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Ace Hardware Sale

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MotownVol
MotownVol Posts: 1,040
in EggHead Forum
KJ Big Block lump $5 off today.   Has anyone used it?   How does it compare to Rockwood?
Morristown TN, LBGE and Mini-Max.
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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,174
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    How does a Yugo compare to a Porsche? 
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  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,429
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    I'd say go for it if you like the smell of hot asphalt.  😁

    I know others like it but my first bag was my last bag. 
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
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  • alaskanassasin
    alaskanassasin Posts: 7,649
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    Seems OK the last bag I had took a while to clear up the acrid smoke but it was fine after that. Rockwood is much better, try the KJ big block and see for yourself.
    South of Columbus, Ohio.


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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,026
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    I've gone through maybe 5 bags of it. It's slightly above average. Nowhere worth the price for what they get. Just my personal opinion. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • Mikee
    Mikee Posts: 892
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    Rockwood has been very disappointing. I tried a bag years ago and was not pleased. Now that my local Ace sold it, I used a coupon to retry it. I liked the size of the lump. It seemed like it was way better than the first bag I tried years ago. Unfortunately that was not I found out. It does not burn hot. It takes forever to get to 750*. The ash is like those coming from a cremation. I been using an Egg for 15 years and tonight is the first time I ever had lump snuff out. 2 years ago I bought Western lump on clearance for $1 for a 30 pound bag. While it took awhile for it to burn clean, it out preformed Rockwood. Rockwood takes forever to get up to temperature even when using the leftover lump, which at that point should be highly carbonized. For some reason Rockwood under performs regardless to what I have read on this forum. 
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  • AnothaStolenGenrator
    AnothaStolenGenrator Posts: 287
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    Mikee said:
    Rockwood has been very disappointing. I tried a bag years ago and was not pleased. Now that my local Ace sold it, I used a coupon to retry it. I liked the size of the lump. It seemed like it was way better than the first bag I tried years ago. Unfortunately that was not I found out. It does not burn hot. It takes forever to get to 750*. The ash is like those coming from a cremation. I been using an Egg for 15 years and tonight is the first time I ever had lump snuff out. 2 years ago I bought Western lump on clearance for $1 for a 30 pound bag. While it took awhile for it to burn clean, it out preformed Rockwood. Rockwood takes forever to get up to temperature even when using the leftover lump, which at that point should be highly carbonized. For some reason Rockwood under performs regardless to what I have read on this forum. 

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  • wardo
    wardo Posts: 398
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    I use KJ lump in my egg pretty regularly.  I use about 3-4 different types of lump charcoal bc my egg is rolling all the time.

    I actually like the KJ lump, until the end of the bag.  Its nice big clean burning pieces until the end of the bag.  Then its chips and dust.  The BGE bags can have the same unhappy ending too.   It burns very similar to the BGE lump from my experience. 

    If you can get it for cheap, then I wouldn't hesitate at all.
    NC - LBGE
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    Mikee said:
    Rockwood has been very disappointing. I tried a bag years ago and was not pleased. Now that my local Ace sold it, I used a coupon to retry it. I liked the size of the lump. It seemed like it was way better than the first bag I tried years ago. Unfortunately that was not I found out. It does not burn hot. It takes forever to get to 750*. The ash is like those coming from a cremation. I been using an Egg for 15 years and tonight is the first time I ever had lump snuff out. 2 years ago I bought Western lump on clearance for $1 for a 30 pound bag. While it took awhile for it to burn clean, it out preformed Rockwood. Rockwood takes forever to get up to temperature even when using the leftover lump, which at that point should be highly carbonized. For some reason Rockwood under performs regardless to what I have read on this forum. 
    :rofl:

    After 15 yrs, one would expect that you would have figured out that the lump snuffing out is not a function of the lump...

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Mikee
    Mikee Posts: 892
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    caliking said:
    Mikee said:
    Rockwood has been very disappointing. I tried a bag years ago and was not pleased. Now that my local Ace sold it, I used a coupon to retry it. I liked the size of the lump. It seemed like it was way better than the first bag I tried years ago. Unfortunately that was not I found out. It does not burn hot. It takes forever to get to 750*. The ash is like those coming from a cremation. I been using an Egg for 15 years and tonight is the first time I ever had lump snuff out. 2 years ago I bought Western lump on clearance for $1 for a 30 pound bag. While it took awhile for it to burn clean, it out preformed Rockwood. Rockwood takes forever to get up to temperature even when using the leftover lump, which at that point should be highly carbonized. For some reason Rockwood under performs regardless to what I have read on this forum. 
    :rofl:

    After 15 yrs, one would expect that you would have figured out that the lump snuffing out is not a function of the lump...

    Who are you trying to Chit. The snuffing out of the lump had to be because of the lump. 15 years of various lumps and I never had a fire go out. Top vent open and the bottom vent open just like I done before. The only difference was the brand of lump I was using. Once it died out, I had to use another fire starter to get it to ignite.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
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    The KJ Big Block lump goes on sale during the Costco roadshows. A buddy of mine seems to like it. 



    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
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    My last bag of the KJ had a very strange smell kinda like asphalt like stated above. I went close to my wife after starting the lump and she looked at me and said what’s that smell. It was almost chemically. 
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  • rekameohs
    rekameohs Posts: 263
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    MotownVol said:
    KJ Big Block lump $5 off today.   Has anyone used it?

    Is it made by the same folks that make Royal Oak, or is that BGE lump?
    Raleigh, NC
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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 14,617
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    @Mikee I thought you were all about the Charbroil Russian center cut lump?

    re KJ, I bought a couple of bags at Costco roadshow 1-2 years ago, it was good.  Last year I bought six bags on clearance from Cabelas and didn’t get through one bag.  Horrible.  Different and horrible.
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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 14,617
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  • johnnyp
    johnnyp Posts: 3,932
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    Legume said:


    re KJ, I bought a couple of bags at Costco roadshow 1-2 years ago, it was good.  Last year I bought six bags on clearance from Cabelas and didn’t get through one bag.  Horrible.  Different and horrible.
    KJ used to sell a lump that the bag called either "restaurant quality" or restaurant grade", then some time back they re-branded as "Big Block".  On one of the KJ fb pages, a KJ employee claims they use the same supplier as before, but the quality is perceptibly different.
    XL & MM BGE, 36" Blackstone - Newport News, VA
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  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
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    FWIW, the size of the lump has a diminishing return IMO. Those huge pieces are more difficult for the supplier to fully carbonize and they tend to burn "dirtier". So, you get these huge pieces that likely weigh more per BTU than the mid sized or smaller ones. Since the charcoal is bought per #, you are actually getting less for more $. 
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,754
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    im sticking with cowboy lump
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • frazzdaddy
    frazzdaddy Posts: 2,617
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    I tried a bag of B&B from Academy on my last cook. Wasn't bad. 12 bucks for 20lbs 
    Xl bge ,LG bge, two 4' crusher cone fire pits. Weber Genisis gasser and 
    Two rusty Weber kettles. 

    Two Rivers Farm
    Moncure N.C.
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  • Mikee
    Mikee Posts: 892
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    Legume said:
    @Mikee I thought you were all about the Charbroil Russian center cut lump?

    I buy it every time Amazon puts it on sale. Last couple of times they limited it to 3 boxes per sale period. When Ace had Rockwood for 50% off with a coupon, I thought I would try it again. Been using for the past couple of weeks. Found a couple rocks or part of the kiln in it yesterday; tossed one of them in the field across the street and the other I tossed in a bucket. Rocks happen! Yes, I have gotten a couple in the Charbroil over the years. I have used some Royal Oak about a month ago; probably go back to that when doing longer cooks. In the mini, CharBroil is ready to cook on in about 5-6 minutes.
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,731
    edited January 2020
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    Mikee said:
    Legume said:
    @Mikee I thought you were all about the Charbroil Russian center cut lump?

    I buy it every time Amazon puts it on sale. Last couple of times they limited it to 3 boxes per sale period. When Ace had Rockwood for 50% off with a coupon, I thought I would try it again. Been using for the past couple of weeks. Found a couple rocks or part of the kiln in it yesterday; tossed one of them in the field across the street and the other I tossed in a bucket. Rocks happen! Yes, I have gotten a couple in the Charbroil over the years. I have used some Royal Oak about a month ago; probably go back to that when doing longer cooks. In the mini, CharBroil is ready to cook on in about 5-6 minutes.
    I agree, that's some good stuff. I loaded up when a local egghead found it for $2.50/box some time ago. Quick to light, and ready to cook in almost no time. 

    But weigh the next bag of RW you come across. I'll bet you my mini that it's over 20lbs (to account for the occasional rock/debris).

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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