I agree, had a few bad bags with small pieces but overall been a great product.  I have 14 bags in storage.   Costco usually stops selling it around this time of year ...  the end of "BBQ Season" I guess.

I returned a bunch of the old green and white bags as this years supply every bag I opened had non carbonized wood and rocks in it 

will have to give this a try 

Got this photo from Xylo's FB page, interesting and intriguing. @stlcharcoal care to shed some light on this for the uninitiated?

Canugghead said:

Got this photo from Xylo's FB page, interesting and intriguing. @stlcharcoal care to shed some light on this for the uninitiated?

Retort probably.  Rather than burning the wood in a kiln, they put it in cylinders and "bake it" it per se.  All the stuff you see on the internet saying charcoal is made by "burning wood in the absence of oxygen" is kind of BS because you need oxygen for fire.  The retort process is about as close as you get to that statement.....but it's not really burning, it's charring.  I don't know if this is 100% correct, but I'd call it torrefaction vs. pyrolysis.

Retort is almost like a pressure cooker.  Then the tars, liquors, VOCs, etc are supposed to "melt" out.  Sometimes they capture those, then use them as fuel for the next unit.  In my experience of testing and using charcoal from retort, it never really gets to a proper carbonization.......so, lots of smoke, ash, and blue flames.

I'm guessing that thing in the middle is the boiler, then the gantry above puts a closed cylinder packed with wood into the cylinders you see pictured.  I don't know much about it, other than a traditional "Missouri Kiln" works a hell of a lot better if true carbonization is what you're after.  Much hotter temps than a retort setup.

caliking said:

Niece and nephew are going to college in Montreal now. I need to figure out a way to smuggle some Basques to TX. 

Another late night parking lot exchange of cash and lump charcoal in your future?

stlcharcoal said:

Canugghead said:

@stlcharcoal Thanks for taking the time to educate us, much appreciated.  They claim it's more environment friendly than traditional kiln, don't know if it's true or just marketing gimmick.

Yeah better for the environment just like this.....

Canugghead said:

@stlcharcoal Thanks for taking the time to educate us, much appreciated.  They claim it's more environment friendly than traditional kiln, don't know if it's true or just marketing gimmick.

Back at a computer where I can type out a better response.  

Yes and no they produce less emissions.  Compared to a traditional kiln with nothing but a chimney, of course!  But since the 90's, every charcoal producing company in the US has to have a smoke burner on it.  The smoke is fired to ~1500F to burn out any particulate, so it's clear as can be.  $5000/day fine otherwise (at least in this state.)

Also, if the retort "charcoal" is undercarbonized since it couldn't hit the high temps, it still has tars, liquors, VOCs, and whatever else you want to call the smoke producing compounds.  So you light it on your grill/smoker and you're the one releasing the emissions into the atmosphere for the first 30 minutes......rather than buying properly carbonized charcoal where all the stuff was kilned out at the plant (and taken through a catalyst to burn it.)  

GlennM said:

I don’t know about the process but I use rockwood in the US and this here in Canada. I have used just about everything and settled on those two. I get a very clean, fast fire with little to no smoke and it lights quickly (just like RW). There is almost no dust in the bag and the lump is a good size.

Kind of a moot point now, our Costco has stopped selling charcoal for the season :+(

In Guelph, they have it down the aisle with the garbage and kitchen bags ... you know, the obvious place for BBQ stuff !   At least it was there last week.

Have never have never seen at our Costco here in Naples FL. I’d give it a try if i did though. 

Canugghead said:

Glad to hear OP's glowing report and how it stacks up well vs. RW. I was afraid of Xylo passing the emissions from Quebec to my backyard in Ontario, lol!

I still see lots at my local Costco (Vaughan) but I'd take my chances and wait for clearance price, cheap ba*tard I know    Still have 18 bags (despite not buying any for about 3 years now) and I now cook with pellets more often, especially in cold weather.

I was at the Oshawa store yesterday and didn't see any? Of course I didn't go down the garbage isle.....At our store lump is normally stored in the aisle with tin foil, ziplock bags etc.

Was in Guelph yesterday, full skid .... in the garbage aisle