Not Happy with Rockwood!!!!

caliking

Lowcountrygamecock said:

Hour and forty minutes in. Bottom vent is wide open. Top holes are open and vent is cracked 1/2” and it will not get above 350. Kamado Joe by the way. Normally with this setup I’d be 500-600 degrees easily. 

I don't see what the issue is. That seems to be a decent temp for those settings. 

If the KJ or RO lump give you the nuclear temps you want, then just go back to using those.

Thatgrimguy

What's with peoples obsession with big lump? I hate huge pieces of lump. Give me consistent pieces. Don't care what size as long as they are an inch or so.

McStew

I switched to Matchlight, same size lump every time I open the bag. No problems with rocks,  insulation, metal strapping, nails or to big of lump issues.  

Ozzie_Isaac

I recently got in touch with Tiffany Paxton.  She is selling her "Santa Claus Special".  It is a weird name, but is repackaged Ozark Oak.  Straight from Yellville.

RajunCajun

Geez, and I remember the day when BGE was the only lump in town.

GregW

Bags of charcoal are like Forest Gumps boxes of chocolate, and in the words of my young son, you get what you get and you don't pitch a fit.
With that being said, I'm easy to please as far as charcoal is concerned.

SSQUAL612

Thatgrimguy said:

What's with peoples obsession with big lump? I hate huge pieces of lump. Give me consistent pieces. Don't care what size as long as they are an inch or so.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before and if not she lied...Size Matters. 

SSQUAL612

Tried the B&B Premium out today and I’ll start keeping it on hand.  Pieces were Goldilocks size...lit well and cooked nice.  I expect some dust at bottom of the bag, but it shouldn’t be a considerable amount like I’ve experienced lately with other brands.

HeavyG

SSQUAL612 said:

Thatgrimguy said:

What's with peoples obsession with big lump? I hate huge pieces of lump. Give me consistent pieces. Don't care what size as long as they are an inch or so.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before and if not she lied...Size Matters. 

And there is such a things as too large. I used to hear that all the time.

SSQUAL612

HeavyG said:

SSQUAL612 said:

Thatgrimguy said:

What's with peoples obsession with big lump? I hate huge pieces of lump. Give me consistent pieces. Don't care what size as long as they are an inch or so.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before and if not she lied...Size Matters. 

And there is such a things as too large. I used to hear that all the time.

Doesn’t count when it’s your Lil Sis.

RiverBBQ

I have tried B&B 3 times and can’t like it. I’ve tried to like it and make it work, just can’t! I’m a Rockwood convert as of now. I see plenty of FOGO at my Ace but haven’t wanted to stray.  Unlike said troll, Rockwood is nearly perfect. Even save the smaller pieces for the Weber Kettle.... 

frazzdaddy

SSQUAL612 said:

Tried the B&B Premium out today and I’ll start keeping it on hand.  Pieces were Goldilocks size...lit well and cooked nice.  I expect some dust at bottom of the bag, but it shouldn’t be a considerable amount like I’ve experienced lately with other brands.

Been using it a while. Not bad for 13..00 a bag.

SSQUAL612

RiverBBQ said:

I have tried B&B 3 times and can’t like it. I’ve tried to like it and make it work, just can’t! I’m a Rockwood convert as of now. I see plenty of FOGO at my Ace but haven’t wanted to stray.  Unlike said troll, Rockwood is nearly perfect. Even save the smaller pieces for the Weber Kettle.... 

I used the championship blend premium and it works for me. The issue I have with Rockwood is the amount dust and small pieces that will ultimately hinder airflow.  I have an Akorn Jr that I could use the smaller pieces in, but I’m not into culling lump.  If/when I see RW at a location that’s more convenient I’ll try it again, but for now this and FOGO are fine.

Corv

I'm in the middle of roasting 10 pounds of Hatch chiles using Rockwood. This is the second of three bags I bought earlier. Like the first, this bag has some very large chunks, a few medium ones but is mostly small gravel-sized pieces. They block airflow and prevent higher temperatures and when they do get going well, burn out quickly with lots of ash. I just had to load my medium BGE again.

Honestly, this Rockwood charcoal is really not very good. I'll be extremely glad to be done with it.

Wolfpack

To each their own and use what you like. I personally have no issues with Rockwood and prefer the neutral smoke (in my mind higher level of carbonization) to many of the other brands. 

I pour straight from the bag including the dust in the bottom of the bag- I do a quick stir with the ash tool. No issues ever with air flow.

Have used just about all brands of charcoal over the years- find the one you like and go with it. 

QDude

Was at a friend's house yesterday.  He was cooking pork tenderloins on his large and was using Royal Oak.  It took forever to get to 250 degrees - he wanted to cook around 325 but never got there.  He said his egg was cleaned recently so there should not have been air flow issues.  Maybe all brands of lump have periodic issues.

pgprescott

QDude said:

Was at a friend's house yesterday.  He was cooking pork tenderloins on his large and was using Royal Oak.  It took forever to get to 250 degrees - he wanted to cook around 325 but never got there.  He said his egg was cleaned recently so there should not have been air flow issues.  Maybe all brands of lump have periodic issues.

I’ve heard this countless times. I’ve made house calls and it’s always clogged air holes in the firebox. Always. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

QDude said:

Was at a friend's house yesterday.  He was cooking pork tenderloins on his large and was using Royal Oak.  It took forever to get to 250 degrees - he wanted to cook around 325 but never got there.  He said his egg was cleaned recently so there should not have been air flow issues.  Maybe all brands of lump have periodic issues.

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). 

YukonRon

Rockwood has served me well. I have tried others, but just not the consistant results I have had with Rockwood.

If there is a better product available in the USA for my lump needs, I have yet to discover it in my 45 years of BBQ.

Sorry to see your dissatisfaction for something that has provided excellent results for me.

MaskedMarvel

I’ve been using diamonds in my cooks recently. 

No ash, and they add many facets to my settings. 

saluki2007

MaskedMarvel said:

I’ve been using diamonds in my cooks recently. 

No ash, and they add many facets to my settings. 

I like to top my SRF hotdogs with thoughs.  Gives them something a little bit different.  No ketchup of course.

MaskedMarvel

MaskedMarvel said:

I’ve been using diamonds in my cooks recently. 

No ash, and they add many facets to my settings. 

Hey! My first “TROLL” flag. 

Thanks whoever you are!

Mikee

Too many on this forum recommend a pricey lump that is a hair above average. They think its 'cool' to jump on the band wagon. I do not belong to that group. There are better lumps out there.

Mikee

The Cen-Tex Smoker said:

QDude said:

Was at a friend's house yesterday.  He was cooking pork tenderloins on his large and was using Royal Oak.  It took forever to get to 250 degrees - he wanted to cook around 325 but never got there.  He said his egg was cleaned recently so there should not have been air flow issues.  Maybe all brands of lump have periodic issues.

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). 

You definitely need a lesson in lump charcoal. 100% charcoal may be the same but lump charcoal is not 100% carbonized. This is why some lumps are better that others. I said it years ago and I'll state it again. The best lump you'll ever come across is the leftovers. Charcoal is very brittle. Every wonder why those leftover pieces break so easily? So to those who like big pieces out of the bag, chances are that the lump was not as carbonized as some others. As far as I am concerned the best lump out there comes in a box. Its the only way to ship a high carbonized lump with trying to minimize the breakage.

stlcharcoal

Mikee said:  As far as I am concerned the best lump out there comes in a box. Its the only way to ship a high carbonized lump with trying to minimize the breakage.

Couldn't resist......



As much as I agree with the rest of your post, the box doesn't really help.  We ship in boxes as well, and the charcoal still breaks down.  It's the agitation and impact that breaks it down charcoal, not weight.......and that happens more on the boxes because of the air space.  At least with the bags, the paper conforms and they all nest together.  In boxes, the lump can bounce and giggle because there's no way to preload the dunnage unless you put it on a vibration table first (what's the point then). 

In any case, cardboard boxes are 3x-4x the cost of multiwall paper bags.  The consumer is not going to want to eat that cost, hence what happen to the charcoal in the box.