Best Lump you have purchased.

[Bluesman]

So I'm still new to the BBQ scene. I keep reading that cowboy lump is no good. What makes it so bad? What makes a good lump?

Cowboy is pretty good. The issue with any lump is the small pieces which fall through the grate, dust and sometimes miscellaneous unidentifiable chunks. Oh and the other accompanying items like nails, bolts, and the occasional frog. The best part of lump is the way it burns, very hot with almost no ash.

 

[Smoked Ham]

Wicked Good and Dragon's Breath

 

[Basted moral support guy]

Ozark Oak has had consistently good quality for me.

I agree. No complaints here.

 

[Texas Turtle]

I stick to Royal Oak and B&B, because they are readily available in my area and reasonably priced. I may give the Central Market a try since our local HEB is now carrying it off and on. Has anybody tried Lazzari? Our hometown BBQ emporium has started carrying it in great big bags.

 

[Hawg Father of Seoul]

Ozark oak and b&b commercially. Ozark oak is cheap here.

My own when I have the time. :roll: Pieces as big as I want.

 

[BayoustateBBQ]

Sparking isn't a bad thing get over it it is a sign that the lump is fully carbonized some will spark more than others mesquite pops a little more. Once warmed up it will stop, and when it's in the fire box who gives a RA. You got an HEB close to ya their store brand is pretty good as is the Central Market Mesquite.

The B&B I bought sparked so bad, I had sparks flyin 10-12 feet almost like roman candles. It could have easily put an eye out or caused serious injury. This stuff is made in Argentina FYI. 75% of my bag was pieces 1" wide 3" long and almost 3 inches of dust in the bottom.

 

[Smoothsmoke]

I think WW is burning enough longer than an equal amount of RO to very nearly be a wash in cost.

Quite possible. It would be hard to know exactly.

 

[HankB]

Grove. From Woodmans in IL and WI. (And Woodman's has cheese curds. :becky: In Illinois.)

Decent size pieces without too much in the way of fines. I'm not sure how widely available it is.

 

[DubfromGA]

Wicked Good Weekend Warrior available from Ace Hardware. Free shipping to store.

Yup....just got a bag from my local ACE. Right at $20.

I think WW is burning enough longer than an equal amount of RO to very nearly be a wash in cost.

So very true. The pocket knife in the pic has a 3.5" blade. This is the WORST bag of WG I've bought, too. I suspect it had been tossed around a good deal.

I use the red bag RO stuff for fast runs only.....burgers, steaks, etc.

 

[DownHomeQue]

Can't beat that 5.75 for a bag of Ozark Oak here.. but i don't use charcoal much.. just to start the cook.. then I'm burning straight sticks..

 

[BigBlock]

if you are in Texas try John Henrey's lump you will be very happy. He also has some gr8 rubs

 

[aawa]

I have used several bags of the smaller bags of Royal Oak from Wally World and that was pretty good. Nice chunks, nothing that looked like scrap wood.

I then switched to kingsford briqs for a little while since I bought a bunch of it during the Lowes sales.

Then i bought 2 20lb bags of Royal Oak from Restaurant Depot and I was not impressed at all. It sparked like crazy, contained pieces that looked like scrap wood, had fist sized pieces of rock in it, as well as lots of dust and it burned super fast.

Now i bought a couple 20lb bags of Wicked Good Weekend Warrior. The chunks are good size, nothing that resembles scrap wood, good sized chunks, and very dense so it burns longer than Royal Oak. I have been pretty happy with how WW. PWA said something that made complete sense to me for trying Weekend Warrior. You will pay more upfront for 20lbs of Wicked Good Weekend Warrior than you will for 20lbs of Royal Oak. But you get significantly longer burn times with Wicked Good that you won't have to buy it as much as you would with Royal Oak and that is where the price will even out. I have done 4 cooks with Wicked Good Weekend Warrior and have used a total of 3 chimney's for the cooks. I still have some left over coals from my 4th cook that will fill about 1/2 chimney. If I used Royal Oak I would of had to of used a minimum 4 chimney's for them if not more.

So far I am leaning towards sticking with Weekend Warrior especially since the Ace Hardware less than 2 miles from my house keeps it in stock so I can just stop in and pick it up as opposed to having it ship to store.

 

[TheJackal]

So I'm still new to the BBQ scene. I keep reading that cowboy lump is no good. What makes it so bad? What makes a good lump?

This is a good resource if you have some questions about charcoal.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag6.htm

 

[Haveuseen1?]

I use Royal Oak. I buy it at the local grocery store. It is $10.36 for 17 pounds in the red bag. Occasionally I get a few sparks, but never bad sparks. I have found an occasional rock, and some insulation one time. I have pretty much found that foreign items are somewhat common in lump. At least you can see them in lump vs the unseen things in briquets.

As far as size, seems to lead the pack with giant lumps in bags. I have seen them the size of a soccer ball in a bag of WW. Royal Oak seems to be a good mix of good size pieces, with a few larger pieces and of course some smalls. Personally my belief is depending on how the retailer handles the lump has a major impact on what the inside of the bag looks like.

I cook on a Kamado Joe. I can fully load the fire box and get about 20-24 hours worth of cook time. That can be one long cook or multiple shorter cooks. I save up the smalls and then use them all at once. A fire box full of smalls doesnt have near the cook time. I would guess 4-6 hours.

 

[MNmoose]

Has anyone used The Good One lump? I assume (look out) it's labeled for the maker of The Good One BBQ pits.

I use it almost exclusivly in my smoker. I've keep trying different brands of lump but I always head back to Quetopia in Eden Prairie for Good One lump. Good size pieces of charcoal, consistent burn & performance. Just My 2 cents worth. Smokin' Moose

 

[RW]

if you are in Texas try John Henrey's lump you will be very happy. He also has some gr8 rubs

Where in Texas? I know a place that carries the rubs and sauces by John Henry, but I've not seen JH lump there.
Thanks

 

[MisterChrister]

Grove. From Woodmans in IL and WI. (And Woodman's has cheese curds. :becky: In Illinois.)

Decent size pieces without too much in the way of fines. I'm not sure how widely available it is.

Another vote split between Grove and WG

 

[bwsy2k]

I have had mixed luck with Lump, sometimes its good and not so at others. Every once in a while it doesnt have a very pleasant smell to it either. Not sure what causes it though

 

[shirknwrk]

Wicked "Weekend Warrior" (though the fireworks will continue) and the US made Royal Oak from Wal-Mart. (More rocks, small pieces and dust lately). If you're near a Restaurant Depot, they have the 17.5 lb. bags of RO for about $10. Green Egg lump is made by Royal Oak but seems to have fewer small pieces and dust... More expensive, though. There is some Royal Oak made is South America... Most say to avoid it.

 

[frognot]

Ozark Oak is my fave but it is pricey here in the Dallas 'burbs.

Ozark oak and b&b commercially. Ozark oak is cheap here.

Where do you buy it in Rogers? Usually go to west TN a couple of times a year to see family so could make a li'l detour when passing thru.

Where in Texas? I know a place that carries the rubs and sauces by John Henry, but I've not seen JH lump there.

Also would like to check out JH lump. i'm 20 miles north of Dallas.