Rockwood vs B&B Competition Char Logs for Medium sized BGE

BuddyC

I have a medium egg and have used Royal Oak bought from Walmart for a while because it was cheap and convenient, but since you can only put so much lump at one time into the bowl/ring, I always seem to run out of fuel before completing briskets. It's a terrible thing to have to start a batch in a charcoal starter and lift everything off to dump in and get it to the right temp while the brisket is waiting and suffering. Yeah I know you can put it in the oven at temp to keep it steady but still I hate having to do all that. It's time to make a switch. I always hear good things about Rockwood, Fogo premium(don't know if super premium is considered worth the extra $$), and B&B Competition Char Logs. For a medium egg to get the best smoke that can last close to 12 hours on one fill, which lump has shown to the be the most reliable out of these three? Or is there another. Keep in mind I only have a few options as far as places.... Academy, Atwoods, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, Tractor Supply, and we do have a store that is an authorized BGE dealer.

BTW, any gerry rigging tips to block leaks on the backside gasket? I already replaced the gasket a few years ago but I have an true OG medium egg and the hinge bracket/band system is just not that good anymore.... maybe a little bend so the new gasket definitely helped but still leaks on the rear. I saw one person suggest lifting up the gasket where it leaks and applying more Permatex... anyone ever done that and have it work? 

flexfusion

I've tried most of them, and I'm a Rockwood guy!

DoubleEgger

Rockwood

RLS

Life long Rockwood user here. Always a consistent product with a good burn time.

alaskanassasin

You really should not run out of coal regardless of what brand. Are you filling all the way to the top of the ring? Full disclosure I have a large but I’ve cooked over 24hrs on a single load.

zaphod

reminds me of the Fogo video where the solution to a high temp is to add more lump and the solution to too low a temp is to add more lump.

I considered where this advice was coming from.  He's not wrong, but it was funny that the solution for diametrically opposite problems was to add more product...

YukonRon

Rockwood.

That is all. 

You will not regret the decision to buy. 

AR_Pork_Producer

Rockwood, but I have to drive almost an hour to buy it. I get much longer burns with it compared to jealous devil and blues hog. I may try ordering some and see how it arrives. 

DoubleEgger

AR_Pork_Producer said:

Rockwood, but I have to drive almost an hour to buy it. I get much longer burns with it compared to jealous devil and blues hog. I may try ordering some and see how it arrives. 

I’ve had no issues. 

StillH2OEgger

I tried just about everything I could get my hands on the first few years, but realized Rockwood checked every single box and remarkably consistent. It's the only lump I've used for many years now.

Gandolf

Agree with Alaskanassasin, been using my Medium for over 20 years (and Large also) and consistently get over 20 hours with fully loaded lump. Almost exclusively Royal Oak.