How many bags of charcoal do you guys go through a year?

[NY Pork Junkie]

I used to go through about three $25.00 propane tanks a year before I switched over to charcoal. I find charcoal to be a bit more expensive.:icon_smile_tongue: I've gone through 4 bags just in the last month alone! At $10.00 a bag, that get's a bit spendy.

My PBC is a big part of that. She eats about 1/4 bag with every cook. I don't regret getting rid of my gassers and switching to charcoal; my bbq has improved by an order of magnitude. I look at it as an investment in my relationships with friends and family through outstanding meals and cold brews enjoyed with friends while "tending the fire". Even so, it's a dang expensive hobby.

I expect I'll spend $300 on charcoal over the next year, and that's before I start shelling out $ for meat! :shocked:


I'm curious. How many 20lb bags do you guys estimate you go through a year?

https://i.imgur.com/HnfXc1Nl.jpg?1

[bigpernz]

I go through about 15 bags a year but I buy KBB when it's on sale for about 25 cents per lb.

[Czarbecue]

I average a bag a weekend and make stuff for the week. I look at is like part of the cost for the cook. Plus some of my bags are 8-9 pound bags that were bundled together for $10 at Home Depot, Lowe's, or Walmart. Dollar cost average your charcoal, son! Load up on the major grilling holidays (Memorial Day, 4th, Labor Day).

[Mikhail]

Yep. Wait until late summer, early fall when it is on deep discount. I got 20 lb bags of Weber for $3 per.

Too bad propane never goes on sale.

[pjtexas1]

2 tricks. Buy on sale and don't do the math. Wait until you get a stick burner and have to buy a cord of wood.

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[BillN]

I use about 120 pounds a year and only buy on sale... In my case charcoal is used for starting my coal bed.

[Beentown]

320 pounds in 1.5 years was the last purchase. 40 pounds left so I won't make it until the next "spring" sale.

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[D&D BBQ]

As others have said, stock up when KBB goes on sale at 2 for $9.88. In the meantime, last time I was at Lowe’s I saw Royal Oak briquettes for about $7.
You can also save some charcoal on your PBC by using magnets and tinfoil to shut it down. The leftover charcoal can be reused (I dump a small chimney of fresh charcoal on it).

[toymaster]

I go thru 400 to 500 pounds a year. You have to catch the sales. Home Depot and Lowe's has sales on Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day. Labor Day I make sure I have enough for the winter. I buy Frontier Lump when BJ's has it on sale. Any sale in between is just a bonus :becky:

[NY Pork Junkie]

2 tricks. Buy on sale and don't do the math. Wait until you get a stick burner and have to buy a cord of wood.

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I can only wish. A cord of hardwood (maple, oak, ash mostly) costs me about $125. I imagine I could cook an awful lot of pork butts with a cord of wood!

[Mikhail]

As others have said, stock up when KBB goes on sale at 2 for $9.88. In the meantime, last time I was at Lowe’s I saw Royal Oak briquettes for about $7.
You can also save some charcoal on your PBC by using magnets and tinfoil to shut it down. The leftover charcoal can be reused (I dump a small chimney of fresh charcoal on it).

Yep. I am finding I can get three one hour or less cooks out of one 3/4 chimney of Weber. Like that stuff.

[ebijack]

I have no idea. And like mentioned above, don't want to know.
But I can only store 12 bags of briquettes/lump. So I pick up 10 bags every few weeks. Got to go again the next couple days.
And yes, buying cords ain't cheap. There is still alot of work to do if it is already split.
I'm looking right now for another load that I will split with SmokeNinja.

[jgame]

About 12 bags of KBB and 2 bags of lump. Always get KBB on sale.

[angryelfFan]

Got this on April 7. I took 3/4 and a buddy 1/4. Sold a few bags on this site to local Brethren. Wicked Good, very nice lump.
150686

[Coat]

I can only wish. A cord of hardwood (maple, oak, ash mostly) costs me about $125. I imagine I could cook an awful lot of pork butts with a cord of wood!

If you're able to get a cord for 125 bucks consistently, you need to be cooking with wood.

[NY Pork Junkie]

If you're able to get a cord for 125 bucks consistently, you need to be cooking with wood.

That's the price I can get buying a full sized logging truck delivered. My Dad heats his 2600sqft colonial home exclusively with wood through the cold Maine winters, and he goes through about 6 cord a year. A logging truck is about 7-8 cords. Granted it still has to be sectioned and split, but it's a weekend worth of work for 2 men. There's 16 cord of hardwood in his wood shed at the moment!

It's still only $250/cord seasoned, split, and delivered the way normal people do it though. Lot's of loggers and lots of trees keeps the price low.

[Coat]

Amazing. I pay 100 bucks for a rick delivered and stacked. Or I can drive 1.5 hrs one way for free wood.

[DubfromGA]

http://i.imgur.com/uImnrw0.jpg?1 (https://imgur.com/uImnrw0)


I'm running really low on lump and mini-splits.

[RJ_Make]

http://i.imgur.com/uImnrw0.jpg?1 (https://imgur.com/uImnrw0)


I'm running really low on lump and mini-splits.

Holy cow! :clap::clap::clap::clap:

[cookingdude555]

I usually start the winter grilling season (the best one by the way) with about 36 bags that I accumulated from sales during the summer. This summer was all Weber charcoal (Target) and Royal Oak (Home Depot). Never pay full price for charcoal, its not American.

[cheez59]

I use about 15 bags and 3 tanks of propane per year.

[dadsr4]

Who counts? The meat is the expensive part.
Most private brands of charcoal is made by Royal Oak, and stores run sales on their brand not just on the major holidays.
Still stock up on KBB, though. It's what I tend to use for grilling, so the increased ash production is OK.

[zippy12]

I used to go through about three $25.00 propane tanks a year before I switched over to charcoal. I find charcoal to be a bit more expensive.:icon_smile_tongue: I've gone through 4 bags just in the last month alone! At $10.00 a bag, that get's a bit spendy.

My PBC is a big part of that. She eats about 1/4 bag with every cook. I don't regret getting rid of my gassers and switching to charcoal; my bbq has improved by an order of magnitude. I look at it as an investment in my relationships with friends and family through outstanding meals and cold brews enjoyed with friends while "tending the fire". Even so, it's a dang expensive hobby.

I expect I'll spend $300 on charcoal over the next year, and that's before I start shelling out $ for meat! :shocked:


I'm curious. How many 20lb bags do you guys estimate you go through a year?

https://i.imgur.com/HnfXc1Nl.jpg?1

I cant speak for a PBC but I built my stainless steel UDS to be air tight when done cooking. This saves the charcoal nicely and the UDS is very conservative on a burn....

[PirongiaPorker]

20kg bag a cook...cook 40+ weekends a year thats about 1800lbs of Namibian Lump wood...new Q will burn wood so probably a cube of White Oak

[Happy Hapgood]

I go through about 15 bags a year but I buy KBB when it's on sale for about 25 cents per lb.

Same for me on both counts. Gasser gets the call for quick weeknight cooks.

[Joe Black]

Heck, if I could get 1/2 cord of wood for $125.00, I'd be in the wood selling business.


I use about 2 bags of briqs and 4 bags of lump, but all I use it for is a bed of starter coals. I cook with mostly Oak and pecan with cherry and apple chunks for flavor.

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Agree! I’m jealous . We get hosed for $300 for a half face cord of wood out here. Stick burner all the way

[SmittyJonz]

I used to use about 40 bags a year.

[NY Pork Junkie]

Agree! I’m jealous . We get hosed for $300 for a half face cord of wood out here. Stick burner all the way

Holy cow! How on earth do they get away charging $1,200 a cord? Is it some kind of special wood???

[Mikhail]

I suspect hardwood is pretty hard to come by in Colorado. Lots of pine and aspen in the mountains, but not much of anything tasty and nothing at all on the eastern plains.

[Notorious Q.U.E.]

Holy cow! How on earth do they get away charging $1,200 a cord? Is it some kind of special wood???

Nope, just supply and demand. We have an endless supply of conifers but bbq hardwoods are scarce . Hence, we get killed out here. I’d be in stickburner heaven if I enjoyed prices like yours.

[DownHomeQue]

maybe 20 if I use my kettle a lot.. But I am mostly a stickburner for the majority of my cooking

[W.I.T.W.A.G?]

I use wood for fuel but still go through..IDK 10-12 bags of coal a year. I use a little to get the fire going and then for grilling on the Weber