probably travelled close to 1500 miles in unknown conditions. About this time last year is when we first started shipping Rockwood, not knowing what the product would look like after it travelled across the country. Most people seem to be pretty happy with it, so I hope you just got some mishandled bags.
I did a turbo butt for 5.5hrs at 325 then 8 hamburgers followed by 4lb of venison sausage and still had lump for the cook I did the next night in the jr... Pretty impressive
Thomasville, NC
My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
Instagram
Facebook
My Photography Site
Dump it, light it, cook, and be happy.
Thomasville, NC
My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
Instagram
Facebook
My Photography Site
If you want to see what the charcoal looks like when it leaves the plant, look at the latest post on our Facebook page. That piece I'm holding in my hands was about the size of a grapefruit before I broke it apart with very little effort. Good charcoal is very brittle.
http://www.facebook.com/RockwoodCharcoal
Lump charcoal does not go through any "chippers" or anything to break it down. It's scooped out of the kilns by a loader, and then goes through several processes to separate the chips and fines. Those chips and fines, and even the charcoal dust that comes out of a air collection system, is all sold. So, it's not like a charcoal company is sticking it to the customer by giving them fines & dust--there are buyers that want that stuff as the lump (briquette manufacturers, compost companies, animal feed mills, etc.)
Thomasville, NC
My YouTube Channel - The Hungry Hussey
Instagram
Facebook
My Photography Site
@Philicious
Yes, any Ace Hardware east of Nashville can order it using SKU 8400772.
Looking at my list, the four TN stores that have ordered it from the Gainesville warehouse are located in: Athens, Pulaski, Chattanooga, and Dunlap. These doesn't mean they're stocking it, or even have any in stock--they may have ordered those bags for a customer. Call ahead.
SEE: Royal Oak > BGE > Wicked Good Competition > Wicked Good Weekend Warrior > Maple Leaf > Ozark Oak etc. etc.
Sooner or later, they all get a spot in the sun. But they are natural products and exhibit variation.
That said, I don't understand the fetish for large chunks to begin with. The logical extension here is one 20 pound lump of charcoal in each bag. That wouldn't work.
Sure, we like some big chunks for airflow under a roaring fire, but your chunks don't look "small to me at all.
Maybe my BGE is the odd one, which can burn almost any lump, in any size, and operate perfectly fine.
I prefer smaller chunks for overnighters, giving the small fire plenty of chances to cath on neighboring points of lump. Or to spread on top of a fire built for searing. If you want a ridiculous fire for searing, pour whatever charcoal you want in the thing, and spread medium small lump on top, uniformly across the lump. SHUT the lower vent, and cook with the top open.
Hotter than dome closed with all vents open, and you will have a uniform bed of ridiculous coals across the entire diameter of the grill. The smaller chunks fill in and provide the uniformity, and the entire fire is on top, not below the surface.
If I had big chunks, it would take longer for that fire to spread and reach temperatures that the small chunks, in a uniform bed, achieve: those nearing that of the outer ring of the Seventh Circle of Hell, the Phlegethon.
Copia ciborum subtilitas impeditur
Seneca Falls, NY