Kingsford vs Royal Oak Briquettes

[jlazar]

Kingsford is still 2 18lb bags for 19.99. .56 per lb. Royal Oak is a 15.4lb bag for 4.99 or .32 per lb. Any reason not to go with the Royal Oak rather than waiting until the Kingsford is 2 18/b for 9.99 or .28 per lb. I have no experience with using Royal Oak.

[jfmorris]

I'm cooking as I type this with some Royal Oak briquettes - I bought one of those $5 15lb bags recently just to try it. It definitely throws off sparks and does not last as long as some other brands I've tried, and I have read stories on here about debris other than charcoal being in the bag. However, the price is certainly right, and I'm gonna use this bag up until I get the KBB on sale again.

[Troutman]

KBB Pro is on sale at Costco, twin 18# bags for $18.99. Royal Oak just doesn’t work well for me.

[vandy]

I am not crazy about anything Royal Oak except for their Chef's Choice brand of charcoal that they sell to restaurants, I like it better than the Kingsford blue or the professional. Just my humble opinion of course, your mileage may vary!

[Jerod Broussard]

The Royal Oak I tried that had the ridges in it wasn't worth a crap. All my dad used growing up was Royal Oak, but it wasn't "ridged" it just was like a regular briquette like Kingsford.

[jfmorris]

Well, I definitely think the Royal Oak briquettes seem more cheaply made and crumbly looking than other charcoal I’ve used, but I got a couple of hours of cooking time on the Performer using two of the Weber charcoal baskets full. So in a pinch I’ll consider buying it again. Once this bag is gone I’m testing Stubbs, then back to KBB. I really like the Weber charcoal but the local stores aren’t putting it out. Lowe’s has 50-60 bags on a pellet up high and I don’t feel like begging someone to bring it down for me while I wait. Guess I could buy the entire pallet! Haha.

[Dadof3Illinois]

I did a test run on the RO a couple weeks ago. I think it’s in the fuel section. I found the flavor was good, price was good had average ash but it burnt pretty fast. I figure for anything cooked hot and fast or low and slow less than 6 hours it worth a look.

[rotagilla]

Been using charcoal for 60 years and would pick Royal Oak Ridge over Kingsford Blue 9 times out of 10. More consistent, easy to light, and better cost. Use is in the PBC and my Weber Kettles. My test show KBB has more ash and it stinks terribly when lit. Don't need that in my food.

[jlazar]

Thanks for you comments. As jfmorris commented, I think the price is right to give it a try until KBB goes back on sale. Will probably stick to the kettle with it (not the Backwoods). Thanks again for your insights.

[jfmorris]

Yeah, the price is really hard to beat, other than when KBB goes on sale on Memorial/Independence/Labor Day weekends here in the US, at Home Depot. And I have no complaints with it so far after using it for both low and slow (ribs with the SNS) and direct cooks now.