Some Charcoal Stuff...


 
Jim McKelvey

Jim McKelvey

TVWBB All-Star
So a few weeks back I "Tweeted" about chips in my new bag of Royal Oak. Shortly there after a nice fellow representing Carbon Del Sur sent me a message offering me a free bag of his charcoal. I have not yet tried, but here is how it looks so far, in the bag:


And opened bag


Looks ok - fair amount of chips - same as Royal Oak. Will be trying it out soon. Also note that owner advised a new formulation will be forthcoming shortly - I hope to get a sample of that product as well. Will keep all posted. Here is link to site. http://delsurcharcoal.com/


Also was able to get some Royal Oak Briqs from my local hardware store - a "Do it Best" place. Great sale - 2x13.9# bags for $9.99 - great sale...did I say that already?



From left to right - Backyard Grill from Walmart, RO Briq, Stubb's briq, KBB


Same order from above


Amazing the difference in size with Backyard Grill. I like BG fine - but I think the size inhibits really high heat as briqs can't get packed together. Anyway - I really like the RO briqs. Lower ash, nice smell and good heat. I'm someone totally comfortable with KBB, but it was nice not to get the foul smell at start up that you sometimes get with KBB. RO Briqs do burn quick though. Also note, they do not say "100% Natural" anywhere on the bag - so likely some binder material. The bags are "made in USA".

I'll post again on Carbon Del Sur after I try it out.
 
I also noticed the KBB start up smell, but it goes away. To me, Kingsford Competition is good for low ash, long burns, and no smell, but I'd only get it if it's on sale.
 
So a brief update...tried my first cook with the Carbon Del Sur.
Positives:
Easy lighting
Burns pretty hot
Lower Ash
I liked an almost sweet smokey smell

Negatives:
Appears to be lot's of smaller pieces and "sticks" in my bag
Some un-carbonized matter
Burns VERY fast

I used 1 mini chimney with a few extra pieces and just had enough to cook two chuck eye's and two Italian sausages.


The beer - New Belgium's Shift - is excellent.

Will do some additional cooks with Carbon del Sur and post results.
 
Bringing this thread up...I'm certainly not the Naked Whiz in terms of charcoal tests / expertise. But when I noticed a couple fo weeks ago that I had 8-9 different types of charcoal in the garage...figured it would be a good time to test some charcoals - informally - and post my results.

Carbon Del Sur - despite he chips has actually turned out pretty well. Recently opened a bag of Cowboy lump. Pre-cook observations - Good size and distribution of pieces. So far no trash. Some very un-carbonized material:

Upon firing up - lots more sparking from the Cowboy than the Carbon Del Sur. Also found the initial smoke to be a little strong. When charcoal was dumped, heat evened out quickly and I had a good hot fire for my cook. Overall good results.
This cowboy bag was made in Mexico.



Will continue to update irregularly as I hv a chance to review other brand(s). Please feel free to share your thoughts / observations! Thanks - Jim
 
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