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COWBOY - Natural Wood or Natural Construction Debris?

CanDid
CanDid Posts: 106
in EggHead Forum
Haven't tried the Cowboy brand lump before, so when I saw 18-lb. bags in Lowe's today for $15.99 I thought I would try a bag. Why not right? A little carbonized trim leftover from a jobsite never hurt anybody. I wonder if the trim is hickory or oak?

Anyways, I'm well aware of @nakedwhiz review of this stuff, but his bag was made in Mexico (not that there's anything wrong with that). I just thought that with this bag being made in USA maybe it would be better.

BGE XL
NWArkansas
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Comments

  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    That looks like raw milled pieces of hardwood flooring. Not a problem - it's probably oak or maple.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    You know it's not mesquite if it used to be flooring. 
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 17,261
    I am just glad it is not cork.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,597
    cowboy got a bad rap because it was flooring, its actually a very clean easy to light lump when you get the flooring in the bag. i have not seen that in years, must be a sign that house construction is up. the cowboy ive been buying is big lump pieces. never agreed with the negative comments on the flooring pieces, its very good lump

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,936
    fishlessman said:
    cowboy got a bad rap because it was flooring, its actually a very clean easy to light lump when you get the flooring in the bag. i have not seen that in years, must be a sign that house construction is up. the cowboy ive been buying is big lump pieces. never agreed with the negative comments on the flooring pieces, its very good lump

    Never again for me, but I'd bet any concern about pieces of bldg material is really concern about finished flooring (sold in boxes) or laminate flooring, not raw flooring like you would get on the lumber aisle.
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
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  • Biggreenpharmacist
    Biggreenpharmacist Posts: 4,343
    Legume said:
    fishlessman said:
    cowboy got a bad rap because it was flooring, its actually a very clean easy to light lump when you get the flooring in the bag. i have not seen that in years, must be a sign that house construction is up. the cowboy ive been buying is big lump pieces. never agreed with the negative comments on the flooring pieces, its very good lump

    Never again for me, but I'd bet any concern about pieces of bldg material is really concern about finished flooring (sold in boxes) or laminate flooring, not raw flooring like you would get on the lumber aisle.
    Linoleum and ground up tires. 

    Little Rock, AR

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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 15,936
    Biggreenpharmacist said:
    Legume said:
    fishlessman said:
    cowboy got a bad rap because it was flooring, its actually a very clean easy to light lump when you get the flooring in the bag. i have not seen that in years, must be a sign that house construction is up. the cowboy ive been buying is big lump pieces. never agreed with the negative comments on the flooring pieces, its very good lump

    Never again for me, but I'd bet any concern about pieces of bldg material is really concern about finished flooring (sold in boxes) or laminate flooring, not raw flooring like you would get on the lumber aisle.
    Linoleum and ground up tires. 
    I must've missed that pic - stronger than mesquite I would imagine.
    THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER
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  • CanDid
    CanDid Posts: 106
    Thanks to @500 I just stopped in Walmart and picked up a 15.4-lb bag of Royal Oak for $9.87. I'm not sure if that is there regular price or not, but they didn't appear to have any markdown advertising around it. Better than Cowboy AND cheaper? What the heck?


    BGE XL
    NWArkansas
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  • WhiteyQ
    WhiteyQ Posts: 29
    Surprising a relatively decent store like Lowe's would stock such a garbage product like Cowboy.
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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 19,182
    WhiteyQ said:
    Surprising a relatively decent store like Lowe's would stock such a garbage product like Cowboy.
    Whole Foods carries that crap around here. It's laughable. 
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  • sctdg
    sctdg Posts: 301
    Some years ago close to where I live was a place called Hoboken Wood Floors . A lot of people would be dumpster diving behind their building for scraps ,it was 100% oak and they were using it to burn in their wood stoves ,beat going out in woods and cutting and splitting . Never had to worry about what you were burning ,always good stuff . No creosote stuff . And it was free .
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  • Hibby
    Hibby Posts: 606
    I've seen reports of plywood in cowboy. When you consider the toxins in adhesives and the elevated amount of formaldehyde in 'some' hardwood flooring, I'll pass.
    I cook. I eat. I repeat. Thornville, Ohio
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    Hibby said:
    I've seen reports of plywood in cowboy. When you consider the toxins in adhesives and the elevated amount of formaldehyde in 'some' hardwood flooring, I'll pass.
    The pieces of hardwood flooring found in some charcoal is "raw" as I mentioned earlier. It is offcuts from freshly milled wood prior to any finish treatments and, being "real wood", there would be no formaldehyde.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • Hub
    Hub Posts: 927
    I love Cowboy.  I've tried several brands of lump including Rockwood, and Cowboy gets me the best results.  I'll buy it all day long.
    Beautiful and lovely Villa Rica, Georgia
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  • Markarm4119
    Markarm4119 Posts: 526
    A little tongue and groove is good for que !
    LBGE, and just enough knowledge and gadgets to be dangerous .
    Buford,Ga.
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  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Hibby said:
    I've seen reports of plywood in cowboy. When you consider the toxins in adhesives and the elevated amount of formaldehyde in 'some' hardwood flooring, I'll pass.
    FYI - a wood and charcoal fire already gives off plenty of toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic chemicals.  Including formaldehyde.  

    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
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  • Wolfie51sb
    Wolfie51sb Posts: 267
    WhiteyQ said:
    Surprising a relatively decent store like Lowe's would stock such a garbage product like Cowboy.
    I stopped in my ACE Hardware story yesterday to order some Rockwood. When I told the guy working the counter I wanted to order some some lump charcoal, he said no problem and asked, "Is it Cowboy you want?"

    Pretty proud of myself for not rolling my eyes.

    Rob

    Columbus, Ohio

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  • Wolfie51sb
    Wolfie51sb Posts: 267
    DoubleEgger said:
    WhiteyQ said:
    Surprising a relatively decent store like Lowe's would stock such a garbage product like Cowboy.
    Whole Foods carries that crap around here. It's laughable. 
    Cowboy is the only lump both of our Costcos regularly stock.

    Rob

    Columbus, Ohio

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  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 915
    I've noticed mill ends in Cowboy lump, pieces of 2x4 are obviously just as man made as chunks of flooring and it amply demonstrates that the folks that make Cowboy lump are actively sourcing from the lowest bidder.

    Every time I buy Cowboy I am reminded of the generous portion of rocks they sell in each bag when I empty the KAB and then I wonder what the hell was I thinking when I bought this cr*p. I was thinking, "it's 50¢ a pound." 

    Sure it's consistently cheapest available. Buyer beware.

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



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  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    I've never found any construction debris, rocks or other things in Cowboy lump. 

    Maybe because I've never used any Cowboy lump.  Thanks to the forum members for going first and reporting back.  Anytime I am tempted to go for the cheap stuff, I remember these discussions and resist.
    Southeast Florida - LBGE
    In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
     
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  • Smokin_Trout
    Smokin_Trout Posts: 506
    I bought that stuff once...
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  • OhioEgger
    OhioEgger Posts: 994
    DieselkW said:
    Every time I buy Cowboy I am reminded of the generous portion of rocks they sell in each bag 
    I've had plenty of rocks in Royal Oak. 
    Cincinnati, Ohio. Large BGE since 2011. Still learning.
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  • GlennM
    GlennM Posts: 1,449
    I had a chunk of ashphalt in cowboy once. Talk about acrid smoke!i avoid it now 
    In the bush just East of Cambridge,Ontario 
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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    Rocks are common in all lump.  Have you seen how it's made?  This is an outdoor process involving backhoes and a lot of soot. Natural debris like that is common. This stuff isn't coming from a clean room!  :)

    I'm skeptical of any building debris, though.  I know that untreated wood flooring is as good as any wood, but I'm not confident the construction workers are carefully sorting through their garbage to make sure plastic, nails, treated wood and varnish don't end up in there.
    LBGE/Maryland
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,597
    with the quantity they have, cowboy is getting the scraps from a raw wood mill processing plant, its good clean lumber. they make regular lump as well but the flooring stuff is cleaner and better processed
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 915
    Best use of Cowboy lump is to clean burn your Egg with it, it will work great for that and it's cheaper than nearly anything else. Then clean up the rocks and nails and other non-wooden debris from the bottom and load your Egg with something better for cooking. RW, WW, RO, Fogo, Quebracho, are all better (but more expensive) alternatives.

    Oh, before I forget, that is an opinion, not a fact or demand that you do what I write. 

    A humble opinion, as a matter of fact.

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,457
    CanDid said:
    Thanks to @500 I just stopped in Walmart and picked up a 15.4-lb bag of Royal Oak for $9.87. I'm not sure if that is there regular price or not, but they didn't appear to have any markdown advertising around it. Better than Cowboy AND cheaper? What the heck?


    No offense, my man, but I never buy RO or any other brand which has been picked up and stashed on a shelf. Why? That just means someone M A Y have already played "bean bag toss" or whatever like in dropping, kicking or hitting the bags. I only buy off the pallet like it was shipped. I also use a simple test of picking up the bag expecting to find a solid full bag feel to it and listening for a clinking sound. If you hear a sliding, shifting sound in the bag there is a good chance it has tiny pieces.
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    Which, by the way, still burn. 
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  • CanDid
    CanDid Posts: 106
    RRP said:
    No offense, my man, but I never buy RO or any other brand which has been picked up and stashed on a shelf. Why? That just means someone M A Y have already played "bean bag toss" or whatever like in dropping, kicking or hitting the bags. I only buy off the pallet like it was shipped. I also use a simple test of picking up the bag expecting to find a solid full bag feel to it and listening for a clinking sound. If you hear a sliding, shifting sound in the bag there is a good chance it has tiny pieces.
    Yeah, I hear ya. I wish they had it on a pallet still, but this was all that was left. I did do the feel test, was very selective on the 3 bags I took home. Hopefully they'll be OK. Still, @ $9.87 a bag I figure I won't be out as much as that Cowboy I wasted $16 on.
    BGE XL
    NWArkansas
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    CanDid said:
    RRP said:
    No offense, my man, but I never buy RO or any other brand which has been picked up and stashed on a shelf. Why? That just means someone M A Y have already played "bean bag toss" or whatever like in dropping, kicking or hitting the bags. I only buy off the pallet like it was shipped. I also use a simple test of picking up the bag expecting to find a solid full bag feel to it and listening for a clinking sound. If you hear a sliding, shifting sound in the bag there is a good chance it has tiny pieces.
    Yeah, I hear ya. I wish they had it on a pallet still, but this was all that was left. I did do the feel test, was very selective on the 3 bags I took home. Hopefully they'll be OK. Still, @ $9.87 a bag I figure I won't be out as much as that Cowboy I wasted $16 on.
    How do you know you wasted $16 on the Cowboy if you haven't yet used it?

    Don't give in so easily to the peer pressure. :)
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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