KBB vs Royal Oak Lump

[JPGators17]

I'm sure this has been discussed at length here, but I recently heard Malcom Reed discussing how much he likes the Royal Oak lump charcoal, even over KBB. What piqued my interest was him saying that it burns much cleaner, without much ash left over. I go through a lot of KBB, and ash disposal is a headache, so I'm thinking of giving lump a try. What's your experience with both?

[Henrik]

I haven't tested either, as they aren't available in my country, but in general briquettes produce a lot more ash than charcoal. I've used briquettes for years, but now that I've found good quality charcoal I tend to use that 99% of the time.

[Thunder77]

I don't think it's even a fair comparison between the two. Everyone who has ever tried lump and briquettes knows that lump produces waaaay less ash. KBB is well known for ash production. ( Ido use it) Sure, if you want less ash, go for the lump. From my experience with the SnS, if you use lump, you have to carefully arrange the pieces to get a uniform burn out of it. I never use Royal Oak, because the last few bags I got had a lot of dust, and bits of junk in them.

Bottom line is: use what makes you happy! I like Rockwood lump myself.

According to Naked Whiz,
Lump burns hotter
It does burn much more cleanly
It will not last as long as briquettes
You can get a screaming hot fire in very little time.

Here's a link:

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag11.htm

Keep in mind that this review is over ten years old.

[Loren]

I've used both, I mainly use KBB. I'm not a fan of the amount of dust and other garbage that comes with Royal Oak lump (I had concrete chunks in one bag).

Royal Oak food service briquettes on the other hand are pretty dang good; they burn clean, very consistent and have less ash. Unfortunately the drive to get them is an hour each way :/

[Oak Smoke]

For me they're two different fuels for two different jobs. I use lump, although not RO, in my kamado. When I use my Weber kettle I use KBB. Both work great in the jobs I need them to do.

[Thunder77]

Absolutely! Forgot to mention that. Lump only in the kamado.

[Loren]

I've used both, I mainly use KBB. I'm not a fan of the amount of dust and other garbage that comes with Royal Oak lump (I had concrete chunks in one bag).

Royal Oak food service briquettes on the other hand are pretty dang good; they burn clean, very consistent and have less ash. Unfortunately the drive to get them is an hour each way :/

[Mr. Bones]

See, it is possible to give more than one like to th same post!

[Loren]

I just noticed that it has me posted twice with 24 minutes in between - d'oh! Not sure how that happened though, can a mod delete one?

[Polarbear777]

Lump is less ash and does burn faster but les evenly, just due to the uneven airflow and chunk sizes. Works fine to great if you know what to expect.

As far as briquettes, ash result and trash(in the bags) is the only factor. Cost actually isn’t because cost is close to the same per unit of heat (hours of cook at a set temperature). :

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/charcoal/672024-cost-comparison-and-heat-ash

[JPGators17]

Awesome stuff, I was thinking of doing the same comparison in a Weber Kettle with the Fireboard to chart it out. Yours is very well done.

[Troutman]

On Malcom Reed liking Royal Oak, one word....kickback

[Spinaker]

There is a big difference. KBB produces a lot of ash, but it is a very consistent product. It is all I use in my PBC. I use it there because that is what the PBC is designed to use and it works excellent, every time.

If I am going to use lump, I only do so in my kamados where it is really needed as the high ash levels found in KBB or briquettes can plug up the little airflow it takes to run a kamado for extended periods of time. The advantage of lump is that it produces very little ash. However, in all the bags of Royal Oak I have bought, they have been garbage as far as I am concerned. I have never had good luck with the stuff over the years. Uncarbonized pieces, large amounts of dust and small pieces, foreign objects etc. I spend extra for a far better product from B&B or FOGO. ( I feel I am also buying piece of mind, knowing that my cook will go well with much better fuel.)

[JPGators17]

Based on your logic, I am going to experiment with lump in just my Weber Kettle/SNS. The airflow over a long cook makes sense, I'll just have to re-learn how to set the vents for lump, as it sounds like it burns hotter.

[Craigar]

JPGators17 the vent settings won't change much...if at all. It has been my experience to set your vents earlier than normal. I like to smoke at 275-300, so I will dial my vents in once the temps hit 200-225 and let it come up from there. Since there is no heavy white smoke like KBB, what little smoke there is being omitted, is a non-factor for me.

[Spinaker]

It doesn't really burn hotter, you can damp it down just like any other fuel, it just requires less opening in the dampers as there is not as much air being blocked by the ash. @ JPGators17

[Craigar]

I ditched all Kingsford earlier this year once our local Ace Hardware stores started stocking B&B. Does it cost more? Yes. Does it smoke like crazy, similar to Kingsford? No. As a matter of fact, the first time I lit up a batch I got nervous when there was very little smoke. However, a short time later my concerns were laid to rest when the flames were shooting a good 6 inches above my pile. I haven't looked back since. I also use a lot of lump and have used it successfully in the SnS. Most of my cooks involving the SnS are at 275-300 and usually no longer than 6 hours. Lump has not disappointed me on these cooks. As far as Royal Oak? Like others have stated, I have found different types of debris. I think they have a QC issue more than my earlier conspiracy theories. But who doesn't like a good conspiracy theory to get people riled up? With that being said, I haven't used Royal Oak in a couple of years.

[JPGators17]

Well this is very encouraging/ enticing. I have an Ace down the street, I think I'll stop in this evening and buy my first bag-o-lump. Thanks for the feedback!

[Troutman]

You like potato and I like potahto
You like tomato and I like tomahto
Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto
Let's call the whole thing off

You like pajamas and I like pajahmas
I'll wear pajamas and give up pajahmas
Pajamas, pajahmas, KBB or lump
Better call…the whole thing off

[JPGators17]

So I picked up my first bag of lump. I heeded the RO warnings and went with B&B. I was a little dismayed upon opening the bag and finding some very large pieces, one was bigger than a split log. However, I trudged on with some smaller pieces and my early opinion is WOW. Just as Craigar said, the chimney was WAY less smokey than KBB, which matters to me because I cook on a screened in patio, and even though it's a large patio, you can't be out there when a chimney of KBB is firing up. The B&B was almost pleasant. It also came up to temp and settled in at cruising speed way faster then KBB. We'll see how it finishes, bit so far I'm pretty sold.

[Troutman]

What I wanna know is this....who is Cecelia ??

[JPGators17]

Troutman Cecelia is one of my Kettles, the copper one, of course.

[Craigar]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UozVMBPsKM

[smokin fool]

Royal Oak has been more readily available in my area at Walmart and Canadian Tire although local Home Depot Just started stocking Kingsford.
Big difference in price. Royal Oak is $8.97 while Kingsford is $18.00 + for same size bag.
Do agree on the junk you find in Royal Oak ash, gravel, wire, nails coffee cup handle....

[Beefchop]

I think it's a category error to compare lump with briquettes. I've used KBB for 10+ years in my Old Smokey, WSM, PBC, and Weber Kettle. Simply awesome as a heat source. I use BGE and Royal Oak lump in my BGE because the ceramic requires little ash to work properly. Wonderful results, but it's more expensive. If I could, I use KBB. I think Meathead tackles this in his article on the Science of Charcoal.