LUMP COAL

RaySMS

I have been ready various comments about a variety of Lump Coal.  I am new to the green egg however, it would make sense to me the bigger the coal the better the burn due to more air under the parts of coal.

Some of the critics identify they have found deals and then the bag is mostly dust and small pieces.  I have been buying the Home Depot $11.98 a bag 20lbs (this has gone up to 12.98 now I suspect its because more and more people are using the egg or grills like it.

I bought a $17.00 Costco bag of COWBOY lump coal.  Its 34lbs....and I have felt the bag and there are a lot of large pieces.
Any of you have opinions....if you didn't know about COWBOY, I thought that was a pretty good price for 34lbs.

johnnyp

Most people are not a fan of cowboy.  It's infamously terrible.

Lump debates around here are heated and fierce.  But I think most would agree that the most popular value-priced lump is royal oak.  The most popular premium lump seems to be rockwood.

For reviews on lump, and other treasure troves of information, visit the naked whiz site. 
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

theyolksonyou

Hans61

Ready to watch the show on this one... 

Hans61

I love Costco - good deal on the cowboy lump!

buzd504

Cowboy sucks.  And I don't really care what size my lump is, it all burns the same, although some brands burn cleaner than others.

Jameson19

I've been exclusively buying BGE brand lump. Getting real tired of paying $30 for a 20 pound bag. Done some reading. Going with Rockwood next time. 

Begger

BGE is 'bagged' by Royal Oak and is therefore the same stuff.   

CheeseheadinAZ

I get Rockwood from Firecraft.  Free shipping on orders over $100.  5 Bags.  Good stuff!  You can check out ratings on the Naked Whiz website.

buzd504

CheeseheadinAZ said:

I get Rockwood from Firecraft.  Free shipping on orders over $100.  5 Bags.  Good stuff!  You can check out ratings on the Naked Whiz website.

You should buy  6 bags, because they ship 3 to a box and they pack better.

StillH2OEgger

I think it's fair to say that Royal Oak and Rockwood are far and away the most used on here. Fogo is also popular and though I haven't used it, Wicked Good Weekend Warrior also seems to get many positive reviews. I don't think most, if anyone, feels Royal Oak is better than Rockwood, but those who favor it do so because of perceived better value for a product that delivers reasonably good results. I would not hesitate to use Royal Oak in a pinch, but would not buy it again unless circumstances required it.

YukonRon

Rockwood.
Good talk.
Next?

Darby_Crenshaw

i disagree that Cowboy is terrible.  but that's personal preference.  i have had good and bad bags of every brand i have ever used.

as for the bigger the better... not really.

big lump underneath provides much airflow.  but what you want burning, for high heat, is a bed of medium pieces, even sometimes small to provide a good bed.

imagine one solid piece of lump in the egg, burning.  it wouldn't be the best scenario.

i usually break up anything large i find.  size of a baseball is about the max i would want. 

nolaegghead

I prefer burning the small stuff.  Especially the dust.  Sometimes I'll leave a few bags in the back of my truck and drive around the new orleans roads to bust 'em up some.  More surface area = faster combustion.

gdenby

As above, do visit the Naked Whiz's site. Its a great resource for lump information, and many other things about ceramic cooking. The front page requires a Java app to run, and my various browsers keep saying the app is unauthorized, despite me authorizing it. So I had to search around for direct links.

I have had different than his results w. some brands. Frontier, when I tried it for 2 years was among the worst. Produced huge amounts of sparks, and during direct cooks, covered the food w. tiny specs of ash.

Also, one of his ratings, ease or difficulty of starting, is perhaps a bit misleading. One of the brands he reviewed last year, and which I am currently using. "Timber Charcoal," is rated mildly hard to start, but is otherwise rated highly recommended. Lump that is hard to light is likely to have a higher carbon content, and thus produce more heat per volume. My results concur, particularly after I toasted a gasket w. it last week. But I don't use a simple batch of newsprint fir starting, as he does. MAP Pro or propane gas will get about anything going in 10 - 15 secs, or 15 - 20 sec. respectively.

Darby_Crenshaw

i will say that the single best low and slow i ever had was fired with literally the dumped dust and micro bits from the bottom of a bag.

was about 10pm the night before a snowstorm.  i planned poorly, and dumped some lump into the BGE, mostly the big stuff, or whatever middle size there'd be.  it didn't seem like enough for an overnight, and i wasn't going anywhere.  (read: football season, alcohol, impending storm).  half anticipating regret, i dumped the remainder/tali-end of a couple bags, and i mean DUST and tiny bits, over the top of the pile.

my rationale (aside from not having enough lump) , was that the opening in the lower vent is TINY at 225-250.  and no matter how much the tiny stuff may impede air flow in theory, there was no way an 18" diameter pile of natural lump was not going to have as much or more free area for airflow than the sum total of that tiny vent sliver.

granted, i had bigger lump at the fire grate, which lets the air in after all.

that fire held 250 all night, i never checked it, and we woke to a blizzard and 24 plus inches of snow.  35 mph winds.

pork butt was perfect, and the patriots won (per usual)

hopkinsusmc87

I've used a few different brands of lump, Big Green Egg, Royal Oak, Primo, Some lump at SAMs club (might have been Cowboy) but since moving to Manhattan KS they sell The Good One $21.00 for 20 lb bag (reviewed on NW) and it is good. It's cheaper than the others I listed and far better, (hardly any dust). I recommend it but as far as the size of the lump, you want a good balance, between the large and small for a good long cook. 

BBQBuddy

I bought a bag of Cowboy that was impossible to light.  Seriously, It would not light and burn.  I never did figure that out.  Threw it out.  I had to buy another bag of it because it's all that was available, and it burned fine.  Usually just go with Royal Oak.