Charcoal shortage looming?

SaskNortherner

I can’t for-see a shortage here in Canada. Our Sugar Maple charcoal is produced in Quebec the same place our Maple Syrup comes from. Both are sustainably managed. I stopped buying American products when all the tariffs were put in place.

500

Have you checked Home Depot for Royal Oak. Here in Richmond, VA, it’s always in stock. This is as of just a week ago. 

dstearn

stlcharcoal said:

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Carolina Q said:

yep, he did. Amazon strikes again... but it's still 40 bucks for a bag of lump.

Buy local......over half of that $40 goes to UPS, then it's ~$2 for the box, 22 cents for the tape, the marketplace subscription, the shipping/fulfillment subscription, the weekly pickup fee from UPS, and the labor to downstack a pallet, build the box, put it in the box, and process the shipment for the box.  I know it's only 1-3 minutes per box (depending on the size/quantity), but doing 50-100 boxes a day adds up.

We make less money selling online, but we have to do it for the people who cannot shop local, and especially now, those who do not want to leave their house.  And yes, we have had customers less than 10 minutes from our warehouse pay $45/bag on Amazon for us to ship it (and as much as I want to drive it over to their house with a $20 bill stapled to the bag, Amazon forces us to ship it through their BuyShipping platform with a tracking number.

So, the only people making a bunch of money off our online sales is Amazon......15% for merely having it listed on their site and nothing more.

Curbside pick up at my local Ace works fine for me. I order from Ace on line and pickup curbside.

hoosier_egger

SaskNortherner said:

I can’t for-see a shortage here in Canada. Our Sugar Maple charcoal is produced in Quebec the same place our Maple Syrup comes from. Both are sustainably managed. I stopped buying American products when all the tariffs were put in place.

BGE was supposed to to release their Sugar Maple lump in June but had to withdraw. Basques said they wouldn't be able to keep up with the demand. 
For what it's worth 🤷‍♂️

rekameohs

TEXASBGE2018 said:

Well the Lumpocalypse is hitting home now. I’m desperately low on lump. Only 1 bag of Royal Oak left. Called my local Ace and they said I couldn’t order Rockwood at this time.

I just picked up two bags of Royal Oak from my local WalMart.  Here is a Brickseek link for a 15.4lb bag.  Set the ZIP to search your local area.
https://brickseek.com/walmart-inventory-checker?sku=54065925

bubbajack

Told you so.

The Cen-Tex Smoker

bubbajack said:

Told you so.

Yep. It’s upon us. I’m good for a few months but it’s not good out there. 

bucky925

@bubbajack. Does our True Value still have some in stock?   I'm down to 4 bags....I may stock up tomorrow.

GregW

I don't know about a shortage, but I try to lay in a supply of Briquets  charcoal for the PK grill on the Labor Day sales at the home centers. This year there are no deals to be had. The best I can find is 15% off. I usually can find a 2 for the price of one sale, around $10 for 40# of the Kingsford Briquets. I normally purchase around 300# or so. With the lack of the big sale, It's probably not worth the effort to haul and store.

Mark_B_Good

CtTOPGUN said:

I have resorted to using briquettes for cooks that are not low and slow in order to conserve the lump I have. Supply is intermittent at best.. Of course I have to clean the ash out each cook, but otherwise it works.

Is there any concern of briquette binding agents infusing into the ceramic of the egg?  Or non-issue?

stlcharcoal

Mark_B_Good said:

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CtTOPGUN said:

I have resorted to using briquettes for cooks that are not low and slow in order to conserve the lump I have. Supply is intermittent at best.. Of course I have to clean the ash out each cook, but otherwise it works.

Is there any concern of briquette binding agents infusing into the ceramic of the egg?  Or non-issue?

It's just starch.  The bigger issue is the "mineral char" (AKA anthracite) that's infusing into your food.  Or worse, the petroleum that's in the match light ones.

Either way, with the amount of ash they produce from all the starch, borax, fly ash, and limestone they put in those things, you will choke your lower draft door by the time you burn through a full firebox.  Ash content on briquettes is upwards of 40% by weight.  

frazzdaddy

12.99 and they bring it out to you in the parking lot. Just had 12 bags loaded in my truck at lunch. It's not Rockwood but will do for now. 

HeavyG

stlcharcoal said:

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Mark_B_Good said:

CtTOPGUN said:

I have resorted to using briquettes for cooks that are not low and slow in order to conserve the lump I have. Supply is intermittent at best.. Of course I have to clean the ash out each cook, but otherwise it works.

Is there any concern of briquette binding agents infusing into the ceramic of the egg?  Or non-issue?

It's just starch.  The bigger issue is the "mineral char" (AKA anthracite) that's infusing into your food.  Or worse, the petroleum that's in the match light ones.

Either way, with the amount of ash they produce from all the starch, borax, fly ash, and limestone they put in those things, you will choke your lower draft door by the time you burn through a full firebox.  Ash content on briquettes is upwards of 40% by weight.  

Actual testing has shown that KBB ash is in the neighborhood of 20% by weight.

Lit

frazzdaddy said:

12.99 and they bring it out to you in the parking lot. Just had 12 bags loaded in my truck at lunch. It's not Rockwood but will do for now. 

I know you probably dont value my opinion but that is  the worst lump I have ever used. Hard to light and didnt burn hot. 

bucky925

I'm all set for a while now.  I was starting to get a little nervous.

frazzdaddy

Lit said:

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frazzdaddy said:

12.99 and they bring it out to you in the parking lot. Just had 12 bags loaded in my truck at lunch. It's not Rockwood but will do for now. 

I know you probably dont value my opinion but that is  the worst lump I have ever used. Hard to light and didnt burn hot. 

Johnny... what do we have for our winner!

stlcharcoal

HeavyG said:

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stlcharcoal said:

Mark_B_Good said:

CtTOPGUN said:

I have resorted to using briquettes for cooks that are not low and slow in order to conserve the lump I have. Supply is intermittent at best.. Of course I have to clean the ash out each cook, but otherwise it works.

Is there any concern of briquette binding agents infusing into the ceramic of the egg?  Or non-issue?

It's just starch.  The bigger issue is the "mineral char" (AKA anthracite) that's infusing into your food.  Or worse, the petroleum that's in the match light ones.

Either way, with the amount of ash they produce from all the starch, borax, fly ash, and limestone they put in those things, you will choke your lower draft door by the time you burn through a full firebox.  Ash content on briquettes is upwards of 40% by weight.  

Actual testing has shown that KBB ash is in the neighborhood of 20% by weight.

Depends which brand, which variety, and when you bought it.  The moisture content varies as well.  They're not going to lose any money when they sell two ~15# bags, for $5 or whatever it is on Memorial Day weekend.  Water and limestone are both heavier than carbon.

Years ago we had all the major briquette brands sent out for testing for ash, carbon, moisture, etc.  The BTU/# came back anywhere between 7000-9000.  Our lump was 11300-12200.  Trader Joe's had the best briquettes per our numbers, but they changed to a foreign manufacturer six months later.  

frazzdaddy

I think this was covered in the other Rockwood thread @Lit

Unfortunately the issues were with the user and not the lump. Carbon is carbon and does not care what label is on the bag or who is lighting the fire. All lump burns somewhere around 1200f-1400f degrees. It does not matter if it’s expensive, cheap, new, old, wet, or dry. It does not matter if it’s made from
premium felled hardwoods or flooring scraps and fence posts. Carbon is carbon, it all burns the same given the same conditions. 

So- It’s not the carbon, it’s the conditions (airflow). 

stlcharcoal

frazzdaddy said:

I think this was covered in the other Rockwood thread @Lit

Unfortunately the issues were with the user and not the lump. Carbon is carbon and does not care what label is on the bag or who is lighting the fire. All lump burns somewhere around 1200f-1400f degrees. It does not matter if it’s expensive, cheap, new, old, wet, or dry. It does not matter if it’s made from
premium felled hardwoods or flooring scraps and fence posts. Carbon is carbon, it all burns the same given the same conditions. 

So- It’s not the carbon, it’s the conditions (airflow). 

That's not necessarily true.  Yes, carbon is carbon, but lump varies wildly on carbon content.  Pickup a big chunk of the cheap stuff and drop it--it will go "clunk" and not break.  Take a piece of ours and drop it--you'll hear a high pitched "tink" and it will shatter.  

The more you carbonize it, the less the ash content, volatiles, moisture, and the higher the BTU/#.  Thus quicker to clear the white smoke, higher temps fast, and less ash to clean up.  Heavy, hard, and dense "charcoal" is NOT charcoal......it's charred wood.

Outside of binchotan, any "lump charcoal" is going to contain volatiles.  Some more than others.  But if the wood is mesquite, walnut, or some other other bitter smoke wood, you're still going to taste it.  When the lump comes from oak, hickory, pecan, cherry, or some other domestic hardwood you use to smoke anyway, then the residual volatiles or the ones from an undercarbonized piece are not going to ruin your dinner.

Here's an blog post I where I got more in depth about it:  https://www.pizza-porta.com/blog/2019/8/18/guest-blog-charcoal-rockwood-charcoal

Lit

frazzdaddy said:

I think this was covered in the other Rockwood thread @Lit

Unfortunately the issues were with the user and not the lump. Carbon is carbon and does not care what label is on the bag or who is lighting the fire. All lump burns somewhere around 1200f-1400f degrees. It does not matter if it’s expensive, cheap, new, old, wet, or dry. It does not matter if it’s made from
premium felled hardwoods or flooring scraps and fence posts. Carbon is carbon, it all burns the same given the same conditions. 

So- It’s not the carbon, it’s the conditions (airflow). 

I wasnt trolling and im not a lump snob. I posted recently the cowboy from costco was much better than cowboy used to be and i have no problem burning royal oak. That lump was really bad and carbon isnt carbon not sure who said that but they are wrong. I hope you have better luck with it than i did.

RRog17

 Anyone tried this? Butcher shop near my house has lots of it. 

HeavyG

stlcharcoal said:

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HeavyG said:

stlcharcoal said:

Mark_B_Good said:

CtTOPGUN said:

I have resorted to using briquettes for cooks that are not low and slow in order to conserve the lump I have. Supply is intermittent at best.. Of course I have to clean the ash out each cook, but otherwise it works.

Is there any concern of briquette binding agents infusing into the ceramic of the egg?  Or non-issue?

It's just starch.  The bigger issue is the "mineral char" (AKA anthracite) that's infusing into your food.  Or worse, the petroleum that's in the match light ones.

Either way, with the amount of ash they produce from all the starch, borax, fly ash, and limestone they put in those things, you will choke your lower draft door by the time you burn through a full firebox.  Ash content on briquettes is upwards of 40% by weight.  

Actual testing has shown that KBB ash is in the neighborhood of 20% by weight.

Depends which brand, which variety, and when you bought it.  The moisture content varies as well.  They're not going to lose any money when they sell two ~15# bags, for $5 or whatever it is on Memorial Day weekend.  Water and limestone are both heavier than carbon.

Years ago we had all the major briquette brands sent out for testing for ash, carbon, moisture, etc.  The BTU/# came back anywhere between 7000-9000.  Our lump was 11300-12200.  Trader Joe's had the best briquettes per our numbers, but they changed to a foreign manufacturer six months later.  

I'll defer to your knowledge when it comes to all the varieties/brands/labels of various charcoals but I can say with certainty that when it comes to recent testing of a 2020 bag Kingsford Original the weight of ash produced was in the 20% neighborhood. The Kingsford Professional (which they used to call their Competition variety) creates about 10% of ash by weight.

The interesting thing to note tho for anyone considering using Kingsford Original or Professional on a kamado is that the Original produces not quite twice the volume of ash in comparison to the Professional. So anyone concerned about ash buildup might want to go with the Pro stuff. Or buy the significantly cheaper Original and just use your ash rake for one minute every few hours.

That was an interesting read over on the PizzaPorta page you linked to. Is that your portrait accompanying that article? How old are you - 13? 

frazzdaddy

Lit said:

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frazzdaddy said:

I think this was covered in the other Rockwood thread @Lit

Unfortunatey the issues were with thel user and not the lump. Carbon is carbon and does not care what label is on the bag or who is lighting the fire. All lump burns somewhere around 1200f-1400f degrees. It does not matter if it’s expensive, cheap, new, old, wet, or dry. It does not matter if it’s made from

premium felled hardwoods or flooring scraps and fence posts. Carbon is carbon, it all burns the same given the same conditions. 

So- It’s not the carbon, it’s the conditions (airflow). 

I wasnt trolling and im not a lump snob. I posted recently the cowboy from costco was much better than cowboy used to be and i have no problem burning royal oak. That lump was really bad and carbon isnt carbon not sure who said that but they are wrong. I hope you have better luck with it than i did.

@lit, I Been through 30 bags of it to date with out any of the issues you stated. The fact that you are having the kind of issues you are does not surprise me in the least.

northGAcock

I have not had issues getting Rockwood. I got a guy. 

Lit

frazzdaddy said:

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Lit said:

frazzdaddy said:

I think this was covered in the other Rockwood thread @Lit

Unfortunatey the issues were with thel user and not the lump. Carbon is carbon and does not care what label is on the bag or who is lighting the fire. All lump burns somewhere around 1200f-1400f degrees. It does not matter if it’s expensive, cheap, new, old, wet, or dry. It does not matter if it’s made from

premium felled hardwoods or flooring scraps and fence posts. Carbon is carbon, it all burns the same given the same conditions. 

So- It’s not the carbon, it’s the conditions (airflow). 

I wasnt trolling and im not a lump snob. I posted recently the cowboy from costco was much better than cowboy used to be and i have no problem burning royal oak. That lump was really bad and carbon isnt carbon not sure who said that but they are wrong. I hope you have better luck with it than i did.

@lit, I Been through 30 bags of it to date with out any of the issues you stated. The fact that you are having the kind of issues you are does not surprise me in the least.

I might not be good at trolling but i can cook way better than you any day of the week. The fact that you like the B&B says everything.

kl8ton

Ace had 3 on the shelf.  10bucks off with Ace rewards

frazzdaddy

Lit said:

show previous quotes

frazzdaddy said:

Lit said:

frazzdaddy said:

I think this was covered in the other Rockwood thread @Lit

Unfortunatey the issues were with thel user and not the lump. Carbon is carbon and does not care what label is on the bag or who is lighting the fire. All lump burns somewhere around 1200f-1400f degrees. It does not matter if it’s expensive, cheap, new, old, wet, or dry. It does not matter if it’s made from

premium felled hardwoods or flooring scraps and fence posts. Carbon is carbon, it all burns the same given the same conditions. 

So- It’s not the carbon, it’s the conditions (airflow). 

I wasnt trolling and im not a lump snob. I posted recently the cowboy from costco was much better than cowboy used to be and i have no problem burning royal oak. That lump was really bad and carbon isnt carbon not sure who said that but they are wrong. I hope you have better luck with it than i did.

@lit, I Been through 30 bags of it to date with out any of the issues you stated. The fact that you are having the kind of issues you are does not surprise me in the least.

I might not be good at trolling but i can cook way better than you any day of the week. The fact that you like the B&B says everything.

That's true lit you aren't . I will give you the second but I wouldn't puff my chest out to far, from where I'm sitting everybody on this forum is a better cook than I am even you. But only by one. 
So , the cooking contest would be a yawner. Hey I know, how about a lump lighting contest?

JRWhitee

northGAcock said:

I have not had issues getting Rockwood. I got a guy. 

I gotta guy who has a guy...

stlcharcoal

JRWhitee said:

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northGAcock said:

I have not had issues getting Rockwood. I got a guy. 

I gotta guy who has a guy...

"I gotta a guy, who knows a guy, who robs some guys......."

Something like that.  Snoop Dog in Starsky & Hutch movie.  Funny freakin movie.

bubbajack

Local ace sold a pallet of Rockwood in 2 days.