Quality of different charcoals, sometimes cheapest isn't always the best

[Tim J]

I have been playing around with three different brands of lump as well as KB in my WSM 22.5. I realize to be a true test, I probably should have done them all at the same time to minimize weather differences, but I will also admit that the past few weekends here have been about the same weather wise with regard to temp and evening winds. Anyways, on several different cooks recently, I used one 20# bag of Cowboy, made in Mexico from Lowe's, it was entirely gone at the end of a 14 hour cook, in fact I needed to add more of another brand to finish. On another cook I used one 10# bag of Ozark Oak, and had about 2# remaining when I was done. On a third, I used a 8.8# bag of RO lump, and had about 2# remaining when done. Of the three lumps, while the RO was slightly more expensive on a per lb basis (($0.77/#), it cost about $4.65 in fuel for the one cook based on the pounds used. Ozark was close behind, at $4.76 per cook, and Cowboy was $9.00 since I used the whole bag and then some. The ash content was real low for both Ozark and Royal Oak, medium for Cowboy, and the KB almost snuffed itself out due to the ash build up. I should also add that the temps were controlled with a Digi Q. So after this little experiment, I think I'll stick with either Ozark Oak or Royal Oak Lump, depending on where I can source it the easiest and cheapest in my local market. While I don't claim this to be a "scientific" evaluation, it was a very practical application in my mind. What are your experiences?

 

[Dwain Pannell]

Nice feedback there Tim. Check Naked whiz http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm for indepth comparisons and see if they matched your experience.

I also like RO Lump but also go for the Publix Lump when a trip to Wally World is not in the cards. I recently ran through a two bags each of KBB and K Comp and liked the consistency from bag to bag, cook to cook. Smoke Day was the first time in a while cooking with the lump and feel like I rediscovered it for all the reasons you mention above to include less sooty smoke when burning. Clean burning and minimal ashes are the keys for me. It may even be worth the slightly higher price.

 

[Tim McCann]

Tim, I have to agree with on Cowboy. Never had any luck with it. The wind does tend to burn more fuel.

 

[Gary S]

I would like to put a little different spin on your analysis Tim. Our brands up here are not identical although we do have R/O. Some lump is Oak, some is Maple and I know there are combinations of woods mixed in one bag. I'm certain there are more varities available to you than us. I also evaluate by species. I really like Oak and Maple lump. I'm not so conerned about the burn time as I am about the flavor and the size of the pieces in the bag. I liked R/O and in fact it was my go to until this year when I have been buying Natures Own, Costco Canada. $12,69 for 18lbs. I love the flavor, (Sugar Maple) The burn time is not as good as Oak because Sugar Maple is nowhere near as hard as Oak therefore I would expect it to consume more quickly. I have never had Mesquite lump but I really like Oak lump for it's burn time and flavor.

 

[Bob Bass]

Along the same lines, picked up a couple bags of RO lump, a couple bags of K Comp and a single bag of Walmart brand Backyard Grill Charcoal Briquettes yesterday. Did starts in the chimney, one with the Walmart brand and one with RO lump. Based on the initial smoke, or should I say the lack of , I will try them in some future cooks. It's my understanding the Walmart brand is manufactured by RO.

Bob