Cowboy Lump. Y'all got to be kidding me.

TexanOfTheNorth

Trixie_Belle said:

Thanks for the review.  I'll stick with BGE brand...for now. 

FWIW, you can probably do better, price and quality-wise, than the BGE branded lump. The only time I use it is when they supply at the eggfest.

BYS1981

Look at the brought side, burn enough cowboy lump and you can use the rocks to landscape.

XC242

Maybe it's like wine or cheese, if you let it sit for a long time it might get better???

Double Bogey

Tried Cowboy once and couldn't stand the sparks.  I guess it would be OK for a 4th of July cook.  Thankfully I still have a few bags of Wicked Good Competition Blend and about 80 pounds of Maple Leaf. Other than that just Royal Oak and Frontier which is my everyday go to lump.

hashissmokin

Cowboy is the worst!  Royal Oak is somewhat better.  I live in Central Ky and my options when it comes to lump is very limited.  I have three choices.
1. BGE
2. Royal Oak
3. Cowboy

Not sure why the better lump brands are not available.  Basically you walk in to a store you get royal oak or cowboy.  Very frustrating.

Jeepster47

@hashissmokin ... use this website - http://rockwoodcharcoal.com/where-to-buy-lump-charcoal/ - and chuck in your zip code.  Looks like you've got another alternative next door in Lexington.

hashissmokin

@Jeepster47 Thanks.  I actually work in Lexington so this will definitely work.

Skiddymarker

@hashissmokin see, there is always someone on here who knows our own backyards better than we do. Great advice @Jeepster47!

dldawes1

Nothing but ROCKWOOD at RNNL8 BBQ and Soul House !!

Maybe Cowboy is trying to make some "rock"wood !!

YYZegger

Glad I read this post, thank you!   I have a new bag in my garage that I guess will be given to the trash man!

HoustonEgger

Lazzari Brand (available at Restaurant Depot) has been a good replacement for Royal Oak - it's less then $15 for this giant bag. So far lots of monster logs - a little ashier then I typically like, but burns nice and clean with no bad smell.

bluebird66

Wow, that's a bunch of rocks!

DinnerIsComing

For now, I stick to Royal Oak. I know it gets a lot of hate from around these parts but so far my only lump choices I've seen are:

Royal Oak
BGE
Frontier
Cowboy
Publix store brand

The only one that's been consistent and not terrible for me is the RO. the Publix store brand of lump imparted a bad flavor on the food I cooked.

I've been meaning to check out my local restaurant supply store to see if they offer something different.

DoubleEgger

Double Bogey said:

Tried Cowboy once and couldn't stand the sparks.  I guess it would be OK for a 4th of July cook.  

That's disrespectful to the 4th! 

TexanOfTheNorth

YYZegger said:

Glad I read this post, thank you!   I have a new bag in my garage that I guess will be given to the trash man!

Go to Costco and get the Nature's Own

grillman65

I have a bag of cowboy, but when I got my egg, the guy through in a free bag of the BGE stuff, so I used it first.  But $30 a bag, that's steep.

hashissmokin

@grillman65 It is steep!  I cannot tell a difference between it and RO

grillman65

RO?

hashissmokin

Royal Oak.

SGH

XC242 said:

Maybe it's like wine or cheese, if you let it sit for a long time it might get better???

This bag has been sitting for at least a year. It didn't help at all. It's still junk my friend. 

grillman65

Oh, sorry. 

fishlessman

SGH said:

XC242 said:

Maybe it's like wine or cheese, if you let it sit for a long time it might get better???

This bag has been sitting for at least a year. It didn't help at all. It's still junk my friend. 

it really is worse now any guess what that smell is

SGH

DinnerIsComing said:

For now, I stick to Royal Oak. I know it gets a lot of hate from around these parts 

Royal Oak is definitely better than Cowboy. At least in the experience that I have had between the two. Royal Oak is hit and miss in my area. One day you make get a decent bag and the next day get junk. But given the choice I would definitely take RO over Cowboy. The Cowboy honestly produced a medicine smell and taste every time I have used it. It ruined my corn pone. I took two bites and threw the rest away. Tasted like cough syrup. 

Ladeback69

@SGH, I just found this online.  Not sure it is still active, but I may give it a try and see if I can get a few bags before it is gone.
http://shop.charcoalandmore.com/Lump-Charcoal/Ozark-Oak-Charcoal.html

SGH

fishlessman said:

it really is worse now any guess what that smell is

Brother fishless, this would just be speculation on my part, but I feel it has to do with just using any and every type of wood that that have. I have literally burned tons of every kind of oak, hickory, mesquite and every fruit wood that you can think of. Never did one of them produce this type of toxic smell. Not even pine produces this type smell. The closest I have ever smelled to this smell was when I was burning some pressure treated plywood scraps. No one panic, I wasn't cooking with plywood, just burning it to dispose of it. With that said, I'm really wondering if they use scrap wood to make it. 

xiphoid007

The thing I hate the most about cowboy ate the sparks. This used to be all I could get. I've burnt my self numerous times on sparks. Will never buy again, not even for a clean burn. I use RO for my clean burns.

Legume

I just glad we've all agreed that RO is fantastic lump and moved on to bashing something else.  Every lump has a purpose it seems, some just make others look better.

fishlessman

SGH said:

fishlessman said:

it really is worse now any guess what that smell is

Brother fishless, this would just be speculation on my part, but I feel it has to do with just using any and every type of wood that that have. I have literally burned tons of every kind of oak, hickory, mesquite and every fruit wood that you can think of. Never did one of them produce this type of toxic smell. Not even pine produces this type smell. The closest I have ever smelled to this smell was when I was burning some pressure treated plywood scraps. No one panic, I wasn't cooking with plywood, just burning it to dispose of it. With that said, I'm really wondering if they use scrap wood to make it. 

cowboy was at one time all tongue and groove flooring scrap, was actually a clean burning easy to light lump that all that used lump hated then it turned into what you have, and is now even different with short branches with bark still attached. whatever it is now its not lump, i dont think they cooked it long enough, theres lots of unburnt pieces that look like hard pine. i actually hope they go back to flooring scrap and i think i remember reading the boxed premium cowboy is flooring scrap again

Legume

So, it's hybrid lump.  Ahead of its time even, defining the space between an egg and a stick burner.  Maybe the hardware just hasn't caught up yet.

as far as flooring scraps, how much flooring today is not laminated?  I assume the have to stay away from laminated flooring with the adhesives?

fishlessman

Legume said:

So, it's hybrid lump.  Ahead of its time even, defining the space between an egg and a stick burner.  Maybe the hardware just hasn't caught up yet.

as far as flooring scraps, how much flooring today is not laminated?  I assume the have to stay away from laminated flooring with the adhesives?

it was real hardwood flooring. i think it got difficult to find for production during the last housing market crash. the new stuff smells like they are harvesting plastic trees to make their lump, you have to pick out the bad pieces in the bag and wait a full hour before cooking on it and dont go make a cake with it