Fogo lump charcoal is excellent!

[Mosca]

Taking CeramicChef 's tip, I bought a bag of Fogo from Amazon. And, it DEFINITELY lives up to his recommendation.

It is about 60% fist-sized lumps, with about half of the rest smaller than that, with the smallest pieces about the size of a golf ball, and some of the rest larger than that, the biggest being about the size of a large grapefruit. It gets up to temp quickly, and the period of "dirty burn" is very short, maybe 5-10 minutes, and then it burns clear. I don't know if it's the charcoal itself, but I can set the vents to my known settings and it ramps up and holds; no overshoot, no lagging. There is really almost no flavor associated with it; it doesn't give food any extra woodiness, there's no burn taste beyond the drippings, yet it isn't that completely clean taste of gas grilling, either. You know you used charcoal, but you're still tasting the food first.

I like it. But it's expensive. But in the pursuit of good BBQ, I'll order more!

[Breadhead]

Mosca ... FOGO lump popped up on my screen the other day. An Amazon teaser advertisement. I looked at the pricing of a 35 pound bag and it was $0.95 per pound more than the stuff I've been using in my BGE for the last 3 years. That equates to about $5 more in cost for each firebox full of lump.

i QUICKLY decided Fogo lump might be better, but not that much better. I really like my $0.45 lump coal. Better now than before checking out FOGO.😆

[Spinaker]

What brand do you use?

[kingdarb]

Nice. I've heard great things about that charcoal. I got a few 40lb bags of Kebroak from amazon awhile back. Price was great, and lots of big pieces in the bag. I'd get that again.

[fuzzydaddy]

Mosca I found that Fogo's price direct from them is often cheaper than Amazon and free shipping, and Fogo will occasionally email you with discounts.

[W.A.]

I have yet to buy this, but they sent me an email the other day for 20% off. However, I knew the Kamado Joe roadshow was coming again to a Costco near me.....

[JCBBQ]

When I hear Fogo I think CeramicChef. Speaking of CC, where is he...vacation? Haven't seen a post from him in all month!

[Breadhead]

I sent CeramicChef a private message 5 days ago just to check up on him because I too had noticed him being MIA. I've not heard back from him. I hope he's just too busy with more exciting things, like a new 42" Komodo Kamado, to be bothered with the Pit. Hopefully he's fine and will check in soon.👌

[fzxdoc]

I miss CeramicChef too! I hope he's having a great vacay somewhere and will be back with us soon!

[Mosca]

Let's hope he is traveling on vacation somewhere, enjoying the exotic cuisine of the world!

[kingdarb]

KJ lump is really good stuff too. I bet CeramicChef is enjoying his summer... and cooking a whole lamb on is 42" KK....

[tugboat]

So far I've found it good on low and slow grilling but I can't pack in enough charcoal to get enough heat for a good sear at the end. Last time I dumped a half chimney of Stubbs briquettes on at the end to sear and that did the trick. One day I may try smoking ribs with the Fogo to see how it turns out.

[Spinaker]

I have yet to try FOGO. I suppose I will some day. I have seen a lot of the pictures that show the massive pieces of lump.

Right now I am using Rockwood Charcoal. And I love it. Great stuff. Made in the USA.

[JCBBQ]

I like Rockwood too. Only thing is that I have to order it, no stores around me sell it.

[Spinaker]

I got lucky, my local BBQ supply store (Quetopia) carries it. JCBBQ

[smokinfatties]

Breadhead which lump are you using for the BGE? Also, will you be attending the SoCal Eggfest on Oct. 1st at the cable airport in Upland? It's just down the street from my house, I was thinking about getting an XL demo egg from there. Let me know, would be great to meet ya! Cheers

[Breadhead]

I buy my lump at Smart & Final. They have 2 brands, not both at the same time. I think they are the same supplier that has multiple trade names. The one there most frequently is the "Best in the West" brand. The other one I get there occasionally is "Sonora Charcoal" brand.

[Breadhead]

smokinfatties ... I'm not going to make it to the SoCal Eggfest. Too much going on with the family at that time.

[smokinfatties]

Breadhead thanks! I have tried sonora before

[Craigar]

I have yet to try FOGO. I suppose I will some day. I have seen a lot of the pictures that show the massive pieces of lump.

Right now I am using Rockwood Charcoal. And I love it. Great stuff. Made in the USA.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]n215321[/ATTACH]

I am using a similar product that comes out of Missouri. This blend has pecan, hickory and oak. From what I understand, The Good-One is sourced through the same supplier.

[Spinaker]

Nice. I have used the Good One stuff too. Good results. My local supplier carries Good One products. Including the Marshal, which has had my eye for a while. DAMN YOU MCS!!!!

[Craigar]

After looking at Rockwood's website, it appears they have more of the larger pieces in their bag. I might have to venture out to see if I can find a bag. Where I buy the Timber they also carry the Good-One products, along with a number of others so I can totally relate to MCS.

[Mosca]

I ordered two bags of Rockwood from Firecraft. Both bags were basically rubble; most pieces were about the size of a golf ball, or smaller.

I exchanged a few emails with Firecraft, and the owner called me and we talked about it. On the one hand, kamados are limited by the air flow and the size of the pieces of fuel is not important, but on the other hand the surface area of many small pieces makes it harder to regulate the temperature (small gradations in settings create large changes) and smaller pieces can clog the bottom air holes.

The reason the product arrived the way it did was shipping related. Rockwood is very brittle, and it ships in a large box; my box had two bags in it, and they jostled together during their journey. Most people order more bags, and they fit together more tightly.

Firecraft offered me a full refund; I declined. It's a product that is designed to be burned, and it definitely burns. The fact that it arrived as rubble and shards is inconvenient, but in the end, it burns.

The Fogo, I ordered one bag, and most of the pieces are huge, which makes it easy to regulate, and easy to build a fire.

Both are more expensive than what I buy locally, and it is good to have choices. No one has turned down anything I've made yet!