lump charcoal

B&B.

I’m not sure if they can be used in a kamado grill but I will be trying out prime 6 next time i need to buy charcoal

If you like ratings & lists

https://www.thebreslin.com/best-lump-charcoal/

If you have been a loyal customer and like the product, I would write them. Tell them just that and then let them know what you ran into. If you have the bags still there might be a lot number or something on them so I would hold onto them until they respond. That might help them track quality control and hopefully, they would do the right thing and send you coupons or bags of lump to make up for it.

I'm not sure if this is really up to date, but there are a lot of good reviews and comparisons on here if you poke around in there.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

Lump is hardwood that has been heated to a high temperature in the absence of oxygen. The process drives off many chemical impurities that cause natural wood to burn with a visible flame and smoke, leaving behind almost pure carbon that burns cleanly without producing much smoke or flame. Carbon is extremely brittle and breaks very easily when handled roughly.

You'll find the the small broken pieces are not a product of the manufacturer, but rather the result of the retail storage and handling. The manufacturer screens the lump to weed out dust and small pieces that are then recycled into charcoal briquette production. To avoid poor quality bags; choose your bags carefully from the center of the pallet, and slowly tilt the bag to listen for the amount of small pieces or dust.

If you have a Lowe’s or Home Depot nearby Royal Oak at $12.00 for a 15lb bag has been good lately. Of course you’ll find some medium and small chunks, but overall I have been pleased. I’ve also found it a Walmart and Walmart neighborhood stores for $9.99 a bag.

You gotta see what is available to you locally and try it. As mentioned Lowe’s and HD have decent selection but for me it comes down to taste. Some of the lump I’ve purchased had zero flavor, others I didn't like. My current fav is Royal Oak. Walmart sells 30lb bags and it's a steal. Yes there are some small chunks but it burns fine and it's a great price.

Some of the hardware store chains(Ace, TruValue, etc.) either carry decent lump or can order it for you.

Biloxidman said:

If you have a Lowe’s or Home Depot nearby Royal Oak at $12.00 for a 15lb bag has been good lately. Of course you’ll find some medium and small chunks, but overall I have been pleased. I’ve also found it a Walmart and Walmart neighborhood stores for $9.99 a bag.

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I hate Royal Oak - I've found metal, large rocks, etc. mixed in.
It's literally trash.

IamMadMan said:

Lump is hardwood that has been heated to a high temperature in the absence of oxygen. The process drives off many chemical impurities that cause natural wood to burn with a visible flame and smoke, leaving behind almost pure carbon that burns cleanly without producing much smoke or flame. Carbon is extremely brittle and breaks very easily when handled roughly.

You'll find the the small broken pieces are not a product of the manufacturer, but rather the result of the retail storage and handling. The manufacturer screens the lump to weed out dust and small pieces that are then recycled into charcoal briquette production. To avoid poor quality bags; choose your bags carefully from the center of the pallet, and slowly tilt the bag to listen for the amount of small pieces or dust.

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We have quite a few sources of lump (Knoxville, TN). I find that the handling in the store has a lot to do with the amount of crushed and super small pieces. I mainly use B&B but I have found that Academy is least likely of the ones that I frequent to have a crushed up bag. I would try a few from different sources and see who handles it the best.

I have tried Kamado Joe BB plenty of times. Good stuff but I keep going back to B&B.

pmad said:

I hate Royal Oak - I've found metal, large rocks, etc. mixed in.
It's literally trash.

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I’ve occasionally found small rocks but nothing like you describe. Lately it’s been plenty of large pieces. I always get the USA red bags. I guess it depends upon location.

Ace Hardware had Jealous Devil for about $1/lb, I really liked it. Probably my favorite. No sparks when lighting, large consistently sized pieces, no foreign objects, and no off odors or weird smoke. The price went up a bit recently. I like Rockwood Charcoal a lot, it’s a little pricey too. I get B&B from Ace and it’s normally pretty good. However the last bag sparked like crazy when lighting and even some while grilling. I got another bag after that and it wasn’t quite as bad, but still did some. Prior to the sparking bag I’d been pretty happy with B&B. Lump charcoal is worth spending a little extra money on, IMO. Cost averaged over all the cooks you do from the bag, it’s only a buck or two more per cook.

Royal Oak has been literal trash for me lately, so I won’t use it any more. I had a 2lb chunk of hard rock or clay in my last bag of it. 2lbs out of a 15lb bag. I’ve found half burnt plywood in it before. And whichever retailer I got it from, they apparently all handled it poorly because there was always a few pounds of unusable powder and small pieces in the bottom. I see a lot of (sponsored) people using it on social media. I wouldn’t put my name on it, but nobody cares what I think either.

It doesn't matter what brand you're using there will be bags of crushed product that show up on every pallet. You can learn to "feel" the bag by lifting it by the sides (not the ends). Pick the bags that feel like chunks.

And I agree that you should contact the company about the poor quality bags. It can't hurt.

AND...Royal Oak Lump is a no go in my world. I'm tired of paying for trash that I can't cook with.

Jealous Devil

slowmotionque said:

jealous devil

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2nd that !

Rockwood. Not necessarily cheap but very neutral in flavor and no need to wait for the VOC's to clear. As soon as you reach your desired temp you can put your food on. You can order it through ACE.