Royal Oak Charcoal


 

Brian Thomas

TVWBB Pro
I bought 3 twin packs at Wally World during the Memorial Day Sale and have been using this exclusively since then.

I really like this for smoking in the WSM. Works great for low and slow.

I put it through the tests for high heat grilling and so far it is working fine. Haven't noticed any difference in temp vs. KBB. Only issue with it is that it does burn down faster then KBB. This is probably due to the smaller size of the briquettes. With KBB, I would always have coals to re-use for the next time after shutting down the Performer. Not with this stuff. I tried it a couple times and the leftover coals were so small that they were unusable. So now I don't even bother with shutting down the grill after cooking is done.

That said, I'll go back to KBB for high heat grilling after I use up the remaining bags of Royal Oak. Hopefully the Labor Day Sales for KBB will at least be equal to what the prices were on Memorial Day. We'll see.
 
My experience is about the same as your's. I've been using it for some high temp sears and it seems to not burn as hot as some other charcoals I have. I haven't done a direct comparison with KBB, though. It's perfect for a lot of cooks.
 
I've been using RO almost exclusively since the K changed the formula in 06.
Never had any problems shutting it down and reusing unspent coals.
But RO across the country is all over the place as far as packaging and product.

Tim
 
I really like royal oak, except for the burn time it's as good as KBB imho. The biggest difference was when I used it in the vortex the cook time was at least a third less than KBB and the heat level dropped pretty fast in comparison to KBB, but it got the job done.
 
I've been using some RO briqs lately, and I agree with Dustin, it doesn't burn as hot as KBB and others, at least for me.
 
The only RO charcoal we have in stores around here (Salt Lake City) is RO lump, no briquettes.

I bought a bag of RO lump a few years ago when it was on sale at HD. Still haven't used it...... :confused:
 
The only RO charcoal we have in stores around here (Salt Lake City) is RO lump, no briquettes.

I bought a bag of RO lump a few years ago when it was on sale at HD. Still haven't used it...... :confused:
If you're wanting to try RO, look at some grocery brands stating they have Ridges, or have a pic of a briquette that looks like the one below. RO makes most store brands.
Like Tim said, there might be a difference in product from place to place.

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I just opened a bag of KBB for the first time in a while for a similar steak cook to ones I've done with the Walmart Premium Royal Oak. Side by side the royal oak briquettes are smaller but not that much smaller. The smoke that KBB puts off smells a lot nastier, but it's almost a nostalgia thing for me at this point and I found I had missed it. I think the KBB gets slightly hotter but it's just barely. I'm kind of wondering if the Royal Oak might be more flavor neutral in a long minion cook. I find KBB can kind of mask the taste of my smoke wood compared to say, Weber charcoal. Anyway, I guess my point is there's no clear winner on KBB blue bag vs Royal Oak Premium from Walmart.
 
I picked up some Royal Oak and Embers when they were on sale earlier this year. Both are Royal Oak Enterprises products. The shape is virtually identical.

I found both products perform the same. Easy light and quick to burn with a bit more ash than KBB or Weber. i have used them in the kettle and the smoker. A bit of white smoke while lighting that diminishes as the briquettes warm up.

As long as I can get it for around 20 cents a pound or less, I'll use it.

YMMV
 
If you're wanting to try RO, look at some grocery brands stating they have Ridges, or have a pic of a briquette that looks like the one below. RO makes most store brands.
Like Tim said, there might be a difference in product from place to place.

Thank you sir! I will look for that when browsing through the stores.
 
Are you using the Chef's Select, Bob? I've heard that they are the same as Weber. I don't know how true that is. I think they have the grooves, though.
The earlier version of ROCS didn't have the grooves, or ridges, like it does now.
Last time I checked you can still get 40 lb. bags shipped to a Do It Best store for around $24 per bag.
I really liked the non grooved type, haven't tried the newer version.
 
Dustin... Yes and Not sure. ROCS...Yes Same as Weber...Not sure since I have not used Weber's brand.

Although, I do use Blue Hog lump !


Bob... Haven't noticed any difference. Good stuff. I get mine from a local firewood / smoke wood provider.
 

 

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