2 whole chickens on Weber kettle using Royal oak

[KevGuy]

So, I put 2 whole chickens on the Weber kettle and tried royal oak briquettes for the first time.

Started the charcoal with the Weber chimney starter and poured the coals into the char baskets. Put a piece of hickory in each basket.

The royal oak got real hot, almost 100 F more than my usual kingsford original. Was going good, but after about 1 hour the temperature started dropping off rapidly. The temperature over the cooking area went from 350 F to 250 F. I didn’t have anymore royal oak, so I had to put in some kingsford to finish them off.

Is this common for royal oak? If I had of been cooking something quick, the royal oak would of been ok. But for the longer cooks, I’m not so sure.

 

[sudsandswine]

It’s not uncommon for lump charcoal to burn hotter but have less longevity than briquettes, not sure what size chunks you received in your Royal Oak bag. Bigger chunks will burn longer than broke little pieces. I won’t buy Royal Oak anymore, the bags available to me are too broken down and there’s been some foreign objects in the bag I don’t care for. Have had good luck with B&B, Rockwood, and Jealous Devil.

I think quality lump charcoal is worth spending a little bit extra on, it burns cleaner and last longer, in my experience. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t have gotten a couple hours of burn time, even with briquettes. In charcoal baskets I get easily 90 minutes out of Kingsford briqs if not longer before the temp starts dropping off, which should be plenty of time to cook a couple chickens

 

[drunkenmeatfist]

The Royal Oak briqs I have used are not suitable for long cooks. They turn to ash and fall apart quick just like you experienced. I bought a 1/2 ton of their cheapest briqs and I use it for quick grilling only.

 

[sudsandswine]

Well I just realized you were talking abut briquettes and not lump that whole time

 

[Lahawk1]

Was it the Royal Oak that Walmart had this summer at 8.88 for two bags? I bought some and it had to be the worst charcoal I ever used. It burned up super fast and had a terrible smell while lighting. I ended up using it for quick grilling only.

 

[KevGuy]

Was it the Royal Oak that Walmart had this summer at 8.88 for two bags? I bought some and it had to be the worst charcoal I ever used. It burned up super fast and had a terrible smell while lighting. I ended up using it for quick grilling only.

It was two 2.5 lb bags that I bought for $2.49 a bag at Canadian Tire (Retailer here in Canada) just to try Royal Oak as I’m new to this. I would suspect that it is equivalent to the Wally stuff you mentioned. Both bags was just enough to fill a Weber charcoal chimney starter. Compared to the Kingsford original I’ve been using all summer, it burned up fast like you said.

On another note, yesterday I picked up a 20 lb bag of Weber charcoal Briquettes for $20. I hear good things about this charcoal and I hope it doesn’t turn out like the Royal Oak. I’m hoping that this will be the charcoal I use for the thanksgiving turkey I’m planning on cooking on my Weber kettle. Otherwise it’s back to the Kingsford original which I only have three 16 lb bags left.

 

[sudsandswine]

I like Weber briqs a lot, I can't find them locally anymore but if I could, that's all I'd use when cooking with briqs. Clean burning, hot, and long lasting.

 

[KevGuy]

I like Weber briqs a lot, I can't find them locally anymore but if I could, that's all I'd use when cooking with briqs. Clean burning, hot, and long lasting.

I’m looking forward to trying these Weber briquettes out. 1 bag of these was all I could find, but it’s enough for me to make a decision and make my opinion on them hopefully.

Back to the royal oak I used. I cleaned my Weber kettle from yesterday that had the royal oak ash in. Not as much ash as Kingsford original. Still, I’m not using that royal oak anymore.

 

[jzadski]

I tried the Embers brand from Home Depot (produced by RO) It was like 3rd class RO. Pretty much ruined 2 pork butts. Still waiting to try RO Chef's Choice? Just waiting for KBB to run out

 

[mchar69]

Home Depot stopped selling the Weber briquettes a couple of years ago and they $2.99 a bag sale had me dashing all over.
I got a whole bunch, even gave some bags away.
Now I wish I didn't, I do like it for grilling.
K- comp and RO lump are my mix for long term smoking in my drum.

 

[KevGuy]

Home Depot stopped selling the Weber briquettes a couple of years ago and they $2.99 a bag sale had me dashing all over.
I got a whole bunch, even gave some bags away.
Now I wish I didn't, I do like it for grilling.
K- comp and RO lump are my mix for long term smoking in my drum.

Never used lump charcoal before, but can I ask of RO lump is better than their briquettes?

 

[sudsandswine]

Let me refer you to my first post in this thread now that it’s relevant to the topic at hand :becky: lots of people use it for sure, lots of people sponsored by Royal Oak...I haven’t gotten a good bag of it in a really long time so either the product they get is amazing and I just consistently get “bad bags” for whatever reason, or they’re just....well anyway.

Small/broken pieces could be attributed to mishandling after it leaves the manufacturer (I guess) but the weird items I find IN THE BAG can only be attributed to the manufacturer so...

Any time I see someone hawking RO it does make me wonder