KKash Posted December 5, 2019 Report Share Posted December 5, 2019 Hi All! I have been enjoying the CoCoChar for a few months but have learnt that there is no more coming to USA until Dennis solves the shipping challenges again. What charcoal is everyone using, that provide excellent results, that I would be able to buy in domestic USA ?? I don’t want to compromise my cook with inferior fuel!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 Many here use Fogo. The great benefit of coco char is that it imparts no smoke flavor of its own, leaving you a clean profile on which to add smoke wood. Fogo is not “clean” like coco char, but it tends to be a bit less noxious than cheap lumps like Cowboy and Royal Oak. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 3 minutes ago, Pequod said: cheap lumps like Cowboy PLEASE everyone, stay away from the Cowboy - it's just scrap lumber - terrible charcoal. Don't be swayed by the low price - you get what you pay for as they say. In this case, it's very true! Royal Oak is decent. Use it if it's the only thing you can get your hands on. I like Rockwood and Fogo for my everyday charcoals. I can get Rockwood locally and Fogo shipping is not bad. I'm particularly fond of their QUEBRACHO and EUCALYPTUS lumps. I actually don't like their Super Premium - the lumps are just too damn big and I have to spend time breaking them up with a mallet and screwdriver. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKash Posted December 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 Thanks for the info!I have to start somewhere, so I ordered some Fogo Quebracho (free shipping for the big bag). Nearly ordered some Rockwood on Amazon but was scared off by the negative comments?!!?Other suggestions for charcoal are welcome, I’m willing to try the good stuff out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pequod Posted December 6, 2019 Report Share Posted December 6, 2019 19 hours ago, KKash said: Thanks for the info! I have to start somewhere, so I ordered some Fogo Quebracho (free shipping for the big bag). Nearly ordered some Rockwood on Amazon but was scared off by the negative comments?!!? Other suggestions for charcoal are welcome, I’m willing to try the good stuff out. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Rockwood has many fans and many detractors. I've gone through several bags and am now in the detractor camp. Far too many small and fine pieces. Others seem not to have had this problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrus Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 I recently bought a couple of 34LB bags of Frontier hardwood lump at BJ's a kinda Costco store here in New England. They had a Recommended review on The Naked Whiz with 51% at 5 and 39% at 4, pretty good. Less than $20 a bag and the quality of the bag itself was superior. I use upwards of around 300# per year to cook so I'm generally looking for a good domestic, this guy and Royal oak won't break the bank and your food won't suffer terribly. Mind you, it's not CocoChar but if you use a lot you have to be willing to experiment 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 Done many lump tests recently. Not happy with Cowboy and Rockwood, threw the remainder of those bags in the trash. Lump cost can be very deceiving. If a lump costs twice as much but burns twice as long did it really cost more? Lump made from South American hardwoods are generally superior than lumps made from North American hardwoods. South American hardwood trees are just denser wood to begin with. Fogo Quebracho is really good. My only complaint is that it can have some really large pieces that would need to be busted up. My current favorite is Jealous Devil. It's made from South American hardwoods and the pieces are the proper size to dump straight from the bag. It can be ordered from BBQguys with free shipping. Just order it a few days ahead of time and it'll be waiting on your doorstep when you get home. @Tyrus if you only go through 300#'s a year you need to get cooking I burn through close to 100#'s per month. Maybe starting January 1st I'll keep track of how much lump I use. Sort of like my how often do I grill outside thread. Could be interesting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrus Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 I guess I'm just a thrifty guy Ckreef...not to be mistaken with cheap, please. I keep the vents low and do mostly long slow delicious cooks requiring just a touch of heat. A style developed by admiring cooks as yours but, with a discerning eye to fuel conservation. Truly, just an estimate, but obviously approaching your desire for fuel would only make me come out of retirement and "get a job". And that my friend would be a reverse in course for my approach too life. I will try, as hard as it may be, it may take a while but, for now as most minor leaguers we keep working and waiting for our chance to be called up. I wonder, your appetite for fuel...are there any trees left in the yard? 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 One more good option that should be mentioned. KJ Big Block. It too is made from South American hardwood. The only drawback is similar to Quebracho, there are going to be a few pieces that need busting up. KJ has road shows throughout the year at various Costco locations. If you can find a road show near you the lump is reasonably priced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 7, 2019 Report Share Posted December 7, 2019 I've tried both Jealous Devil and Big Block - both are very good charcoals, but the only way that I can get them is Amazon, which puts them at the high end of cost (even with Prime free shipping). KJ is $25 for 20# box and Devil is $34 for a 20# bag for comparison (the better deal is the 35# bag for $48 - same as what I pay for Quebracho from Fogo.) I guess that I've had better success with Rockwood because I can buy it at my local BBQ store and they get it by the pallet, so it's not as broken up in transit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KKash Posted April 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 19, 2020 Hi All,It’s been a few months since I asked about the charcoal and just wanted to provide feedback. I landed up getting some Fogo quebracho which was exactly as you all described, some larger lumps but otherwise very good. I found it cooks very well. No nasty taste or smoke, etc. I didn’t break up the large lumps that were in the bag, I just let them slowly burn down with the rest of the coals. I feel like I go through it a bit faster than the extruded CoCoChar which could just be density of materials. I plan to try one of the other recommendations soon...but thanks to you all for the information - a big help!Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman505 Posted May 6, 2020 Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) I really like Jealous Devil as well. They're currently out of the 35 lb. bags and I need to buy a couple prior to my 15 bags of coffee char arriving in May. I'm looking at the Fogo site and like the rewards program that I'm a part of. I'm wondering if the eucalyptus lump is a good option. Went with two 35 lb. bags of Quebracho. Edited May 6, 2020 by Wingman505 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted May 6, 2020 Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) I like the eucalyptus, a bit pricey, but nice charcoal. I use their Quebracho a lot. I'm finding that the Jealous Devil is burning up more than the others that I've been using. Regular cooks in the 300F - 400F range, under an hour. Rough guess is that I'm using 2x as much JD as Fogo. Would be curious to hear what others are finding? @ckreef - did you test JD when you did your charcoal study? I've slept since then and don't remember all of them - LOL! Edited May 6, 2020 by tony b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted May 6, 2020 Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 (edited) Tony, that's funny because I did a double pizza cook tonight on the little KK and thought the JD lasted really well and the fire was steady throughout the entire cook. It's cooling now so I don't dare open it, could get one of those flashbacks that I do not want. I'm really liking the JD lump. I'll look later and see what I have left. One thing I did notice did love, it does not spark. Edited May 6, 2020 by MacKenzie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckreef Posted May 6, 2020 Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 1 hour ago, tony b said: I like the eucalyptus, a bit pricey, but nice charcoal. I use their Quebracho a lot. I'm finding that the Jealous Devil is burning up more than the others that I've been using. Regular cooks in the 300F - 400F range, under an hour. Rough guess is that I'm using 2x as much JD as Fogo. Would be curious to hear what others are finding? @ckreef - did you test JD when you did your charcoal study? I've slept since then and don't remember all of them - LOL! 37 minutes ago, MacKenzie said: Tony, that's funny because I did a double pizza cook tonight on the little KK and thought the JD lasted really well and the fire was steady throughout the entire cook. It's cooling now so I don't dare open it, could get one of those flashbacks that I do not want. I'm really liking the JD lump. I'll look later and see what I have left. One thing I did notice did love, it does not spark. I did burn JD in those tests. It was overall high on the list and my favorite. Like @MacKenzie I find it burns a long time. It's all I've been using since those tests ended. BBQ Guys were out of the big bags so I settled for 3 x 20 lb bags. Should arrive any day now. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noble dogs Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 I'm using Fogo and Kamado BB all the time. They are perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingman505 Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 I really like JD too. I'm currently using it and we're going to be smoking spatchcock chickens tonight with a cast iron below them filled with potatoes, onions, etc. We'll have the fat drip into the potatoes. I like Fogo. I think it smells better than JD, but you can't avoid the quebracho wood smell. It is what it is. It's not offensive... just different. The huge pieces of Super Premium are nice when you're filling an empty basket, but not so great when you're just topping off. It'll be interesting to compare JD against Fogo quebracho. Then my Coffee char comes in! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonj Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 I like the sparkless idea. If JD is indeed so, I'll have to give it a try. Fogo, on the other hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 True, the JD does spark less than the Fogo, which is like the 4th of July! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MacKenzie Posted May 8, 2020 Report Share Posted May 8, 2020 Actually my JD had almost zero sparking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
