Why is Cowboy Charcoal Everywhere
 

I live in Kansas City and all i can find is Cowboy lump iv been using it in my uds but i don't like it at all, Trader Joe's will have their natural bricks for sale soon I want to give them a try, or does anyone have a better option for me? Also my uds runs at 300 with all valves closed could it be the Cowboy? I know its sealed good if i put a can over the chimney it drops down?

I also find Cowboy in most of my hardware stores. Try going to Walmart. They sell Royal Oak Lump which is very good. Make sure it is RO that is Made in the USA as that seems to be the best quality. Regular old Kingsford briquettes work well, unless you are dead set on lump. Naked Whiz has reviews of most lump charcoal out on the market, which can be very helpful if you see some bags of lump that you have never heard of. Again, though, you cannot go wrong with RO lump.

As far as the heat goes, my guess is you are starting with too much lump in your chimney. Assuming you are using the Minion Method, you should only be dropping a couple lit pieces of lump into the charcoal basket. If you are using briquettes you should not need more than 10-15 briquettes. For lump, depending on the size, I try and use maybe 4-5 medium size chunks. The more lit charcoal you start off with, the harder it will be to maintain a low temperature.

Hope this helps.

Cowboy is horrible scrap wood. Humphrys and Royal Oak is very good My favorite is Wicked Good

Powerhouse,
If you have a DoIt Best hardware store in your area, I would recommend ordering some Royal Oak Chef's Select briqs on their website for free shipping to your nearest store. Last I checked it runs about $19.00 for a 40lb bag. A lot like the Trader Joes Natural briqs (Rancher) but less expensive.
I use it in my WSMs and it works great. Consistent long burn times, minimal ash production, and a great aroma.

I think people get the Cowboy brand for the free prizes they find inside. :thumb:

As mentioned, check Wal-Mart for Royal Oak. Sam's has been carrying lump for the last couple years, but they raised the price and lowered to bag size to a point that I do not buy it any more because it is no longer a good deal.

Another option that will give you some nice choices is Smoke N Fire on 151st street just of 69 highway. They have a nice selection of lump.

check out the naked whiz's lump charcoal database very good info here

I've found some interesting pieces in the Cowboy crap....

I think I will get some trader joes and RO. I like using the bricks in the weber for grilling and not sure what i like in the uds yet still new, does anyone have trouble relighting natural bricks or does it act like lump, i always have left overs in the basket of the uds.

Nope. The Rancher and ROCS all relight without issue.
I have found that the natural binders in those briquettes sometimes tend to breakdown and the used briqs crumble really easily, especially if used for higher temp cooks in the Weber kettle.

both ro's are sold at kmarts.

i think they should give that stuff away for free,man does it stink bad,i used it once and will never use it again!!!!!!!

If you have a GFS (Gordons Food Service) in the area, they sell lump in 20# bags for around 12 bucks. It is made by royal oak and leaves very little ash. It does burn very hot but is easily controlled by air flow. Most people I know usually use briqs in their UDS smokers because you get a very long burn at lower temps.

When is the trader Joes sale going up?

I used Cowboy charcoal once and that will be the last time. By me a local grocery store sells Grove lump charcoal, which I like for the most part. Grove tends toward the smaller pieces, but it gets plenty hot and isn't bad with ash.