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Wood Charcoal - Learning there is a difference
Grilld17
Posts: 1
Recently I saw a comment on another website the Royal Oak wood charcoal was very good. Wrong. It was like a bag of potato chips, all the big chips were on the top and the crumbs started soon after that. Also, I found 8 rocks in the charcoal after I finished cooking. To buy a 8.8lbs bag and find 8 rocks means that at least 1/2 lb. of the bag were rocks not wood charcoal. I'll chock it up to being an Eggrookie.
Comments
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This can happen with any brand. When picking through bags, lift one and turn it over. If it sounds like a rain stick, it's been beat up. Look for one with minimal clicking. Rocks are due to the nature of production, that's why most bags actually weigh more than what is listed.
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Welcome aboard brother! Search thenakedwiz website for lump reviews. This site is replete if you take the time. Others are about to chime in.Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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I've started a COLLECTION of all the non-burnable XXXX I've found in the RO and BGE charcoal I've bought. When It hits 1lb or MORE, I'm sending it BACK.
And yes, you get a slightly higher weight than listed since the odd chunk of rock LOOKS like it's well cooked and maybe from the wall of a kiln or other wood-cooker. -
Noticed the "ranking list" for lump the other day. I burn Royal Oak, but picked up a bag of Rockwood. Once the RO is used up I'll see what the fuss is all about. -
Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey. And lump discussions here are more fueled than religion or politics. Google search lump charcoal and add "egghead forum" for some light reading.
Anyhow, experiment with what you can get locally and then branch out via http://www.firecraft.com if so inclined. FWIW-Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. Life is too short for light/lite beer! Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint. -
It is wrong to judge a brand of lump by the particle size based on a sample of one bag. Lump charcoal is brittle. In fact, the better lump is more brittle than the lower quality ones. Any bag from any manufacturer can receive rough handling in the distribution process resulting in crushed pieces.Southeast Florida - LBGE
In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’ Dare to think for yourself. -
That list is a popularity listing. It is very subjective and does reflect a bit of group think. The Naked Whiz rates lumps with a standard rating system. The Naked Whiz ratings are different than the reader's favorite listing.HondaHawk said:Noticed the "ranking list" for lump the other day. I burn Royal Oak, but picked up a bag of Rockwood. Once the RO is used up I'll see what the fuss is all about.Southeast Florida - LBGE
In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’ Dare to think for yourself. -
Rockwood is my first choice, by far. I have had very good results with Carbon del Sur. Lighting is about the same as RW, takes a bit longer to get good smoke, (3-5 minutes) both share about same amount of time to get to temp, both have very little ash, size of lump distribution is better than Rockwood, but Rockwood has a slightly less smoky taste. That is my most important feature when judging. Nothing I have tried has beat Rockwood in that regard.
"Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber
XL and MM
Louisville, Kentucky -
on a side note, for us Canadians. I see Canadian Tire, Home Depot, and Home Hardware all carry Maple Leaf lump now, ranging from $18-$22 a bag. This is good stuff too by the way. I noticed no quality difference between Rockwood and this
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Don't want rocks you say. Ready for the solution??? Sell your egg, WSM, etc and go to LP or NG. PROBLEM SOLVED. FWIW most manufacturers bags weigh more than advertised. I use RW, FOGO, WGWW & even with quality control it's impossible in their operation not to have an occasional non combustible. I have written off certain manufacturers because of plastics and other items I rather not burn in my egg (and this happened on 6 bags in a row---not just 1). Ahhh the obligatory lump discussions.LBGE 2013 & MM 2014Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FANFlying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL
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Every bag is different even among thise of a single manufacturer
jeesuz people, this is a nature product packed and handled by humans and sold as cheaply as possible
these aren't uranium rods
Guys. Seriously. GET OVER IT
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Give it another shot......the size is not necessarily indicative of their manufacturing. It could be, but there's a lot more factors that [literally] impact that bag after it leaves the plant that could have broken it down. Just like you said--a bag of potato chip--if you got a bag of crushed up Lay's, it's more likely something from distribution process, not manufacturing......and either way, isolated.Grilld17 said:Recently I saw a comment on another website the Royal Oak wood charcoal was very good. Wrong. It was like a bag of potato chips, all the big chips were on the top and the crumbs started soon after that. Also, I found 8 rocks in the charcoal after I finished cooking. To buy a 8.8lbs bag and find 8 rocks means that at least 1/2 lb. of the bag were rocks not wood charcoal. I'll chock it up to being an Eggrookie.
As far as the rocks go, while that is excessive, it happens. Some bags are rock free, some have 1 or 2, and some have more if you're just unlucky. Nothing in the manufacturing process is going to stop the rocks without driving the price up 20x. I don't know about the competition, but our bags are overloaded by 4-6% to make sure we account for any rocks. Most of the times, the customer comes out ahead.
Finally, you will find that most companies are pretty apologetic and embarrassed when a bad bag gets sold. You would be surprised with the response you might get from contacting the manufacturer......because they cannot respond when you take the anonymous public shaming route that you did here. Good luck.
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Been using Ay Carbon and Lazzari for a while now. In the 16 or so bags I have found 1 small rock...and 0 trash. Last 40 pound bag I cut open had 5 gigantic chunks and about half of a 5 gallon bucket of normal sized stuff. Had about half cup of dust. Not bad for $17. Will never use Royal Rocks again. Always makes me laugh when someone bashes Royal Rocks and its faithful step up to defend the amount of rocks and trash that is often found in it...
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I agree that bags are overloaded. I long ago posted a pic of cowboy lump weighing 22#, and another at 25#, when someone here was b!tching about another rock
it's reactionary entitlement i think. People these days are inflexible. They are suspicious that a bag of chips is "half empty" when they opened it.
really, most consumers are thoroughly unfamiliar and uneducated about much of what they purchase, and merely like to use the "i'm the customer dammit" card at EVERY opportunity to get some recompense and attention
i may be overstating it, but if so, not nearly as much as those crabbing about how wronged they were by a charcoal manufacturer (or potao chip maker, or insulated cup manufacturer, or whatever the product may be)
[social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others] -
has anybody noticed their beer bottles don't seem to be as full as they used to be?
Little Rock, AR
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No, AB here in town got nailed with a lawsuit saying they were watering it down for the last few years.Biggreenpharmacist said:has anybody noticed their beer bottles don't seem to be as full as they used to be?
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how could anyone tell they were watering it down?stlcharcoal said:No, AB here in town got nailed with a lawsuit saying they were watering it down for the last few years.
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Darby_Crenshaw said:
how could anyone tell they were watering it down?stlcharcoal said:No, AB here in town got nailed with a lawsuit saying they were watering it down for the last few years.
LBGE 2013 & MM 2014Die Hard HUSKER & BRONCO FANFlying Low & Slow in "Da Burg" FL -
i'm the consumer dammit. I deserve for my beer to be full and not watered down and be CHEAP.
Little Rock, AR
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That's why I buy and drink mostly craft beers and I only drink one or two at a time anyway. I prefer bourbon, scotch or rye myself.stlcharcoal said:
No, AB here in town got nailed with a lawsuit saying they were watering it down for the last few years.Biggreenpharmacist said:has anybody noticed their beer bottles don't seem to be as full as they used to be?XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas GrillKansas City, Mo. -
@Grilld17, as @stlcharcoal, said most of the time it is how it is handled. I buy all off my lump at my Egg dealer, because it is only handled a few times and they sell @stlcharcoal's Rockwood lump. I used Royal Oak for awhile, but I like how RW lights up fast, less smokiness and neutral flavor. If Royal Oak is all you can get I would do what @Eggcelsior suggest. I can usually tell just by picking up a bag now if it has small pieces or not.
XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas GrillKansas City, Mo. -
I could just see some of the extremists sorting and shaking bags while putting your ear to it, then palpating each quadrant of the bag in the store. Helped many tools in the lumber dept do the same, try to find that perfect, unknotted board. You would've thought they were building a watch. LolBrandonQuad Cities
"If yer gonna denigrate, familiarity with the subject is helpful." -
Where i live theres are only 2 places that sell premium lump (bge or wicked good). I don't want to mention the stores name but every time i buy lump it seems, like a worker did the Mexican hat dance on every bag. This last experience pissed me off. I paid 33$$ for a bag of wicked good and it was all crumbs. The lump fell straight thru my kick ash basket. So i decided to just get sum royal oak. I was pleasantly surprised the lump was in top shape.
Ewa Beach, Hawaii -
Any lump production line: Some automation (varying) - dude with a skid loader dumping buckets into a chute. He probably makes $15/hr. Another dude working a crude valve dumping into bags with a scale (maybe $10 hr) ...quality control minimal or cost will be astronomical. You can't judge an operation like that on one bag. Aggregate reviews can be found here (this forum or the Wiz guy's site), to some degree, as well as other sites.
disclaimer - I made up everything above, any comment to said accuracy is pure unwarranted criticism to fictional situations that I have no first hand experience with.
______________________________________________I love lamp.. -
Man you are not too far offnolaegghead said:Any lump production line: Some automation (varying) - dude with a skid loader dumping buckets into a chute. He probably makes $15/hr. Another dude working a crude valve dumping into bags with a scale (maybe $10 hr) ...quality control minimal or cost will be astronomical.
Only correction.....not a "crude valve", bagging machines are $15000 and turn on/off automatically and are calibrated for the paper's weight, size, etc. Conveyor line is designed to separate the fines and there are magnets and dust collectors along it. I hope the quality control is better than minimal, but you can only do so much or you're absolutely correct--cost would be astronomical.
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It's funny, I have been burning GFS lump--RO private label---for about a year and a half straight. It's 8.99 for 20 lbs. I burn a lot of it. Now that's relative too as I don't feed a village. But let's say 40 bags a year. In that time I have found some rocks. Not a five gallon bucket full, but some. I huck them over the fence. All good. The dog finds them, I find them later with the mower--not all good. I am a dump and light guy. I store lump under my "kitchen" counter in the bag. I don't separate or worry about fines etc. I get it all of it from every bag. I even tap the bag to get all the dust out. It all burns, or falls through. Now I figure a rock or two is nothing. These are monster operations processing thousands of tons of refuse lumber, slash, and hardwood etc. I am sure the belts, shakers, and screens do the best they can to deliver consistent size and quality. But we are still talking about enough charcoal bury your neighborhood in a hurry. They don't scoop that stuff by hand and the haulers bringing it in don't wash and blow dry it first. I figure when I find a full size unbroken concrete block In a bag I will send a picture to see what the reaction is. I don't need a refund or a free bag. Just the satisfaction from knowing I got the biggest Cracker Jack prize. In the meantime I will curse at the dog and continue paying 8.99 while smiling and smelling porky goodness.Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
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Speaking of the biggest Cracker Jack prize - so far the bar is set at 1 pound 3.2 ounce black meteorite.
Southeast Florida - LBGE
In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’ Dare to think for yourself.
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