Royal Oak Vs Cowboy lump. Photo comparison

[Smokin' D]

A denser lump will burn longer and perhaps hotter too. RO is fine in a pinch but it does burn up much quicker than the other brand I prefer. WG. More per pound no doubt, but burn time is much longer too.

[V-wiz]

Originally Posted by Smokin' D

A denser lump will burn longer and perhaps hotter too. RO is fine in a pinch but it does burn up much quicker than the other brand I prefer. WG. More per pound no doubt, but burn time is much longer too.

Ya that's exactly what im thinking, but i want to know WHY its so much lighter, is it the wood/species of tree? i know its not oak as oak is a very dense/solid tree.

[Dave Russell]

I noticed a bag of cowboy just yesterday that was broke open. The pieces were a lot larger than the RO I used yesterday.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by Texas Turtle

My local purveyor of BBQ stuff recently added Lazzeri lump to their stock of offerings. It seems to be cheaper than RO on a unit basis. Anybody use this stuff?

Lazarri's been my go-to lump for the last couple of years, since I got a kamado, and I can also get it here locally in NorCal for about $9.49 for a generous 20lb bag. I actually weighed it out once and it was a bit over 20lbs.

I really like it, although cooking with mesquite wood does have a couple draw backs, but nothing that would be a deal breaker.

First of all, it has good sized chucks of lump, not just a bunch of tiny pieces. This can sometimes be annoying, as you will need to break up the real large pieces with a hammer, or by smacking them on the ground

Lazzarri burns hot, and for a long time. I've been able to keep a firebox of it going for 12-14 hours straight at a consistant temp for pork shoulders, and it will heat up to 600+ rather quickly for searing steaks or cooking pizzas.

Most all mesquite charcoal will spark and pop some when starting. This is generally minimal if you mound your charcoal up well and don't have too many real small pieces.

Mesquite charcoal will also impart a very slight mesquite smoke aroma to your food. I find it tastes pleasant but some people do not care for it, especially on fish and chicken. For me, it's always been too minimal to really notice.

Until I can find another brand as consistant and as cheap, I'll continue using it.

[wmrrock]

According to Naked Whiz - RO private labels their best stuff for "Big Green Egg". I have been using Wicked Good until recently when my supplier ran out. I bought a bag of more expensive BGE lump (Royal Oak) and sad to say - I liked it much better.

[CarolinaQue]

I tried a bag of Cowboy yesterday after seeing this review. I figured I'd give it another shot just in case it was actually an improvement over the stuff I remember using before. But no, it still sucks!!!

I had used it for doing pizza on the Weber with my pizza contraption I made. It didn't get hot enough for more than 15 minutes, long enough to get 2 pizza's out of the 7 I was planning on cooking, even with the bottom vents wide open and the front of my pizza adapter being wide open.

Wicked Good or Big Green Egg (Royal Oaks top shelf private labeled) is still far better as far as I'm concerned. I've spent the last $7 and some change on Cowboy. Regards to the Royal Oak red bag, likely won't buy that again for the same reasons. However, their Big Green Egg private label line and their Steak House blend is always welcome in my grill or smoker!!!

[swibirun]

I have to agree with Tim. I used 3 bags of Cowboy recently, it definitely looked better than the stuff they used to sell. But it was very slow to get up to temp and burning clean in my Egg.

I'd use it again if I had too but it fits in my "coal of last resort" category.

[Big George's BBQ]

I wouls always take RO over cowboy Humphrys is very good too My fav is Wicked

[CarolinaQue]

Originally Posted by Big George's BBQ

I wouls always take RO over cowboy Humphrys is very good too My fav is Wicked

I wish I could get Humphry's up this way! I know the extension of their family up here in Maine, but even they can't get any distributed until the plant inPA is back up and running from the fire they had earlier in the year. Right now, the only output they are making is for the big dollar corporate sales that they have to fill by contract. At least, that's what I was told.

[MoyMch]

Still not a fan of Cowboy lump. After finding pieces of metal in the lump that was enough to turn me away.

[smoke-n-my-i's]

When I didn't know any better, I bought a bag of Cowboy when I bought my first Chargriller and side firebox. All it was back then was burnt lumber. I used abt 1/2 of the bag and never went back.

I then went to the K briqs, old style.... after they "improved" I switched to RO lump and never looked back. I have tried a few other brands that I could find locally, but RO is available now in several local stores.

After I built my first UDS, I was amazed how well the RO lump burns in it. I would use abt 40-50 lbs a night in my offsets.... the drum will use approx 5-7 lbs for the same cook, and I can control my temps real close to what I want.

I am sure there are other brands out there that may be better (at least to some people), but I am happy with my RO and will stick to it for now.... availability makes it a go to for me.

[V-wiz]

Originally Posted by CarolinaQue

I tried a bag of Cowboy yesterday after seeing this review. I figured I'd give it another shot just in case it was actually an improvement over the stuff I remember using before. But no, it still sucks!!!

I had used it for doing pizza on the Weber with my pizza contraption I made. It didn't get hot enough for more than 15 minutes, long enough to get 2 pizza's out of the 7 I was planning on cooking, even with the bottom vents wide open and the front of my pizza adapter being wide open.

Wicked Good or Big Green Egg (Royal Oaks top shelf private labeled) is still far better as far as I'm concerned. I've spent the last $7 and some change on Cowboy. Regards to the Royal Oak red bag, likely won't buy that again for the same reasons. However, their Big Green Egg private label line and their Steak House blend is always welcome in my grill or smoker!!!

If you were looking for a hot fire you need to use either split wood or mesquite lump.

[CarolinaQue]

Originally Posted by V-wiz

If you were looking for a hot fire you need to use either split wood or mesquite lump.

Actually...Wicked Good would have given me plenty of heat. But I didn't have any left and no one in the near vacinity of me carries it. Not sure how splits would do in a kettle

[V-wiz]

I was nearby a Walmart and decided to stop by and pick up another bag. They dont seem to be any good.. I would press the bag/coals with my finger and the lump would just easily crumble and fall apart, i tried 4 different bags, i ended up not getting them.

[CarolinaQue]

Walmart carries cowboy? Or are you talking about Royal Oak?