Lump Charcoal question

[biaviian]

I search and searched but couldn't find my answer.  I can only find Cowboy lump charcoal in this area.  I have called every store I could think of, in a 30 mile radius, that may have lump charcoal and nobody but Lowes or HD has it.  I did find Natural Briquets (Stubb's) but that is all, besides a wide variety of Kingsford.  So where do you suggest I look and is Cowboy (provided I pay attention to what I use out of the bag) better than any briquet?  I checked the following places:

Lowes

Home Depot

Bass Pro Shop

Costco

BJs

Walmart

Some other homestore/nursery I can't think of.

Online I can get it, of course, but at like $34 for 20lbs, for Char-Broil or $18 for 10lbs of Frontier. If anybody knows of any place in the Harrisburg area (I'm 25 miles southwest of Harrisburg) where I can get quality lump please let me know.

 

[retread]

There are complaints about Cowboy Lump, but, I use it and haven't had bad experiences.  Yes, I do see pieces that have been run through a shaper and look like pieces of molding, but I have never seen any with stain or shellac or any chemical treatment. It works for me!

 

[nwdave]

Your Walmart doesn't have Royal Oak in the Red Bag?????  We have it by the pallets up here.  Maybe you can go to Walmart on line, order it thru them and have it shipped to their nearest location to you?  I won't swear to it but I think if they drop ship to their store, the shipping is free BUT I could be wrong on this point. 

Do you have any restaurant supply houses near you?  You may have to do some searching in the phone books for this information.  They sometimes sell to the general public. The one name I've heard mentioned back your way was Restaurant Depot or something like that.  Out here, the one I'm acquainted with is Cash 'N Carry, a division of Wholesale Grocers.  It's well worth the effort.  Cash N' Carry sells 40 lb bags of Lazzai Lump for 13.99. 

BTW, I've used Stubbs and I really like it as well as Kingsford Competition. 

Are you acquainted with this site?  NakedWhiz.com/lump

Great source of information about lump charcoal and should have answers about the quality of the various lumps you might stumble across like Frontier or Cowboy.

~Dave

 

[michael ark]

Check sam's i get best of the west mesquite lump $14.89 for 40 lbs or find a store that sells best choce can goods. Because best choice makes a good lump i think it's hickory.

 

[biaviian]

I didn't see any online except Kingsford. I also didn't go into the local Walmart but only called. I plan on making a stop in there tomorrow or Saturday. I didn't call Sam's Club; I should try that. I do know there is a "The Restaurant Store" in Harrisburg; I'll try them.

I did look at that Nakid site but I was hoping to get first-hand accounts from people on this  site as well.  I just went through a chimey's worth of coal and it looked great (not good but great).  I only found one questionable piece but I think it was just my imagination.  I tried to break it and couldn't so I put it aside as I figured it should be somewhat fragile when trying to bend it in half (it was a flatish piece that looks like it could be 3/8" plywood).  I think I'm giving in and doing a test burn tomorrow, if I find time to put it together while "working".

 

[biaviian]

Ah, yes, I knew I'd find the answer on here!!!!!  The Restaurant Depot has Royal Oak for $6/16lb!!!!!!

http://www.therestaurantstore.com/Royal-Oak-Premium-Charcoal-Briquettes-16-lb--Bag/688CBRIQRO.html

Guess where I'm going this weekend!!!!!!

EDIT:  As I look closer they only have the briquets. 

EDIT 2:  Found it!

http://www.therestaurantstore.com/Natural-Wood-Lump-Charcoal-8-Kilogram-Bag/688CLUMP++++8K.html

$10/8kg

 

[fpnmf]

Walmart should have R.O. lump.

Ace harware also stocks lump here.

   Craig

 

[SmokinAl]

I think every Walmart has RO lump.

 

[cliffcarter]

The RO lump at The Restaurant Store is made in South America, the clue is in the weight(8kg). I have used the RO lump from Paraguay in a pinch but it does not perform as well as the made in USA RO at WalMart. I have also seen RO lump from Argentina at the local Ocean State Job Lots in 8kg bag, I suspect that is what you may be buying.

This is the review from the nakedwhiz site-

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag59.htm

not very highly rated

 

[biaviian]

Thanks for the warning before I drove 30 miles to get there.  I'll have to go into Walmart rather than just call as most people are saying they should carry it.

 

[realtorterry]

The cowboy is not all that bad. Just watch whats in the bag?

 

[biaviian]

I'm going to give my bag a whirl and hopefully I'm happy with it or find RO.

 

[michael ark]

Have you ever thought of just wood plain old simple wood. It's all over the ground here since the storms.Just start a fire let it burn down to a bed of coals add meat keep a bed of coals going.Slowly add wood one stick at a time to keep temp down.Old school and nothing is cheaper than doing you own yard work .Just make sure your wood is not green hell it can even be wet once you get a bed of coals.Just not green,sap is bitter.Great to get your caveman out.UGH I MAKE FIRE

 

[oldschoolbbq]

  Rick is right,collect,cut and use the available sources

. It's all green and I can't burn it ,you say;well not ture,it is harder to light(unless you have a weed burner),but it will burn and take all the bad stuff with it when it gets to embers

.When in doubt,improvise

  Have fun and...

 

[old_dog]

Try http://www.fredsmusicandbbq.com/.

They're in Shillington, PA, and have just about everything.

 

[michael ark]

Who's rick ?I say don't use green because you half to add wood to bed of coals to keep fire going .Throw a green sappy peice on a bed of coal instant thick white smoke you can taste in the air, thats sap.I use the single fire methode no extra work.Just feed you fire as you go low and slow.

Dance around smoker doing the fire dance .I use a trim saw to cut my stuff down to 5 "to 6" to fit my smoker.

 

[jasonw560]

Watch the stuff you get from south of the border. My FIL did find some molding in a bag of his. I get our regional grocery chain brand ( we have mesquite, mesquite, and....mesquite) which works good.

 

[biaviian]

Who's rick ?I say don't use green because you half to add wood to bed of coals to keep fire going .Throw a green sappy peice on a bed of coal instant thick white smoke you can taste in the air, thats sap.I use the single fire methode no extra work.Just feed you fire as you go low and slow.

Dance around smoker doing the fire dance .I use a trim saw to cut my stuff down to 5 "to 6" to fit my smoker.

Please excuse my ignorance but you can use logs with the WSM rather than charcoal?

 

[michael ark]

YES .Maybe not logs like you use in the fire place cut them in half and split them down the middle.My vertical will take small stuff 8 or 9 in being the largest.Use twigs from the yard to start a fire in fire box to get a bed of coals .Then start with the  mini log 3" round is larges i use unless i make a disk like a Frisbee from larger diameter wood.Try it on some cheap meat.Just remember lump is wood that just been charred really good.

 

[biaviian]

Found RO from the USA at Walmart!