First bag of Rockwood all rubble. Never again.

tarheelmatt

Appears "premium " is interpreted differently apparently.  

Many of my bags are like that, but burn just fine!

Ragtop99

I've bought Rockwood several times from firecraft and now will order in multiples of 3.  3 bags go in one big box.  If I order 5 bags, the other 2 bags come in the same size box and seem to suffer more damage.

i just got 2 bags of Fogo direct from Fogo.  The packaging was amazing. Much less chance of the product being beat into dust.  

fishepa

How do you know that UPS/ FedEx didn't mishandle the bag?  It may not be a Rockwood/Firecraft problem at all. 

paqman

I've seen larger pieces but what you have doesn't look that bad... It should burn fine.  I am lucky to have two local brands of premium charcoal (Maple Leaf and Basques) so I don't have to mail order.

shucker

dont blame this on rockwood or firecraft.  they are both standup companies with awesome products and awesome service.  I suspect your problem is with the carrier as others have said.  I order 4 bags of rockwood from firecraft every few weeks and sometimes theyre great, sometimes beat to hell.  I do find that the more bags firecraft puts in a box, the better condition theyre in.  Sometimes theyll put all 4 bags in one box, sometimes each bag is boxed separately.  The latter usually results in small pieces, but I guess I got one of the good eggs because it doesnt care how big the lump is.

caliking

I can't figure out who you're more pissed at - firecraft, Rockwood , UPS, or the universe as a whole. 

Of of them all , you'll have the best chance with firecraft, if you approach the matter with some civility. **** happens, and a busted bag of lump is fairly chickenshit in the grand scheme of things. Lighten up, man. 

buzd504

Dobie

Sorry to hear this. Can you tell us how it was packaged and if the bags themselves were ripped open? 

RRP

I'm a card carrying "lump-beater-upper"! I hate big chunks of lump and have never understood the fascination of big chunks. When I encounter them I throw them in a bag and then at some point later dump them in this screen of 1/2" hardware cloth and break them up.

StillH2OEgger

I looked at the first photo and it didn't strike me as out of the ordinary. I've been extremely happy with both Rockwood and Firecraft. Even if the pieces are a little smaller, just open the vent a little more than normal to make up for any less air flow. I think some of the comments have been a tad harsh. Give it a try and don't judge this book by its cover.

DoubleEgger

If the OP is looking for consistency, he could always use briquettes...

lousubcap

The Rockwood I get from Firecraft comes three bags well packed to the box.  There was an issue with the structural integrity of the Firecraft shipping boxes a couple of years ago and Firecraft improved the boxes.
All that said, the lump will burn just fine but first impressions are hard to change.
@paqman -  I am always envious of your (GWN) access to Maple Leaf and Basques.  I back-load every Firecraft shipment with a bag of Basques.  Good stuff.  Some day I may get my hands on Maple Leaf but I'm not holding my breath.

stlcharcoal

buzd504 said:

stlcharcoal said:

Sorry for the trouble.  Like I said, it happens......it just sucks it happened to you.  Please contact Firecraft and they'll fix it.  They might be a little slow to respond early this week--we were all down at HPBA Expo in New Orleans through Saturday.  Firecraft's president and I were out until the wee hours of 10pm on Thursday talking charcoal and the BBQ biz.  Great group of people--have faith please.

Please elaborate.  I work 1 block from the convention center in NOLA.

Hearth Patio & BBQ Association annual Expo was Thursday through Saturday at the convention center.  All the grill, fireplace, and accessory manufacturers were there.  Flameboss, Smokeware, KickAsh, Looftlighter, Bison Airlighter, Stump Chunks, etc were all there.  Lots of fun.

Stayed at the DoubleTree and ate at KPauls, Acme, and Cochon.  Blackened Drum at KPaul's was excellent.  I sneaked out of the convention on Friday and went through the WWII museum.  While standing in the ridiculously long line, I bought my ticket online, then walked to the will call line (which still took 10 minutes).  When I left at noon the line must have been 200 deep to get in.

I'm going to sound like a nerd, but one highlight of the trip.....I used Uber for the first time.  Revolutionary!  I will rent a car or walk everywhere to avoid cabs and public transportation--Uber was awesome.  Driver picked me up on Bourbon Street thirty seconds after I clicked confirm.  Super nice guy and answered the 100+ questions I asked him about the city, Uber, etc during my 30 minute ride.  No wonder it's doing as well as it did.

lousubcap

@stlcharcoal - I was talking with my 28 yr old son today and he is a big fan of Uber.  Described how it works and I am definitely gonna put it at the top of the list for those road (and local) trips.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Uber is the bomb. you will never want to ride in a dirty cab again. I use it all the time.

paqman

@lousubcap The large bags of Basques are available at Costco for the price of small Maple Leafs bags.  I am a cheap ass so I usually get the Basque but now and then, SWMBO asks for Maple Leaf.  I never had a chance to try Rockwood but Maple Leaf is worth trying if you can get your hands on it.

buzd504

stlcharcoal said:

Hearth Patio & BBQ Association annual Expo was Thursday through Saturday at the convention center.  All the grill, fireplace, and accessory manufacturers were there.  Flameboss, Smokeware, KickAsh, Looftlighter, Bison Airlighter, Stump Chunks, etc were all there.  Lots of fun.

Stayed at the DoubleTree and ate at KPauls, Acme, and Cochon.  Blackened Drum at KPaul's was excellent.  I sneaked out of the convention on Friday and went through the WWII museum.  While standing in the ridiculously long line, I bought my ticket online, then walked to the will call line (which still took 10 minutes).  When I left at noon the line must have been 200 deep to get in.

I'm going to sound like a nerd, but one highlight of the trip.....I used Uber for the first time.  Revolutionary!  I will rent a car or walk everywhere to avoid cabs and public transportation--Uber was awesome.  Driver picked me up on Bourbon Street thirty seconds after I clicked confirm.  Super nice guy and answered the 100+ questions I asked him about the city, Uber, etc during my 30 minute ride.  No wonder it's doing as well as it did.

Damn, I would have blown off some work to go see that.  Crap.

Sounds like you had a great time and hit some good spots.  Well done.  Glad you enjoyed the town.

And I agree about Uber.  Cheaper and nicer than cabs around here.  We use it all the time.

buzd504

lousubcap said:

@stlcharcoal - I was talking with my 28 yr old son today and he is a big fan of Uber.  Described how it works and I am definitely gonna put it at the top of the list for those road (and local) trips.

/shameless plug

Use my referral code and get a free ride (and I get one too):

https://www.uber.com/invite/d6sky

stlcharcoal

buzd504

stlcharcoal said:

Code 'friendly22' for $22 the first ride.  Worked great for my $36 ride to the airport!  It was $41 coming the other way in a yellow cab.

Nice.  Unfortunately, you can't use Uber FROM the airport in New Orleans.  Jefferson Parish doesn't allow it.

stlcharcoal

buzd504 said:

stlcharcoal said:

Code 'friendly22' for $22 the first ride.  Worked great for my $36 ride to the airport!  It was $41 coming the other way in a yellow cab.

Nice.  Unfortunately, you can't use Uber FROM the airport in New Orleans.  Jefferson Parish doesn't allow it.

I asked the driver about that.....if he was SOL being that far out of town.  He said no, he would just go to the hotel parking across the street and wait.  He said people take the bus or hotel van off airport, then call Uber. 

YukonRon

What is the big deal? After having leftover lump made up of smalls from four bags, I used them with some oak to do a 12 hour Brisket @275F. Results were perfect. Temp control: perfect, smoke profile; perfect, cook; best ever. I will also tell anyone that asks, the fines and dust make up such a small amount compared to all the others I have used.
Great product backed by great folks.
I use Rockwood as the barometer for lump. Just my experience.

SkinnyV

Ok I will say it..... Go fund me for the OP ?

Lit

Man the RO I got at Walmart is great. 

Zmokin

I got some cheap "Made in Mexico" lump.  lots of big chunks, and real cheap.
Got it at some hole in the wall place next to a butcher, they sold some no name kamodo style cooker as well.

Mosca

SkinnyV said:

Ok I will say it..... Go fund me for the OP ?

I don't want anything. I can afford charcoal.

I agree with those who have said I shouldn't have written until I heard from Firecraft. I was pissed and in the moment. My expectations were raised by the raves about the product in this group. Many of the comments were about the good mix of sizes. 

I will not comment further, nor will I hold Firecraft or Rockwood responsible. I will use the charcoal and move on with my life. I have too much other crap on my plate right now for this to matter. I apologize for bringing it up.

SGH

I guess that this shows somethings are luck of the draw. To date, I have put over 1,500 pounds of Rockwood through my large and mini egg. I can honestly and whole heartedly say that I have never had a bad bag. Never. The same was true of Ozark Oak when it was available.  With Ozark Oak no longer available, Rockwood is by far and large my favorite lump. Maybe the folks at Rockwood just like me

dougcrann

Just went thru this with the last bag of my favorite brand...hashe only happened once out of the 25 or so 40 pound bags so....