Ducaticraig Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Please reply with what is your favorite lump charcoal and why you like it so much over the rest. I still have a few more brands to test before I give my answer.
ThreeDJ16 Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Royal oak. Because it is abundantly available at any of my local walmarts. It has always worked well for me. We also have cowboy at Lowes, but it has too many odd objects in the bag.
mk1 Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? I use Ozark Oak. The quality control seems high, and I like the flavor profile. Somewhere I have a link to free shipping on ten bags....if there is any interest....
5698k Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Ditto on the Ozark Oak, I've had good luck with it also. Then there's cocochar....always great! Robert
mguerra Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? You want to know about lump? Look here! http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm
tony b Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Second Doc's suggestion on using the Whiz's reviews. (I seem to be "ditto-ing" Doc a lot lately! ) I use a lot of Royal Oak as well (cheap and easy to find), but I actually like Weekend Warrior as my fav (not counting cocochar). Good sized pieces, no junk, not leftover lumber (Cowboy). As I posted in the other section, I've ordered 4 boxes of the Forest Lump to try out.
Loquitur Posted August 13, 2013 Report Posted August 13, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Being in NY's Hudson Valley, lump charcoal is not a product readily available even in the summer months. For quite a while I was odering Ozark Oak in the small bags with free shipping for $100 order and liked it very much. But the price has increased significantly so now I'm back to using Royal Oak, which I also like. I can get it with free shipping to my Do It Best hardware store about 20 miles away and pick it up except I can only get it in the big bags, which are harder for me to handle. Susan
qundoy Posted August 14, 2013 Report Posted August 14, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Im inthe RO camp also. I have also recently bought some Kroger lump and was impressed with this overall, flavor, burn time, lighting. The Whiz had a review on it at one time, or maybe I read about on this forum.
EGGARY Posted August 14, 2013 Report Posted August 14, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? I usually use RO. I buy 4 Bags at a time at Restaurant Depot. I pay $9 for a 17lb. Bag. I also use CoCo Charcoal. I have used BGE Charcoal but at $31 for a 20lb bag is way too expensive.
LarryR Posted August 14, 2013 Report Posted August 14, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Frontier made in USA not Mexico.
Ducaticraig Posted August 14, 2013 Author Report Posted August 14, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Doc, what charcoal do you like? Sent from my GT-N8013 using Tapatalk 2
ThreeDJ16 Posted August 14, 2013 Report Posted August 14, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? I usually use RO. I buy 4 Bags at a time at Restaurant Depot. I pay $9 for a 17lb. Bag. I also use CoCo Charcoal. I have used BGE Charcoal but at $31 for a 20lb bag is way too expensive. Wow, that is a great price on the Royal Oak. Walmart is ~$6.40ish for a 8lb bag. If my memory serves my right (which isn't as often lately), RO makes BGE charcoal or at least used to. And I believe that was per Whizzy's web site. Wish I had a local place with that good of a deal. Unfortunately at the moment, lifting a 17lb is out.
mguerra Posted August 14, 2013 Report Posted August 14, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? I use Royal Oak because it is readily available, and add the smoke wood of my choice. I also use straight mesquite lump for my briskets. I also have a big assortment of hickory, apple, cherry and a few other lumps that I haven't tried yet. I forgot which specialty lump supplier I used for those, but someone here recommended them. Maybe Halls Hill or Montana.
Smoke Posted August 15, 2013 Report Posted August 15, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? I use Dennis's CoCo almost exclusively; cleaner burning and less residue.
Syzygies Posted August 15, 2013 Report Posted August 15, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? I use two charcoals: KK coconut extruded for low & slow or anything truly critical, and Lazzari hardwood briquets for everything else. I just returned from their yard near SFO with a car full of 20 lb bags at 10.34 a bag. They use natural binders; I can't taste a detrimental difference. I however find that lump sparks, and burns sootier and less cleanly. Of course lump eventually settles down, but that takes longer, at which point it is nearly spent. A good thing the KK has so much thermal mass. I used to buy into the idea that true purists use lump; I don't buy into this any more. Actually, purists know how to use green wood. Then there's properly aged wood, prepared in a separate fire. Using charcoal at all is a few reading groups down from there, and one shouldn't avoid the briquet category just because some briquets are evil incarnate. I cook better with better fire control, and Lazzari briquets are entirely predictable, unlike lump. Yes, lump takes skill, a skill I have learned. Anything that behaves unpredictably takes skill, but why bother?
mguerra Posted August 15, 2013 Report Posted August 15, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Syz makes sense. For grilling you really want an even fire, even heat distribution. Should be easier to accomplish with uniform fuel size like briquets. You could always size sort your lump if you had nothing better to do. Lump does start faster. I'll try some briquet grilling.
tony b Posted August 15, 2013 Report Posted August 15, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? If you want to try a good briquette, Weekend Warrior makes a good one. The Whiz gave them a "thumbs up." http://www.nakedwhiz.com/productreviews/wgcbriquettes/wgcb.htm I use those in the baby Grill Dome, as it gets easily clogged with the smaller pieces of lump and big pieces give too uneven heat distribution in it. My bad! I just went to their website (Wicked Good Charcoal) to post a link about the briquettes and the webpage says that they have suspended production. Damn, and I only have a 1/2 bag left!
Ducaticraig Posted August 15, 2013 Author Report Posted August 15, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Thanks for everyone's response. I like hearing what other KK owners are using for charcoal, fun accessories, smoking wood, and in another post how the splitter sear basket was being used. This forum really feels like I have a second family in my life. Thanks everyone for being so helpful providing great KK information.
5698k Posted August 16, 2013 Report Posted August 16, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? It is fun to hear other people's takes on kk cooking. There's always more than one way to cook a beast!! Robert
tony b Posted August 16, 2013 Report Posted August 16, 2013 Re: Charcoal choices? Woo-Hoo! Hawgeyes BBQ had Weekend Warrior Briquettes. Ordered 2 bags! UPDATE: Fed X just delivered my box from Hawgeyes with my WW briquettes!
