Charcoal

jjessup532 · January 2016

Is there anyone else out there besides me that is just a little miffed about the sheer volume of dust and waste that comes from a bag of premium BGE Charcoal? If I'm paying this much for a bag of charcoal I'd like to have a few more premium chunks of hickory and oak and a little less of the chips and dust which seem to make up the bottom third of the bag which does nothing but hamper proper circulation. What alternatives are you eggers out there using?

4Runner · January 2016

Well, we typically wait for Friday for the charcoal threads.

Just experiment with different ones with different price points and stick with what works for you. I prefer Rockwood. I have a good source and a reasonable price and it is consistent. Love it. Once you pick out your favorite brand, then come back here and bash anyone that disagrees. Once that is over, jump on over to the "what you are drinking now" thread, and post your favorite drink...while you are drinking it and have a good laugh. That's how we roll around here. Enjoy!

SoCalTim · January 2016

What are you paying for a bag of your local finest? I pay in $12 dollar range for a bag of RO .. I get ('ll avg it out) about 6+ cooks per bag depending on if it's a l&S cook or a high temp (you mileage may vary)

So ... about $2 dollars a cook - that's cheap.

lousubcap · January 2016

Lump is hotter than politics or religion around here. If so inclined give the search feature a chance (quite slow) or add egghead forum to a google query and you will have much to read and digest.
BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.

nolaegghead · January 2016

I just dump whatever is in the bag and light it.

blasting · January 2016

@jjessup532 Yep, been there, moved on.

It got so bad with RO that dumping and lighting didn't work - the fire would snuff itself out with so much dust and tiny fragments. I got to where I'd buy two bags - take the best out of the two bags and then return one bag full of unuseable dust and fragments. Too much nonsense. Switched to Rockwood and never looked back (link below).

http://www.firecraft.com/product/rockwood-lump-charcoal-20lbs/charcoal-wood

davispm · January 2016

Amazon has slightly damaged bags of FOGO for $36 with no tax and free shipping. They are listed as "used", Ive bought them before and the bag just had a few small tears in them

RRP · January 2016

Rather than to start the heated brand loyalty fights a night early here's my suggestions on how to pick out a bag of lump...these hints work for any brand. Obviously if you are buying it mail order then listen to the loyal Rockwood fans who buy from Firecraft. Otherwise if you are buying your lump locally find a source that leaves the bags on the pallet rather than stores that have their gorillas stock shelves with a few bags at a time. With lump the more the bags are handled after leaving the plant the better the chance of rough handling including dropping and kicking. Ever see gorillas at the zoo playing their version of dodge ball? Get the idea?

Next with just a little practice you can learn how to grab a bag of lump and rattle it for the wonderful clink clink clink sound vs the dreaded sound of shifting dust and tiny pieces sliding down the inside. Also the most conspicuous thing in choosing a good bag is how it looks and feels when you pick it up. A good bag will have a solid feel and be nearly fully filled. Avoid bags which have obvious empty tops as that indicates settling.

Obviously your journey into Eggdom has just started so sooner than later you will encounter an occasional rock so don't have a stroke when that next chapter comes along!

YukonRon · January 2016

So you are saying people in this forum have opinions about lump?

stlcharcoal · January 2016

lousubcap said:

Lump is hotter than politics or religion around here. If so inclined give the search feature a chance (quite slow) or add egghead forum to a google query and you will have much to read and digest.
BTW-welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.

At least with religion and politics, as soon as it gets heated, they turn in to a thread full of meme's, jokes, occasional nudity, as everyone agrees to disagree. Lump threads are never that much fun. :(

XLentEGG · January 2016

I too have found that my R.O. has has plenty of chips and dust at the end of the bag. I now just use it for Low and Slows ,because i can trust it. For everyday grilling i have gone to Carbon Del Sur which i get 18lbs for $8.99 at Restaurant Depot.

buzd504 · January 2016

Hickory and Oak? Pfft.

jtcBoynton · January 2016

@jjessup532 Heed the wise words of @RRP . Learn to pick out good bags of charcoal. Any bag of charcoal, from any brand can be full of "dust and waste". How a bag was handled in distribution makes a major difference - it is not brand specific.

Mikee · January 2016

I've had bags of RO with less than 1 cup of dust and slivers. While it does vary, mostly to the way its handled after it leaves the factory, it is still one of the best out there. Two bags of RO cost about the same as the brand touted here.

Givengold3 · January 2016

Mikee said:

I've had bags of RO with less than 1 cup of dust and slivers. While it does vary, mostly to the way its handled after it leaves the factory, it is still one of the best out there. Two bags of RO cost about the same as the brand touted here.

BGE is packaged by Royal Oak. Handling is key. Avoid mesquite as well. I am a Royal Oak loyalist, but I recently scored a good deal on Fogo. Only used it once, on steaks, so no verdict yet. This was shipped from Amazon, packaged well and the very large pieces were surprising. Large enough that I will have to break many of them up.

blasting · January 2016

Givengold3 said:
BGE is packaged by Royal Oak. Handling is key.

Great point. I like Rockwood better for a few reasons, but the size of lump is most likely not RO's fault. The pulverized bags I was receiving was most likely the fault of Home Depot distribution.

jtcBoynton · January 2016

And yet the Home Depot distribution system has the potential to be one of the better ones for protecting the charcoal. It leaves the factory on pallets and stays that way all through the distribution system. The only time it is handled one bag at a time is by the customer.

Darby_Crenshaw · January 2016

weigh your bag

i never bought a 20# bag of charcoal that wasn't 21-22 pounds or more

i understand that a rock in your bag looks like some type of screwing, or that a bottom of a bag swimming in dust and chips seems like mishandling or filler, but it's 1.) not taking away from your twenty pounds most likely and 2.) the result of a natural product as opposed to being lab grown and hand sorted

there's a reason charcoal isn't fifty bucks a bag.

At the other end of the spectrum, i find that the desire for massive chunks to be just as odd. A single twenty pound chunk of lump is not going to burn better than a bag of medium or small chunks

blasting · January 2016

jtcBoynton said:

And yet the Home Depot distribution system has the potential to be one of the better ones for protecting the charcoal. It leaves the factory on pallets and stays that way all through the distribution system. The only time it is handled one bag at a time is by the customer.

That makes sense on paper, and clearly others are able to get decent bags elsewhere.

My experience is limited to PHX, but was consistent.

fishlessman · January 2016

jjessup532 said:

Is there anyone else out there besides me that is just a little miffed about the sheer volume of dust and waste that comes from a bag of premium BGE Charcoal? If I'm paying this much for a bag of charcoal I'd like to have a few more premium chunks of hickory and oak and a little less of the chips and dust which seem to make up the bottom third of the bag which does nothing but hamper proper circulation. What alternatives are you eggers out there using?

in case you did not catch this, bge does not make lump, royal oak puts their inexpensive lump in bge bags, its the same lump

stlcharcoal · January 2016

jtcBoynton said:

And yet the Home Depot distribution system has the potential to be one of the better ones for protecting the charcoal. It leaves the factory on pallets and stays that way all through the distribution system. The only time it is handled one bag at a time is by the customer.

Unless they stack them 4+ pallets high. Fairly common to see that in charcoal plants, warehouses, and at the distributors unfortunately. Not a problem with briquettes, but plays hell on the lump.

Darby_Crenshaw said:

weigh your bag

i never bought a 20# bag of charcoal that wasn't 21-22 pounds or more

i understand that a rock in your bag looks like some type of screwing, or that a bottom of a bag swimming in dust and chips seems like mishandling or filler, but it's 1.) not taking away from your twenty pounds most likely and 2.) the result of a natural product as opposed to being lab grown and hand sorted

there's a reason charcoal isn't fifty bucks a bag.

At the other end of the spectrum, i find that the desire for massive chunks to be just as odd. A single twenty pound chunk of lump is not going to burn better than a bag of medium or small chunks

This.

Consumers would be looking at $200+ bag if every single chunk had to be inspected, weighed, etc. It's a natural product and a rock in the bag is not hurting anything in the long run. You'll find pebbles in dry beans--nobody seems to care about that. And you're absolutely right about a 20# chunk. Not only is it still going to be wood inside, but it's going to be a nightmare to get lit......it would also be cost prohibitive to produce as bigger pieces of wood are worth a lot more as wood than scrap to be made into charcoal & mulch.