djami Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 Hello All, I have used various brands of lump charcoal since acquiring my KK a few years ago. Most brands do OK. Just read this Food&Wine article about the best charcoals. I believe the author knows what he is talking about. Surprisingly I use many of those lump charcoals. Besides cheer leading for various charcoal brands, the author describes the cooking characteristics and flavor affects for each brand. My favorite brand is Jealous Devil ... but did not realize it came from South America. Read the article at https://www.foodandwine.com/lifestyle/kitchen/best-charcoal-for-grilling Dennis - the author obviously has not sampled your coconut charcoal. Maybe he would be enlightened if you shipped him a bag. It would be nice if we could buy your coconut charcoal at our local high-end BBQ supply dealer. Here in northern Virginia ... that would be Dizzy Pig for me. However, I understand that mass distribution does not always fit in every business model. Have a good day. Happy BBQing. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 This guy lost immediate credibility when he included Cowboy in his list. Worst lump charcoal on the market (IMHO). It's made from scrap lumber, so you don't have any idea what wood it is (or if it's been treated!), burns up in a flash and produces a lot of ash. If you want a better source of info about charcoal (including KK cocochar), go read Naked Whiz. The Lump Charcoal Database -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5698k Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 I’ve used Jealous Devil, Fogo, and Rockwood, and have been pleased with all three. JD is currently my go to simply because of availability. CoCo Char is my favorite, I’m about to order some more actually. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheesehead_Griller Posted October 26, 2022 Report Share Posted October 26, 2022 2 hours ago, tony b said: This guy lost immediate credibility when he included Cowboy in his list. Worst lump charcoal on the market (IMHO). It's made from scrap lumber, so you don't have any idea what wood it is (or if it's been treated!), burns up in a flash and produces a lot of ash. If you want a better source of info about charcoal (including KK cocochar), go read Naked Whiz. The Lump Charcoal Database -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking I was under the same impression about Cowboy lump. Apparently, they stopped using scrap wood back in 2013. Naked Wiz has an update on the top of his review for Cowboy. Either way, I used it once and will no longer since reading the review. I didn't have the best experience with it either. My experience with JD was very good. However, pieces were small and price was quite high. I have had the best luck with FOGO. Where do you find the best price on JD? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted October 27, 2022 Report Share Posted October 27, 2022 (edited) 22 hours ago, Cheesehead_Griller said: My experience with JD was very good. However, pieces were small and price was quite high. I have had the best luck with FOGO. Where do you find the best price on JD? JD sells a version that's bigger pieces. Check that one out. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01D5DDT0G I get my JD at a local BBQ store. Not the best price, but like supporting these folks - nice, family run business. Guess that I hadn't noticed the change in Cowboy, as I thought so little of it back then (at least 13 years ago), and there are so many other options that are far superior, that it never occurred to me to keep up with it. Edited October 27, 2022 by tony b Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunji Posted October 28, 2022 Report Share Posted October 28, 2022 As a Northern VA resident myself, I’m glad I took a look at this thread, otherwise I never would have known that Dizzy Pig existed! I’ll have to take a ride out there one of these days Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffshoaf Posted October 29, 2022 Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 I've found the best price/performance ratio with B&B lump now that there's an Academy Sports in town; Ace Hardware has it too but Academy's price is much better. I've pretty much given up on ordering lump for delivery; rough handling by UPS and FedEx results in too much dust and small chunks. Before Academy opened, I tried Jealous Devil ordered from Amazon; I don't remember whether it was delivered by Amazon (or one of their contractors) or FedEx, but the bag was torn and taped and there was tons of dust and small chunks in it too. I tried several brands and varieties of lump from Lowes and Home Depot but again had lots of dust and small chunks from poor handling with the occasional decent bag; I think I had the best luck with Royal Oak from them but the B&B has been consistently better. Academy carries Jealous Devil too but I haven't tried them again due to B&B's price advantage. I did get an off-taste that I attributed to my Amazon-sourced JD, but that was probably because I was in a hurry and poured directly from the bag into the KK and dumped in a lot of dust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djami Posted October 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 On 10/26/2022 at 1:16 PM, tony b said: This guy lost immediate credibility when he included Cowboy in his list. Worst lump charcoal on the market (IMHO). It's made from scrap lumber, so you don't have any idea what wood it is (or if it's been treated!), burns up in a flash and produces a lot of ash. If you want a better source of info about charcoal (including KK cocochar), go read Naked Whiz. The Lump Charcoal Database -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking Capt Morgan - that is just what we need to hear. I know I have used Cowboy but is was probably in my pre-KK days. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djami Posted October 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 On 10/26/2022 at 2:03 PM, 5698k said: I’ve used Jealous Devil, Fogo, and Rockwood, and have been pleased with all three. JD is currently my go to simply because of availability. CoCo Char is my favorite, I’m about to order some more actually. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Roger that Robert. JD is my favorite too. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djami Posted October 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 On 10/26/2022 at 3:39 PM, Cheesehead_Griller said: I was under the same impression about Cowboy lump. Apparently, they stopped using scrap wood back in 2013. Naked Wiz has an update on the top of his review for Cowboy. Either way, I used it once and will no longer since reading the review. I didn't have the best experience with it either. My experience with JD was very good. However, pieces were small and price was quite high. I have had the best luck with FOGO. Where do you find the best price on JD? thanks for the update on Cowboy. Like you said JD is very good. However I goofed up one time and bought JD briquettes - yep they make briquettes. Was not expecting briquettes but they were in something like a square package. I should have read the package closer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djami Posted October 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 2 hours ago, Bunji said: As a Northern VA resident myself, I’m glad I took a look at this thread, otherwise I never would have known that Dizzy Pig existed! I’ll have to take a ride out there one of these days Bunji - Dizzy Pig is easy to overlook so keep you eyes open. They retail a lot of rubs and sauces which they make there. The are also a Green Egg dealer. Don't tell Dennis but I bought a bag of Green Egg lump - nothing spectacular. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djami Posted October 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 11 minutes ago, jeffshoaf said: I've found the best price/performance ratio with B&B lump now that there's an Academy Sports in town; Ace Hardware has it too but Academy's price is much better. I've pretty much given up on ordering lump for delivery; rough handling by UPS and FedEx results in too much dust and small chunks. Before Academy opened, I tried Jealous Devil ordered from Amazon; I don't remember whether it was delivered by Amazon (or one of their contractors) or FedEx, but the bag was torn and taped and there was tons of dust and small chunks in it too. I tried several brands and varieties of lump from Lowes and Home Depot but again had lots of dust and small chunks from poor handling with the occasional decent bag; I think I had the best luck with Royal Oak from them but the B&B has been consistently better. Academy carries Jealous Devil too but I haven't tried them again due to B&B's price advantage. I did get an off-taste that I attributed to my Amazon-sourced JD, but that was probably because I was in a hurry and poured directly from the bag into the KK and dumped in a lot of dust. I like B&B too. If I am not mistaken, I used B&B for a brisket because the lump charcoal is big. Danny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted October 29, 2022 Report Share Posted October 29, 2022 16 hours ago, djami said: Don't tell Dennis but I bought a bag of Green Egg lump - nothing spectacular. It's just overpriced Royal Oak charcoal. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djami Posted November 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted November 10, 2022 agree -- I have not bought any more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
