Cowboy Lump 34lb Bag for $19 Costco

[Jason TQ]

My go to lump Carbon Del Sur at RD is normally $9 for 18lb which is as cheap as I see lump get. Last trip it was $12 so that is a bummer. Today was at Costco and the ones around here never have lump and when they did it wasn't a good price. Saw a guy with a huge bag on his cart and then wandered the store and found a big ol 34lb bag for $19. So $.56/lb is solid. I picked up 2 and might get more next week.

Hopefully this doesn't devolve into a "Cowboy is Crap" thread, but just wanted to let folks know of the deal if you Costco might carry it too. I know years ago it wasn't the best, but whatever they do differently now it is solid (I just never see it a lot around here). I opened a bag to put a little in my egg and looks great :clap2:.

 

[sloandsteady]

I've never used Cowboy and have a Costco nearby, so looking forward to your observations.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

Looks better than what cowboy lump use to look like

 

[mahenryak]

Hopefully this doesn't devolve into a "Cowboy is Crap" thread, but just wanted to let folks know of the deal if you Costco might carry it too. I know years ago it wasn't the best, but whatever they do differently now it is solid (I just never see it a lot around here). I opened a bag to put a little in my egg and looks great :clap2:.
]

Hello. Thank you for posting this. I was scared off of Cowboy lump a long time ago based upon comments made by others. I've never tried it. Sounds like you are okay with it. I would appreciate it if you could comment again after a cook, or right away if you feel comfortable. For example, would you describe it as a neutral flavor? Do you have to wait a significant period of time for the non-vol's to burn off. (I hope this doesn't count as a 'cowboy is crap' comment. :doh: )

 

[RolandJT]

There are 2 distinct brands of Cowboy around here. One is what you have that I can get at Lowes--labeled Cowboy Sothern Style. It is made in USA and advertises as 'primarily Oak and Hickory'

I love this charcoal. I find the size distribution good and the smell when cooking the standard southern USA hardwood stereotypical smell. (Ironic this is noted as southern since so many of the big charcoal plants are in Missouri). I consider this kind of Cowboy as a higher quality and longer lasting Royal oak competitor.

I do note that RO is close to 50cents/lb while Cowboy Southern style is 75 cents/lb at normal prices around here. I think they are priced fairly at that difference.


The other kind of charcoal is made in Mexico and usually simply labeled as Cowboy. To me this is clearly inferior to RO. Since I can find RO at a similar price I personally rarely buy the standard Cowboy. It seems to spark a lot, have more ash than is normal for lump, and not last as long as RO. That said the Mexican Cowboy does seem to get searingly hot very quickly so i'll buy a bag when doing steaks for a crowd.

 

[gtr]

I'd be interested in checking that out. Gore put up a thread a while back detaliing how Cowboy, which was once considered very bad (apparently justifiably so), may have changed their game for the better.

 

[Jason TQ]

Hello. Thank you for posting this. I was scared off of Cowboy lump a long time ago based upon comments made by others. I've never tried it. Sounds like you are okay with it. I would appreciate it if you could comment again after a cook, or right away if you feel comfortable. For example, would you describe it as a neutral flavor? Do you have to wait a significant period of time for the non-vol's to burn off. (I hope this doesn't count as a 'cowboy is crap' comment. :doh: )

I used some last year and I do like it. Nothing crazy different than some of the others like royal oak. The carbon del sur is one of my favorites. The pieces are all of a medium to medium large size. But this cowboy looks good and I'm sure will taste just fine like previous bags.

 

[Gore]

Wow, I haven't even seen Cowboy since I got back from Spain. I hope they have some at my Costco, ... and I hope the put the frogs back in the bags. Opening those things used to be like opening a bag of Cracker Jacks: you never knew what the surprise was going to be. Farkin' quality control. :tsk:

 

[DriverWild]

Cowboy burned me once so I won't buy ever again. Bought several bags on sale and found a lot of plastic twine mixed in, plastic doesn't smell good when burned! I ended up practically giving away over 20 bags at a garage sale.