Royal Oak Lump Charcoal

[cayotica]

Once upon a time royal oak charcoal had only oak in it. I don't know what's in it today. (You can always call royal oak customer service) Kingsford on the other hand contains all sorts of junk wood both hard and soft. Myself I was a dedicated royal oak fan. however, I only use lump charcoal today that way you know for sure what It would s. Charcoal briquettes last longer and burn hotter hotter. P.S. The chemical ingredients In a briquettes are scary.

 

[brazosbrian]

Since the label says 'hardwood' not 'oak' ...I suspect it's a mix of American hardwoods (on the 'Made in the USA' version of RO).  That said, noting that the big green egg lump charcoal is a relabel of the same product, I'm not too worried about the quality and mix of woods ...they'd likely lose the big green egg customer if the quality wasn't there.  At least to my nose/tongue, I don't detect a strong signature when the stuff is burning, for example it doesn't smell/taste like pure hickory or other.  It's pretty neutral, which implies probably oak and fruit woods.

Brian

 

[ahumadora]

It is made up of Que Bracho, induwai and other hardwoods found here in the North of Argentina.  

I buy the same bag here with English written on it as they export it from here.

Costs me about $usd 5 for a 10lb bag.

 

[thehellyousay]

 
There should be some great sales on charcoal next week in preperation for the 4th of July. That is a great time to stock up - I usually buy about 200 lbs. and stash it in the garage.

That is a brilliant idea!  I'll bet they might be selling it for less than cost just to get you in there to buy more Budweiser.  

I'm sure the costs right now around Christmas are normal retail.  I do have a Cash & Carry between my house and the office, so that makes me happy.

 

[thehellyousay]

 
I picked up a bag recently of RO Chef's Select briquettes from Cash & Carry. They are labeled "for restaurant use". They are supposed to be wood-based, I guess.

After going thru the bag, I have to say I'm not that impressed. Though the briquettes are larger than Kingsford, they are not as dense. Sort of, I dunno, punkier? Although they last as long, if not longer than the Kingsford, they didn't seem to put out as much heat. But they did leave more ash behind than even Kingsford.

Anyone else tried them?

That's funny because I began to think that there are Cash & Carry stores everywhere, then I see you're from Everett, so it's the very same one I go to.  Yeah, I tried a bag of those.  They're fun to haul home because the bags are so over-sized that its like something out of the Flintstones.  I had the same impression - punky, but matched or bettered the charcoal.  I just got the WSM 18" and I'll probably stick with Kingsford until I master it.  Already thinking of what's next on the grill, spatchcocked chicken may get to make an encore performance.

 

[jirodriguez]

Best deal at Cash and Carry is the Lazzari - 40 lbs. for about $13. It burns really well, but I find in my 22.5" WSM it burns much faster than the Kingsford Blue Bag (KBB). This is primarily due to the uneven spacing not packing as tight - so you get less charcoal in the ring and more air flow through the pile. So I will use Lazzari for shorter smokes and KBB for longer stuff (or a mix of the two).

Also with any charcoal (and especially lump) store it inside at the back or your garage if you live in a wet/humid climate. Otherwise they will absorb moisture out of the air and become skunky over time.

 

[brazosbrian]

Agree... The charcoal should be isolated from concrete floors and weather to avoid absorption of moisture.  I keep mine on a wooden shelf and/or in a plastic tub (to carry the original bag, which I also fold over and clamp shut).  I use the tub for open bag(s) only.

bd

 

[pugetsnd]

Price vs. Ingredients

Growing up we always used Kingsford, but then we didn't know any better. I even used Kingsford in my early grilling/smoking efforts. Then, one day I searched to find the ingredients of Kingsford briquettes. Wood char, mineral char, mineral carbon, limestone, starch, borax, sodium nitrate and sawdust. ??????? I thought charcoal was just to be made of wood. Heat wood in a low oxygen environment and you have charcoal. Pure and simple.

Well, I now use Royal Oak lump exclusively. Just hardwood charcoal. No minerals, limestone, borax, sodium nitrate. According to RO's website, their briquettes are just ground hardwood charcoal and corn starch as a binder. But, I like the lump. Burns clean and hot and added wood chunks or chips give great smoke.

When  I lived in Hawaii, I used to make my own Lychee charcoal. I take fallen branches from the Lychee tree in the yard and start a big fire. Then, cover the Weber with all vents closed and in the low oxygen environment, created Lychee charcoal. Great smoke for chicken, beef and pork. I also had access to lots of Kiawe wood. ONO!

Just my 2 cents, but I want pure charcoal when I'm cooking.

Puget