Royal Oak Plus Briqs ?


 
J

James Harvey

TVWBB Pro
Hi All,

Here in Toronto it seems near impossible to find charcoal after Labour Day outside of specialty shops (Ontario Gas BBQ). I bought 2 - 25# bags of the above at a local hardware store recently for next to nothing (around 5 bucks each). I usually use RO lump but this was an impulse/opportunity purchase.

I've read at least one negative comment about the RO briqs here. Does anyone else have experience or an opinion?

I just did a rib cook (Stoker) and found that it took longer than usual to get to temps of 250F but once I was there it ran great. It has been very wet here for the past few weeks and I'm wondering if this affects fuel (I have an enclosed garage)? I've never noticed an issue with the RO lump in the same environment.

To note, the above fuel burned in a more consistent pattern than the lump with the Stoker but after 5hrs my half ring (18") was pretty much depleted .
 
I've only used RO (Can Tire has it regularly at $6.69 although the current supply will probably not be renewed till next spring) since I got my bullet so my comments may not hold but I've found that after a cook with a 3/4 full or so rack, although it looks reuseable, most briqs are so crumbly as to be un-reuseable (with the exception of those around the edge). I'm happy with the temp consistency of it and length of burn (but that might be due to the bullet)
icon_wink.gif


Because of the cost difference between RO and KB, it's unlikely that I would try the KB but so far, I find no need to.
 
Len,

Agreed. The briqs don't leave much to salvage after a cook.

I'm in Etobicoke and can't seem to find Kingsford anywhere around here (Home depot, CDN Tire, Pro Hardware etc...)? I want to try it because I read about 16 hour Minion cooks with K Comp without a refuel and I can't get more than 10 with a full ring.

I use RO lump mainly because the convenience store within walking distance carries it year round for the days when driving may not be the best option
icon_smile.gif
Can't say it's easy on the wallet.
 
Used royal Oak for the last few years and have been very pleased with the quality. The left over briquettes i use mainly in short cooks . They seem to hold ok for that. Wouldn't try to use the left over charcoal on long cooks
 
Didn't you just pose this same question on another thread?
If your asking for "experience or an opinion" on RO briqs? Then I like em, and have been using both RO briqs and lump for over 5 yrs.
Made in the USA though, cant comment on what they ship up to Canada for you folks.

Tim
 
Yes I did. Posted it on New WSM Owners thread earlier quickly and forgot. Reposted it here with more detail. Have replies on the first thread so I can't delete it. Appreciate the response though.
 
I use RO Briqs for my kettle cooks and use them with Charcos coconut cubes for my smokes. I agree second cooks aren't the easiest but its doable depending on what you are cooking. I have had no issue using them and will more than likely continue to do so.

j
 
I've tried RO briquettes when on sale at Cdn Tire and I found it stinks and very smokey when lighting, takes forever to light, can't reuse them (too crumbly afterwards) and they leave a ton of ash. I stick with the blue bag of RO lump for all cooking (grilling and smoking).
 
when you all say its hard to start, what are the examples ? 1 minute? 5 minutes? are you in such a hurry that this really becomes a huge problem ? so light it earlier. i'm just not getting it.
 
RO lump = 20 minutes. RO briq = 30 mins and up to 45 in the winter. But that is the least of my worries. The amount of ash is the worst part of this stuff IMO. Keep in mind our stuff in Canada may be slightly different than the US version.
 
Mike, funny you should say that about the ash cause that's the reason I switched from Kingsford. Went to Duraflame which was a great briq but when I couldn't get it anymore went to RO. Seemed to have less ash then Kingsford. RO fits my purpose less ash and long burn time
 
I have mainly used RO for the last 10 years. It is cheaper than Kingsford. If I only bbq-ed once a month or so I would not worry about it. I have not noticed any difference in the quality between Ro and other top brands. I have noticed that kingsford briquettes have gotten smaller over the years, and RO still uses the bigger size briquettes. I do not know if this effects the run time of the charcoal or not, it doesn't seem too. The kingford briquettes do fall through the grate of my WSM though. That I do not like. I could do the grate mods that people do, or I could just keep using Royal Oak!
 
mike, did you do a side by side test ? it could be that i'm just used to it so don't pay attention. i just flat out do not use kingsford and never will.
 
So does anyone have a link to "Royal Oak Plus" briqs?
I checked the website and no mention of a "Plus"
Is that a different animal than the red bag we get here in the states?

Tim
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top