Cowboy Lump charcoal

[PappyBBQ]

I got some Cowboy Lump" charcoal. It's made by Duraflame. Anyone have any experience with it? It is made of hickory and oak. Wanna try it with some St Louis ribs this afternoon..

[JCBBQ]

I've used it. Not something I seek out but nor do I avoid it. Now that I light my Primo using a chimney I don't really care how easy the lump is to light. The general complaint I've seen about Cowboy is that you can find a rock or two in a given bag. Doesn't bother me. It's usually cheap so I like that.

[JeffJ]

I've heard it's about on par with Royal Oak, which I have found to be subpar as far as lump goes. You get what you pay for. Last fall Walmart put Western lump on clearance - $6.50 for a 35 pound bag. I bought 6 bags and am down to one. It's also subpar as far as lump goes. It's biggest pieces are way too big and when you get to the bottom of the bag you'll find a ton of really tiny pieces. Again, on par with Royal Oak. Last year I dropped $25 on a 20 pound bag of Kamado Joe lump (I have 1/4 bag left). The quality is definitely better than Western or Royal Oak, but at that price I'm not sure I'll buy another one.

[Huskee]

I've used it once or twice. It was the first lump I tried. Its snaps and pops a bit, but considering it was about 8 years ago and I'm no lump expert, I don't remember if it was worth it or not. I don't remember hating it, but I also didn't love it enough to buy more all these years later. But alas, I am not a lump guy anyway.

[EdF]

Cowboy used to suck. But they changed suppliers around 2014, and it's pretty decent. No more rocks.

[Spinaker]

I avoid it. All the bags I have bought are really dusty and mostly small pieces. Many do use it though.

I use B&B, Rockwood or FOGO.

[JoeSousa]

I know some people love it but I haven't had good luck with it. Too many small pieces and dust. The larger pieces burn fine though.

I don't use lump too often but I really like the Kamado Joe big block XL. They usually have it at Costco a couple times a year for $20 or so for a pretty big bag. Not a lot of small pieces and some huge ones. I like the really big ones for when I fire up the Kettle Pizza.

[JeffJ]

I use a split on a half moon of lit briquettes when using the Kettle Pizza. It never occurred to me to use large chunks of lump. Interesting.

[JoeSousa]

I usually use a piece or two of wood too. Sometimes I use briquettes, sometimes lump, sometimes both.

[Keiferr]

Used it once .Left a strange taste in the meat. Won't use it again.

[au4stree]

I avoid it. The pieces are small or dusty. Not to mention I found alot of the pieces were finger jointed trim, which are held together by glue....no thanks.

[Polarbear777]

I tried the cowboy hardwood briquettes and the bags were 50% dust (not kidding). If there lump is that dusty I’d avoid it.

I miss Stubbs and haven’t found a replacement.

[hogdog6]

Used it and not a fan. Has ALOT of very small pieces.

[klflowers]

+1 on everything said. Tried it once years ago, not a fan.

[JimLinebarger]

I am trying it right now. I have used Lazzari, Royal Oak, and now Cowboy. Issues with Lazzari and Cowboy is that there are many large chunks that need to be broken down. With the Cowboy, not all was completely carbonized, still had the brown bark on it. I like Lazzari better because it is cheap for a 40lb bag (about $18) and burns well with some sparking. However, the bottom 6" of the bag is small chips and dust. Tried using that with paraffin wax to make starter cubes. Haven't finished my first bag of Cowboy yet so don't know about the chips and dust yet. As for Royal Oak, it was smaller chips and chunks that felt like balsa wood. Very light. Seems to not want to burn well. Don't really have any other options here unless I order online. So I mainly use Kingsford blue bag. Might try the professional if they still have them on sale at Costco.

[Oak Smoke]

I use Rockwood and B&B. I usually have about a dollar a pound tied up in lump. When I look at what I've got invested in good steaks or brisket I don't worry about the cost of 3 or 4 pounds of good charcoal needed to cook it.