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The truth about lump?

mattk330
mattk330 Posts: 74
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
So what is the real story about lump brands? Is BGE lump really preferred? I see in another post that Royal Oak may be the same as BGE just different packaging? I just burned through an old bag of lump I had purchased a while back from Whole Foods and it sure seemed to burn just as well if not better than BGE. I'm always looking for a way to trim costs so what lump is the best bang for the buck? What's your opinion?

Comments

  • Mainegg
    Mainegg Posts: 7,787
    this is where I go for lump questions and just about any other egg question too!
    http://nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag
  • eafo
    eafo Posts: 96
    i get the 10lb bags of RO from walmart for $5.27. just make sure they're made in america.
    i find i get less of the giant pieces i would get from BGE lump, which i didnt really want anyways and would break up, but i get a lot less of the small pieces that i would get at the end of a bag of bge.
  • dhuffjr
    dhuffjr Posts: 3,182
    BGE is Royal Oak. Make sure the Royal Oak you purchase is made in the USA. The foreign made stuff has been problematic (I've always been confused about why it not a good product as wicked good comes from South America as well).

    Humphreys is another brand is really good and what I use. Ozark Oak is another one that is really good.

    Cowboy is a brand that folks tend to not like for overnight cooks but if you can get it cheaper it will be just fine for burgers/chicken etc.

    H
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    I have been using the Argentine Royal Oak for everyday cooks. It pops and sparks more when lighting and doesn't seem to get quite as hot as BGE lump, but it also burns cleaner with less smoke at startup and the fire seems to spread a little more evenly.

    And it is substantially cheaper.
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    The reason it might not be as good is because there are dozens of species used by the various manufacturers, so it depends on which species the charcoal is made from. Sort of like wondering why mesquite lump is different than Royal Oak.
    The Naked Whiz
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    I agree with Rod...the RO from Argentina is good with lots of nice size pieces (a little bigger than my fist) and not many small pieces..

    it also pops and sparks a lot at first but very little smoke after just a few minutes...it's cost is very reasonable... :)
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    There are many many brands, some are Cowboy under different labels, some are Royal Oak under different labels, etc. etc. etc. BGE lump is made by Royal Oak. It is very good, but so is Royal Oak bagged under the Royal Oak label.

    Cowboy tends to be less smoky than Royal Oak, which is good or bad depending on what you want. Cowboy is easier to light and can burn hotter if you give it unrestricted air.

    It all depends on what your goals are. If you want cheap, some folks report getting Ozark Oak, a very very good brand, out in the midwest for ridiculously cheap prices. BGE lump is overpriced, it seems, when you can buy Royal Oak at Wal*Mart for half the price.

    There is no easy answer.
    The Naked Whiz
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    The various Royal Oak South American varieties were quite different in my experience. I liked the Brazil version much better than the Argentina and Paraguay versions. By problem with Argentina was the burntime was low and the ash was high.
    The Naked Whiz
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    cowboy is fine for overnights, actually. never had an issue.

    i think much of the lump discussion is splitting hairs. unless something behaves like briquettes (huge ash production), or sparks like crazy, i think the true differences are hard to perceive. that's an opinion, of course. and only one opinion, at that :)
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    I read that on your site, but I am not experiencing that. I don't know if they have changed the hardwood blend, but it seems to me, unscientifically of course, that the ash production is pretty much the same as I get with BGE lump. The burn time is a bit less, but not substantially so. I can still get several cooks out of one firebox full.

    I do not use it on low and slow cooks. I use BGE or WGWW for butts, brisket, and ribs.
  • 70chevelle
    70chevelle Posts: 280
    I tried to stay away from Cowboy, due to what I've read, but it's the only thing available locally. I found it to have larger pieces than what came in my Humphrey bag. I didn't time the cooks, but I haven't noticed that I'm running out any faster or slower. I put my lump in a large rubbermaid container, since it looks nicer than the bags sitting in front of my sliding glass door. It also gives me a chance to pull the "stuff" that's not lump out before it goes in the egg. I did find a string of fiberglass insulation, and a few chunks of what looks like hardened mortar. I didn't like the foriegn material, but I'll give the Cowboy lump a thumbs up. It's about 20% less expensive than the Humphrey, so I can live a few oddities.
  • Broc
    Broc Posts: 1,398
    I, too, use the lump from Whole Foods... comes from Canada... real good stuff, reasonably priced.

    I also use RO when I can get it --

    Don't use BGE lump... I simply don't want to pay that much, though I have no complains about the lump.

    ~ Broc
    :):):)
  • The Naked Whiz
    The Naked Whiz Posts: 7,777
    Broc,

    The lump that we buy here from Whole Foods is Cowboy. What are you getting from Whole Foods that comes from Canada?
    The Naked Whiz
  • Tuck
    Tuck Posts: 54
    I may have to pick up a bag of Cowboy lump. Sometimes, my wife complains that everything we eat has a smoke flavor.

    Thanks!
  • PhilsGrill
    PhilsGrill Posts: 2,256
    So... what's the problem?