Royal Oak vs Rockwood

EggHead_Bubba

I have used Royal Oak exclusively ever since I got my BGE 5 years ago. I recently found out that I can pick up Rockwood at my local Ace hardware store. It's almost twice the cost per pound so I'd like to hear from anyone who can describe the value in paying a premium for Rockwood. I'm a true believer in sometimes quality just costs more! So what is it about Rockwood that makes it enough better than Royal Oak to pay the difference? Thanks!

Ozzie_Isaac

My personal experience:

1.  Quicker time to clean smoke
2.  More consistent quality
3.  Very neutral smoke.  Allows me to control flavor profile.
4.  I pay a lot for meat.  A few dollars per cook for improved control is worth it to me.

at 250 degrees my XL burns .4lb/hr.

RW costs me 44 cents per hour
RO costs me 27 cents per hour

For an 18hr brisket I will pay an extra $3.06.

aukerns08

With Rockwood you're still going to get small pieces and some dust in the bag, that's just unavoidable in charcoal due to handling and transportation.  However, my experience has been more consistency on the size of pieces along with larger pieces in general.  I've had a few actual rocks in my Royal Oak/BGE bags which I haven't had in Rockwood yet (it's possible that it can happen but it was almost a guarantee with Royal Oak to get one in the bag).  As far as cooking goes my wife used to complain about the taste of the food I cooked on Royal Oak being to smokey.  I would try and let it burn off longer hoping to get more VOCs burned off, I switched to Rockwood and the compliants stopped pretty much immediately.  I didn't mind the Royal Oak smokiness myself but Rockwood has less and the wife is happy so that's worth the price of admission alone for me.  It might just be my imagination but I think it starts burning clean faster too, I don't notice as much white smoke billowing out of the egg with Rockwood but I could be paying less attention to the egg during start up now too.  

I think it's definitely worth a try just so you can decide for yourself which you prefer.  If you're happy with Royal Oak it might not be worth it to you though to spend the extra money for me it is because my wife prefers the food since switching.  Also @stlcharcoal is on here contributing so I like to support him and his company.

byrne092

Very interested in the response as well. I have kind of gathered that Rockwood is a much "cleaner" smoke; less smokey, neutral flavor. Also I think people have said that there are less small pieces and dust. Naked Whiz has a good charcoal breakdown to check out too.

I am in the same boat as you, I have only bought Royal Oak other than 1 bag of Rockwood, and I didn't think to compare at the time.

robnybbq

I used both.  I like Rockwood better.  Much cleaner smoke and quicker to clean smoke. 

Now Royal Oak is not that bad - I used it for the first 2 years allot.  Let it burn a little longer and it works fine.

jonnymack

Interesting, I've found rocks in RO as well. I've switched from Kroger's Lump to RO and I'm not sure there is much improvement/difference. I may have to check this Rockwood out. I'd pay a little extra for quicker time to smoke and the ability to do less smokey (though I'm a smoke whore).

Ozzie_Isaac

You will find rocks in any natural lump.  Jonathan puts 21lbs in his 20lb bags though.

I have never found anything close to 1lbs of rocks in my bag.

johnkitchens

I like Rockwood because it is more neutral. My wife also complained about the smokey flavor when I used BGE lump. 

I also love the fact that I don't have to wait 30 minutes for the VOC's to burn off. With Rockwood I can light it, get it to temp, and cook. 

DoubleEgger

Royal Oak vs. Rockwood = Ford Pinto vs. Ferrari

jstnezell

^^^ what @johnkitchens says, it's much less smokey which I prefer and I've noticed I go through a lot less lump with Rockwood than RO or the others I've tried, I can just shake and shift the fire pit to get the ash out and I still have a lot of reusable lump.  It also lights fast and gets hot quick.  I was skeptical about Rockwood but I won't go back now, you pay a little more but save in the long run. 

EggHead_Bubba

Great comments! I really appreciate everyone's input so far. I plan on picking up a bag at Ace next Thursday when their delivery comes in. Like I said, I don't mind paying more, just wanted an idea of what I will be getting if I did so. Appreciate it.

tfhanson

When I bought my BGE in February, it came with a bag of BGE Lump aka RO, after the second cook, my wife was complaining about the smokey flavor.  Went back to my Ace hardward to find out what I was doing wrong, and the owner told me it was the lump and gave my a bag of Rockwood, the complaing stopped and I have not gone back.  I have tried a bag of Weekend Warrior, which I like too, but boy does it take a long time to light.

gamason

Lump is a hot topic on this forum constantly. Use what works for you. Personally when I cook out I'm doing so  because I prefer a smoky ,outdoor flavor. If I wanted neutral I could cook in my oven and have the same taste. For me it defeats the purpose of grilling,smoking, etc... if I don't have a smoky flavor, and I have never had any problems with it being to strong. The only place I might prefer a neutral lump is if I was baking something, but the oven does that job just fine. Good luck with whatever you use, and GOVOLS!!!

bo31210

@EggHead_Bubba   You will love it    Very mild and gets to temp quicker IMO   Also it is denser and lasts a lot longer.   Case of you get what you pay for IMO  enjoy it and then you will be figuring out how to dump all the RO in the garage LOL

EggHead_Bubba

@bo31210... thanks for the info. I buy Royal Oak in bulk from Home Depot 20 bags at a time. About out so this is why I'm checking into the comparison.

bo31210

EggHead_Bubba said:

@bo31210... thanks for the info. I buy Royal Oak in bulk from Home Depot 20 bags at a time. About out so this is why I'm checking into the comparison.

Dude

Perfect timing       try a bag and have ace order you a truck load.     I know some folks have done pallet buys as a group on here before but I havent had any need since I drive by an Ace daily

johnkitchens

gamason said:

Personally when I cook out I'm doing so  because I prefer a smoky ,outdoor flavor. If I wanted neutral I could cook in my oven and have the same taste. For me it defeats the purpose of grilling,smoking, etc... if I don't have a smoky flavor, and I have never had any problems with it being to strong. 

I like the smoky grilled taste as well, but with Rockwood I can control the smoke flavor. Starting neutral and adding Pecan or Apple chunks lets the chunk profile shine through more so than starting with a lump that puts off way too much of a smoky lump taste. 

I do agree with you about using what works for you. Rockwood just happens to work for me. 

EggHead_Bubba

bo31210 said:

EggHead_Bubba said:

@bo31210... thanks for the info. I buy Royal Oak in bulk from Home Depot 20 bags at a time. About out so this is why I'm checking into the comparison.

Dude

Perfect timing       try a bag and have ace order you a truck load.     I know some folks have done pallet buys as a group on here before but I havent had any need since I drive by an Ace daily

Yep, that's my plan. Picking a bag up next Thursday to give it a test drive.

blasting

Ozzie_Isaac said:

My personal experience:

1.  Quicker time to clean smoke
2.  More consistent quality
3.  Very neutral smoke.  Allows me to control flavor profile.
4.  I pay a lot for meat.  A few dollars per cook for improved control is worth it to me.

at 250 degrees my XL burns .4lb/hr.

RW costs me 44 cents per hour
RO costs me 27 cents per hour

For an 18hr brisket I will pay an extra $3.06.

I was really impressed with this post - then I started to chuckle.

It's probably fair to say 98% of the population doesn't even know what lump is.

Of the remaining 2%, 98% of them have never calculated the cost per hour for different lumps.

Of the remaining 2% of the 98% of the 2% of the 98%, it's unclear the percentage that would consider switching after reviewing the data...

NPHuskerFL

This is like comparing an Apple to an Orange. I've used both and gladly pay the price difference for quality. RW=Neutral smoke, low ash production, solid performer on L&S and hot & fast and everything in between, clean smoke quickly, great flavor, nice size pieces, low dust in bags consistently and it's readily available to me. 

Ladeback69

I first started out using BGE/RO for a while before finding RW and haven't gone back since.  I don't mind using RO for pork, but prefer RW for everything else especially when doing pizza or chicken.  I suggest trying a bag or 2 and see what you think and make a decision then.  To me it is with the extra cost.   Now my neighbor still uses RO in his egg, but he also uses his new gas grill more because it is right outside the door on his deck.  Now Gas vs Charcoal has been going on for a long time as well. 

HendersonTRKing

I had used RO almost exclusively for 1.5 years until I saw RW at a store near me.  Balked at the price, but bought 2 bags as an experiment.  Am a convert.  As others have said -- neutral smoke, quick to light, quick to temp, quick to clean smoke.  Lasts longer.  Tastes great, less filling.  Cured my jock itch.  Wiped out my allergies.  It's a floor wax AND a dessert topping.  

Seriously -- the stuff is awesome.  This hobby ain't cheap.  But the switch to RW has been totally worth it.  And thanks to @Ozzie_Isaac for doing the math.  I'm saving money and didn't even know it.  Now, if someone could work the metrics on oil soaked rags vs. starter cubes vs. looft lighter vs. weed burner, I'll get a handle on that one, too.

kthacher

RO must be different in different geographies.  I don't get any of the smokiness mentioned here with RO.  I did a pizza cook the other day.  All I got was heat, no smoke at all.  None that you could see, and none that you could taste.  Zero.  Just a clean 650 degree oven.

Offpiste

It's worth it.  Just drove 55 miles on my lunch hour to pick up a trunk load.

DoubleEgger

Offpiste said:

It's worth it.  Just drove 55 miles on my lunch hour to pick up a trunk load.

Lunch hour must be a loose term 

EggHead_Bubba

HendersonTRKing said:

I had used RO almost exclusively for 1.5 years until I saw RW at a store near me.  Balked at the price, but bought 2 bags as an experiment.  Am a convert.  As others have said -- neutral smoke, quick to light, quick to temp, quick to clean smoke.  Lasts longer.  Tastes great, less filling.  Cured my jock itch.  Wiped out my allergies.  It's a floor wax AND a dessert topping.  

Seriously -- the stuff is awesome.  This hobby ain't cheap.  But the switch to RW has been totally worth it.  And thanks to @Ozzie_Isaac for doing the math.  I'm saving money and didn't even know it.  Now, if someone could work the metrics on oil soaked rags vs. starter cubes vs. looft lighter vs. weed burner, I'll get a handle on that one, too.

Thanks for the info and laughs! 

EggHead_Bubba

The comments about Rockwood lasting longer have my attention. I'm sure there's really no hard evidence but if that's the perception then it would be a bonus for sure.

XC242

Pay the man, it's worth it.

Cookinbob

Hi may be one of the few on this poor who doesn't feel Rock Wood is superior.  I have used both, And don't see a big difference. I find the size distribution in Royal Oak bags from Home Depot is much better than what I get with Rockwood.  I find Royal Oak is easy to light, I don't have a long wait for clean smoke, and I really like the price. It has outlasted every long cook I've  done, and adds no objectionable flavors. I'm a satisfied Royal Oak user.

Ozzie_Isaac

@Cookinbob nothing wrong with RO.  Its pretty cool we have so many choices.

KiterTodd

A couple times I have heard my wife complain about too much smoke flavor...but she is mostly quiet on that topic.  If she pipes up again,  I'll try some more RW as I did consume one bag and it was nice.

Until then, I've been pretty happy with my RO. I like it better than some pricier brands I've tried (I found two bags of FOGO left an undesirable flavor on long cooks) and it is certainly better than the cheaper options.  Lights quick and the VOCs seem to burn down whenever I'm ready to cook.  It also outlasts any low and slow cook I've ever had.

RO does not impart any significant taste on pizza cooks, yet has just enough flavor for a quick absorbing short cook like fish.

I would agree with others that if you want to dial in your own smoke flavor precisely, then use a neutral smoke like RW and add whatever wood chunks you like.  I suppose I have not developed a very specific wood palate yet (no pun intended) so I'm very happy with the generic RO smoke flavoring and I add more wood chunks when I need it.

It sounds like they are both great options and it sure is nice to have options!