Any Fogo fans?

[Uncle Bob]

So above @FishTalesNC and I got into a discussion about FOGO and B&B where I mentioned I dump and sort each bag of lump I buy. I'll wait for the laughing to stop...................... From time to time I'll take pics so I dug through the files and thought I'd add these to the discussion.

First is the B&B, and I should note that this is a 20# bag while the FOGOs are 17.5#. I had said the sizing was similar, but my memory was fuzzy on the dust volume, considering the weight/size, the B&B actually was a fair bit higher. Again, this could be handling in shipment, and is just one example.

The FOGO premium is on the same pan, but the two roughly look similar in lump size, dust however is pretty different.

But, not all FOGO bags are equal either, such is the world of lump charcoal. The following are pics of another bag that came in the same shipment as the one above, but was very different. As the pic of the two bags shows, one looks to be less full than the other, and it was. Typically their bags are around 3/4ish full, but the one on the left was about 1/2 full. Both weighed the same, I suspect they fill by weight not volume, so technically I got my monies worth, but the lumps were small, and likely a denser variety of wood. Again little residual dust, happily. If I were running their company those bags that appear "short" would be used for demo cooks or employee use, anything but shipped to a paying customer. But that's just me....

[FishTalesNC]

Yep HawkerXP I clued in a buddy of mine to the B&B briquettes option in lieu of Weber. Sent him a pic of a couple of bags I had delivered to Ace last week. So he went online last night, placed his order and texted me all happy... then called me 30 min later raging because they canceled his order - no longer available!

[HawkerXP]

I've been watching at my Ace and on line for the B&B briquettes also. Just seemed to disappear.

[Joetee]

Fogo has free fast shipping if you get the large bags. Usually about 3 days I think.

[FishTalesNC]

Thx guys. Yeah Uncle Bob that one perplexed me. At least I’m confident now that was an anomaly and FOGO is still an option in the future. I noticed last night that B&B oak lump AND briquettes are "not available" on Ace’s website... lord, here we go again...

[Uncle Bob]

FishTalesNC I'll second (third?) the shipping "damage" possibility. I've got a couple bags of the Premium I got from Ace store near me, but haven't opened them yet. I dump and sort every bag of lump I buy (yeah, quirky) and the FOGO direct ship I find to be comparable to B&B for size distribution and dust. As for consumption in the Bronco, at 90ish minutes, 3-350 degrees I burn roughly half a basket of the FOGO, so not sure what's happening to you there.

[kenrobin]

I prefer the Super Premium & I usually buy direct but occasionally I'll pick up a bag at Ace Hardware.

[Dadof3Illinois]

I’ve bought two of the black bags two different times months apart from different places and both times they were nothing but small pieces. A lot were small enough to just fall through my chimney starter. Then it would pop and spark so bad that I was worried it was going to catch everything around it on fire!!!
I’ll try their super premium if I can find it but not the black bag stuff.

[Spinaker]

Yeah, you gotta buy direct. The more hands that handle it, the more beat up those bags get.

[Joetee]

I order from the Fogo company and never had a problem. Yours probably got dropped a few times through all the difference shippers.

[FishTalesNC]

This has been an interesting read, I guess I should keep an open mind in the future. But I bought one black bag of FOGO Premium recently at Ace and was unimpressed:

1) There was a LOT of dust (I did pick one off the top of a pallet). Only a few big pieces, and way too much dust & tiny pieces just poured right thru the chimney/charcoal basket.
2) On a 90 min chicken cook on my Bronco I went thru basically the entire charcoal basket of FOGO lump (closed the vents when I took the chicken off, checked back the next morning, had maybe 10% left).

I compare this to the B&B lump I also bought recently from Ace, and although I've only done one chicken cook - I was very impressed:

1) Lots of bigger/whole pieces with a nice mix of sizes. When I poured, I didn't get any dust, nothing fell thru, nothing weird in the bag.
2) Did a chicken cook this weekend and barely half the charcoal basket of B&B lump burned. I was able to use the rest on a salmon and cauliflower cook yesterday, making it much more economical.

Very small sample size I guess... anxious to try the B&B briquettes too tho since I need a new "go to" for long smokes after I used up my last bag of Weber.

[scottdware]

The Jealous Devil is really good, I think you'll be very impressed!

[fkrall]

Definitely neutral. I love FOGO. It's neutrality means you can "custom smoke" by adding chips or chunks starting from scratch. I also burn Rockwood, which does have a light natural smoke and is my go-to for foods where I just want a touch of smoke and not risk oversmoking, like the scallops I grilled last night.

[Joetee]

I've been using Fogo for a couple years now exclusively. I also like there Argentinian brand, I can't spell or pronounce what they call it. I buy all the of these. Premium, super premium, and the one I mentioned. All are wonderful.
I'm not sure about the eucalyptus brand. Haven't tried it yet.

[ecowper]

Also note that a 17.6 lb bag of Fogo Premium on Amazon is $25 with free shipping. Compared to SnS grills who sells 2 bags for $39.99 and free shipping.