Upgrading to better lump charcoal?

[Strat50]

All the kamados I've owned have been very tolerant of any lump I use. The"cheap" stuff, and the "premium" both work well. I've never had rocks and stuff in any lump I bought. Just lucky, I guess. I've been toying with the idea of making my own, as I have the stuff, I just need to find the time.As, alas, have to fix my porch from the earthquake damage last fall...

Anyway, for non kamado grilling, I like the premium a bit better, as they seem to have larger pieces, which helps. For my kamado(especially my little one), smaller is actually better, at least for the way I'm cooking. Some premium pieces are too large to use in the little guy. All had good flavor, no real difference, aside from different flavors due to wood species. By using flavor chunks, chips, etc., I can nail whatever flavor I need.

So, use what 'ya got. Try everything to see if YOU like it. Not if so and so hypes it, or whatever. This will help you develop your own "house" flavor. Then people will ask YOU what you did, which is fun.

[Keiferr]

I use Royal Oak mostly followed closely by FOGO. I don't like the taste Cowboy leaves in the food. Check out the lump reviews at http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm.

[radshop]

I use Royal Oak mostly followed closely by FOGO. I don't like the taste Cowboy leaves in the food. Check out the lump reviews at http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm.

Thanks for that link - really interesting. I might end up with a new hobby trying out all these varieties.

[radshop]

Super premium! Getting classy around here. Hopefully I'll get to try it tomorrow

[allsid]

I go back and forth with a few Kamado buddies about lump. I have been a FOGO guy for a bunch of years because RO and Cowboy are just 30-40+% dust and not usable. Like (I think) radshop mentioned there are some huge chunks in the FOGO bag. This is a blessing and a curse I can elaborate on another time if anyone reads this... I find the cheaper, box store charcoals to have too much waste, acrid flavors if used for slow-n-low and tons of sparks. However, premium and super-premium products are expensive. I tested a bag of Jealous devil last year when we had a deal with them and loved that product. Bottom line is budget divided by waste. If you have a lower budget than you should account for some waste.

[Skemo]

Just picked up a bag of Fogo Super Prem and I think I know what you mean. My first experience with really large chunked lump and I found it harder to get going and get to the temp I wanted. I found myself looking for smaller chunks to get things going faster. Learning experience, but I'd rather have more large chunks than vice versa.....

[allsid]

way back Skemo I would supplement the box store lump with some of the Fogo. It worked well, but so does a hammer.

[LA Pork Butt]

I use Royal Oak mostly followed closely by FOGO. I don't like the taste Cowboy leaves in the food. Check out the lump reviews at http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm.

The above website is a great place to start exploring lump based on the characteristics you like. There are things like burn time, lump size and ash to consider.

Recently my local Walmart has been carrying 30# bags of Royal Oak @$16.97 which seem to have more large pieces and fewer small ones. The have also been carrying bags of Extra Large Royal Oak.

[grillinglousiana]

I use fogo super in my green egg and barrell house cooker..fogo black bag in my pk orginal with no problem at all ,the barrell house is the only one that i have not been able to save charcoal for another cook.

[Thunder77]

I have had really good results using Rockwood charcoal, in both my Akorn and Primo Junior. The last bag of Cowboy I bought had some stuff that I would swear is scrap tongue and groove flooring. Not buying Cowboy anymore.

[Histrix]

Any bits of flooring are raw offcuts from early in the manufacturing process. They are not stained or painted or varnished - it is just raw wood and is therefore just fine to use for making charcoal.

[logchief]

I use primarily R/O in my large BGE and have good luck. Wally World has the 15 lb. for $5 right know and they haven't been too bad. From what I hear on the BGE forum Rockwood is the way to go, but I can't get it in my area

[Histrix]

Rockwood is one of the best lumps available. It is now available in California and can be ordered at any Ace Hardware store. It is in their system so if they don't have it on the shelf they can get it in store in a few days.