Charblox, Extruded Charcoal

dbCooper

New Costco ad has this at $45. for 2x10lbs.  Same quantity is $70. on the Charblox web site, https://charblox.com/products/charblox-ultra-premium-charcoal?variant=40805749457057

They claim this: "Burns Longer. 1LB of CHARBLOX is equivalent in burn time to about 3.5LB Average Charcoal (briquettes or lump)."  So they oddly claim the same burn time for briquettes and lump.  They have another product made from bamboo wood which is also odd, my understanding is that bamboo is a grass.

I've never used any extruded product, considering giving this a try.  Anyone have experience with this product or other extruded charcoals?

Legume

Looks interesting, I'm not sure I'd fill an xl with it, but might be good for some applications.  The caveman pic on their website is kind of cool.  I'll bet the bamboo is pretty neutral.  Worth a shot but I'm not sure it would be an everyday for me.

caliking

I bit. Have been thinking about trying extruded charcoal for some time, and the reviews seemed good. The comparison to binchotan sounds like a stretch. We'll see.

HeavyG

I've used a few of the extruded charcoals over the last decade in various grills but not that Charblox. Some has been made from coconut shells, some from bamboo. I can't say I've noticed any significant difference between the two. 
It can be tricky to light them - you really want to use a chimney. It also helps if you have a gas grill side burner that you can place the chimney on to help speed things along. I use my wok burner or my portable gas burner.

Bamboo is a grass and balsa is a hardwood - Nature is weird.

Nowadays I only use that stuff in my yakitori grill as they are sized right to fit in a nice layer. I don't see any real advantage to using them in a kamado or Weber kettle over regular lump or briquettes.

I've been using the Thaan brand, it's about $40 for 10 pounds. That's a good price for that Charblox and I'm going to order a few boxes myself. Thanks for posting that!

dbCooper

@caliking - I bit too. 

OhioEgger

Seems like in order to extrude it there would have to be some sort of binder, making not much different from briquettes, no?

lousubcap

Just a different flavour (nod) to the lump threads here.  Like religion and politics in other forums. However, should the collective find it to be worth giving a go, I am too easily sucked down a rabbit hole vortex. 

dbCooper

OhioEgger said:

Seems like in order to extrude it there would have to be some sort of binder, making not much different from briquettes, no?

Their website claims no binders and says it's made from sawdust.  Maybe that gets extruded first, then kilned? 

caliking

The box says its made from recycled fruitwoods, but the description says 100% hardwood. Which one is it??

HeavyG

caliking said:

The box says its made from recycled fruitwoods, but the description says 100% hardwood. Which one is it??

Fruitwoods are hardwoods. Just as balsa is actually a hardwood. The designation of hardwood vs softwood is not related to the density of the wood.

Botch

Yup.  Does the tree have leaves (HW) or needles (SW)?

shtgunal3

It appears you can caveman on them too @lousubcap

CGS

Extruded coconut shell lump made the rounds years ago. Groups try to revive it now and then. Two things that seem to stop the product's growth is price and consistent quality. I've never noticed appreciable extended burn times or higher temps from extruded.

Looks like here we go again......

Google, making coconut lump charcoal video, for some interesting videos.....

T    

Photo Egg

CGS said:

Extruded coconut shell lump made the rounds years ago. Groups try to revive it now and then. Two things that seem to stop the product's growth is price and consistent quality. I've never noticed appreciable extended burn times or higher temps from extruded.

Looks like here we go again......

Google, making coconut lump charcoal video, for some interesting videos.....

T    

Yep,
I have tried 3 different brands of extruded coconut lump. Still have a few boxes I’m slowly burning through. No noticeable length in cook time but issues with white ash on the food. Another note…In our high humidity climate, shutting down the egg and relighting the used lump goes not work as well. The extruded falls apart and clogs airflow. Those with a ash basket will have slightly better luck.

caliking

Photo Egg said:

CGS said:

Extruded coconut shell lump made the rounds years ago. Groups try to revive it now and then. Two things that seem to stop the product's growth is price and consistent quality. I've never noticed appreciable extended burn times or higher temps from extruded.

Looks like here we go again......

Google, making coconut lump charcoal video, for some interesting videos.....

T    

Yep,
I have tried 3 different brands of extruded coconut lump. Still have a few boxes I’m slowly burning through. No noticeable length in cook time but issues with white ash on the food. Another note…In our high humidity climate, shutting down the egg and relighting the used lump goes not work as well. The extruded falls apart and clogs airflow. Those with a ash basket will have slightly better luck.

Now you tell me 🤦🏿‍♂️

pgprescott

Blues hog offers an extruded product too. Don’t think it’s coconut. I think it’s just the dust collected and extruded with a vegetable oil binder or something of that nature. Called Hog Logs. 😁

johnmitchell

How is it packaged? Nah forget it…. LOL LOL LOL

MaskedMarvel

Forgive my ignorance here, but I thought carbon was carbon IS carbon. By weight, if we’re simply talking carbon and all other things being equal, shouldn’t it all burn about the same?

unless they’re claiming that their carbon content is 3.5x as pure, I’m always skeptical. Looks cool, though!

At least - this is MY theory for why I sift my ashes and throw the tiny bits back in..

dbCooper

It's rare for me to return  products to Costco but, 1½ boxes of this went back today.

Disclaimer: manufacturer highly recommends using a chimney starter and I don't have one.

My issues after two cooks:

- Takes at least five minutes of torch time to get lit.  Minute or two is all I need with lump.

- Heat up time at least double compared to lump.

- Not smart enough to figure out how to effectively use wood chunks.

- No measurements, so subjective observation... I don't believe 1 lb. of this equals 3.5 lb of lump.

Looks like a well made product, but for me and Egg cooks, lump is the ticket.

caliking

Haven't tried it yet. Thanks for the feedback.

I doubt I have the patience to spend the extra time/effort to light it up, but we'll see. 

cookingdude555

reviews seem meh from this crowd, and that was just enough for me to order some.  We will see next week.