Cowboy Oak & Hickory Hardwood Lump Charcoal [not recommended]


 
I bought a bag recently and it was different from the old cowboy I used to get. The bag material was different, more plasticy rather than paper. The chunks in the bag were HUGE (like logs) compared to the old bag. some of the lights didn't smell so great, I was pretty bummed.
 
I only have bought 1 bag of lump in my life, tried it on my performer, sparkler is a very apt description, had cinders all over my food, after 2 tries it got used in my offset, no more for me
 
I have a quarter bag of Cowboy in my shed... Can't think of any way to use it. I won't be cooking on it. Maybe compost it? Need to do some research on that before I take the dive.

I like lump coal, but the random sizes and often very large chunks make it hard to measure in a chimney, and you can't count out briquettes..
 
You guys giving up on lump should try some different brands. Theres some garbage out there but also some really good ones like basques sugar maple, rockwood, and fogo. Im sure theres many more i missed but those are my go tos. Royal oak works fine also but takes a little longer to burn off.
 
LMichaels said:
I still don't understand all the hating on something that is nothing more than charred wood
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Theres huge differences in the kind of lump you use. If you get royal oak you are going to be waiting 15 minutes for it to burn clean when you can get sugar maple or rockwood that burns clean in 5 minutes since its kilned properly. I use the competition briquettes from costco sometimes if im just doing burgers or something and its crazy how long those take to burn clean. Have to sit there like 20 minutes. Pour out a bag of royal oak lump and you will find pieces that arent fully carbonized. When you pour lump out and you dont hear that clink sound its not fully carbonized.
 
KBB smells like crude oil when it's lit. As for waiting a little longer I don't really care. If I have made my mind up to use charcoal I already know I am going to be waiting anyway
 
For the OP I am on another cooking forum and the owner of Rockwood charcoal is on it. Rockwood doesnt use the pieces you pictured but he actually defended cowboy and said its the same as any other wood since its not treated. I would use that no issues.
 
MichaelM said:
I have a quarter bag of Cowboy in my shed... Can't think of any way to use it. I won't be cooking on it. Maybe compost it? Need to do some research on that before I take the dive.

I like lump coal, but the random sizes and often very large chunks make it hard to measure in a chimney, and you can't count out briquettes..
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I'm in the anti-cowboy club. My last bag was garbage. The photos of the tongue and groove are proof. If this ever had stain and sealer on it, maybe all that stuff came off on the charcoal making process, but why would we buy that stuff when there are other options? As I said before, I'd just cook on my Genesis if my only charcoal option was cowboy. I don't like the idea of construction scraps as raw material for charcoal.

Mike - the random sizes are a challenge. I started breaking up the bigger pieces. I dump about a chimney's worth, and sort thru it, and anything that is longer than my palm is wide, I snap in half before I put in the chimney. I've really been enjoying my lump charcoal cooks since I started the sorting and breaking process. Once could also use a hammer or hatchet to break the stuff up if need be.
 
Preston B said:
For the OP I am on another cooking forum and the owner of Rockwood charcoal is on it. Rockwood doesnt use the pieces you pictured but he actually defended cowboy and said its the same as any other wood since its not treated. I would use that no issues.
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I am a big Rockwood fan, I use that, blues hog, and am trying another bag of "Timber Charcoal" that's made here in Missouri too and it's been a winner so far. The Big Green Egg brand is good too. Someone told me that Royal Oak is the maker of BGE brand, but I'm not sure that's true.
 
John K BBQ said:
I am a big Rockwood fan, I use that, blues hog, and am trying another bag of "Timber Charcoal" that's made here in Missouri too and it's been a winner so far. The Big Green Egg brand is good too. Someone told me that Royal Oak is the maker of BGE brand, but I'm not sure that's true.
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Agree Rockwood is the best I have used but it has gotten expensive like $26-$28 for 20 pounds around me. If you ever see basques sugar maple this is a close second and I can get 2 bags for $40 at Atlanta grill company. BGE charcoal was made by royal oak but it did seem like the BGE consistently had bigger pieces and less dust but I think that was due to the handling. BGE switched to a supplier from Brasil in the last month or 2 so you wont see those green bags anymore its a brown bag now. I havent tried it and doubt I will since the price is the same as Rockwood. This stuff is great and very neutral.9277BA15-2615-44CB-B9FE-5E959244191F.jpeg
 
When I got my WSM last year, I researched which lump to buy. I saw a lot of YT comparisons and thankfully, I did not chose Cowboy, I use another popular brand (B&B), and have had nothing but great success and quality wood from them. I actually switched over to their charcoal briquettes as well and have enjoyed that quality as well.
 
The point is the bag is labeled LUMP CHARCOAL and that is not what it contains. Period. I bought a bag of Cowboy many years ago and is contained flooring and sparked like the 4th of July. Stick to the Folks that offer actual lump charcoal.
 
John K BBQ said:
I'm in the anti-cowboy club. My last bag was garbage. The photos of the tongue and groove are proof. If this ever had stain and sealer on it, maybe all that stuff came off on the charcoal making process, but why would we buy that stuff when there are other options? As I said before, I'd just cook on my Genesis if my only charcoal option was cowboy. I don't like the idea of construction scraps as raw material for charcoal.

Mike - the random sizes are a challenge. I started breaking up the bigger pieces. I dump about a chimney's worth, and sort thru it, and anything that is longer than my palm is wide, I snap in half before I put in the chimney. I've really been enjoying my lump charcoal cooks since I started the sorting and breaking process. Once could also use a hammer or hatchet to break the stuff up if need be.
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I have started using Jealous Devil Lump based on recommendations from friends and this forum. It burns great, hot and a long time. Only complaint I have is the difference in size of the pieces which is not that big of deal. When setting up my smoker for my Christmas Smoke I did the same as above. Bigger pieces I could break I did, otherwise I strategically placed the large pieces so that small ones filled in the gaps and I maximized the capacity of the charcoal basket.
 
It just seems to me that there is a significant quality control issue here no more no less. But it also tells me that I’m not too sure I want to give them my business.
 
Dick Buchanan said:
The point is the bag is labeled LUMP CHARCOAL and that is not what it contains. Period. I bought a bag of Cowboy many years ago and is contained flooring and sparked like the 4th of July. Stick to the Folks that offer actual lump charcoal.
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Well... actually, it is. The feedstock is burned down to charcoal, screened for size (both large and small,) and bagged. It's not ground, mixed with a binder and molded into briquettes. I have no problem burning flooring scrap as long as 1) it has absolutely no finish applied, and 2) it's a hardwood, not pine or the like. No issues at all with oak from a flooring or trim business.

Having said that..... I'll burn Cowboy/Frontier as a last resort for lump in my gravity fed smoker as the firebox is very well contained. I won't burn it in my grill, or in a starter chimney, I've had a plume of sparks 4' tall.
 
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