AZ Barbeque.com
BBQ Related Topics => BBQ Fuel Discussions - Charcoal, Lump, Pellets, Wood & Gas => Topic started by: Azbully on December 31, 2009, 08:37:26 am
-
Just curious what everyone's lump of preference is? If you could list where you buy it, too, that would be great.
-
Best of the West mesquite lump charcoal at Smart and Final. Has really big chunks that I like using in my stickburner.
-
I shamelessly use Best of the West. From Smart and Final. 40 lb. bag for fifteen bucks. If money wasn't so tight, I'd use ONO.
-
I Currently Use Ono & the Good One. They both burn a bit hot and that works well for my Stick burner..
-
Ono. That stuff is perfect.
-
Thanks for the reply's.
Does BBQ-Island stock the ONO? Do you guys know off hand price, and how many lbs?
I am going to try and make it out there saturday, and scoop up some supplies.
-
BBQ Island does carry the Ono brand. Not exactly sure on pricing though.
-
I think Ono is $20-ish for a 20# bag. The Best of the West from Smart and Final is great, or Diablo from Costco Business Center at 33rd Ave. & Indian School for $10--pretty much the same stuff. Get one off the top, so it's not as much dust. And Restaurant Depot carries a 40# bag of lump for just under $11 also. Nearly all of the aforementioned stuff is Mesquite, so it'll all burn about the same temperature. The ono brand is Kiawe, which, from all I've read, is Hawaiian for Mesquite...BOTW from S&F had by far the largest pieces. Entire burned trees in that bag! Unsure about the stuff from RD, but I bet it's basically the same as BOTW and Costco's Diablo.
-
Good info^ Thanks.
Does Mesquite lump provide much mesquite flavor? From what i understand it doesn't. I just want to confirm that, because i am not a big fan of mesquite(flavor), and will be using apple/pecan/oak, for smoke.
-
Good info^ Thanks.
Does Mesquite lump provide much mesquite flavor? From what i understand it doesn't. I just want to confirm that, because i am not a big fan of mesquite(flavor), and will be using apple/pecan/oak, for smoke.
It doesn't to me.....but I'm using it in a fairly large stickburner.
-
I don't notice it, and use apple for flavor. One thing I have noticed since I started using lump, is that Kingsford has a slight ammonia smell to it. Not appetizing.
-
Don't laugh me off the blog....I use Cowboy Brand lump, purchased at Lowes. I also use that brand of wood chunks. Mesquite or Hickory. For Apple or Pecan I have to go elsewhere. I have tried other brands, but this one burns the steadiest IMO.
-
Finally live in a city where they have variety..been using ono and I love it.
-
Royal Oak and I pick it up usually at the Walmart for around $6.
-
i use ono and the good one....have had great results. i can tell when the ono is on....kinda sweet smell in the air. same as the good one in price......$20/20 lbs if i'm not mistaken. good info on the others kitch!
-
Thanks, man! I'll have to empty out the pickup and get it's registration current, and we can get the twins together...our 2 similar cookers. Your firebox certainly looks more serious than mine. I had a gasket around the door of mine, and it just fell off. Rats. I never put the thing together and cured it with heat.
-
Here's another vote for Royal Oak from Walmart. Love that stuff.
-
I think Ono is $20-ish for a 20# bag. The Best of the West from Smart and Final is great, or Diablo from Costco Business Center at 33rd Ave. & Indian School for $10--pretty much the same stuff. Get one off the top, so it's not as much dust. And Restaurant Depot carries a 40# bag of lump for just under $11 also. Nearly all of the aforementioned stuff is Mesquite, so it'll all burn about the same temperature. The ono brand is Kiawe, which, from all I've read, is Hawaiian for Mesquite...BOTW from S&F had by far the largest pieces. Entire burned trees in that bag! Unsure about the stuff from RD, but I bet it's basically the same as BOTW and Costco's Diablo.
Dave, Kiave is a type of mesquite, but it's a bit different than regular mesquite. It's a bit milder tasting. (Also, unlike mesquite honey, kiave honey will not crystallize. Don't know why.)
Guys, I use some generic (Shamrock Foods) brand of Mexican mesquite chunks. We get them in at work, in ripped-up bags, cheap. No, the employees FIGHT over them, the customers NEVER see them. $7.99/40LBS.
I NEED to try the ONO! I heard it's ONOlicious! (If you're not a kamaina, you wouldn't understand.)
steve
-
Sounds like what thhey sell--OMG. Can't type 'they'--anyway what is sold at RD. I want to compare the bag printing against one on Naked whiz--tehy unngh! review a generic bag of charcoal there. I need another bag, anyway..
-
I like bbq galores....... works well for me
-
just picked up some more ono.....i really like the way it taste, smells and burns.
-
Rob, is it better than regular mesquite? (I mean, is it a dollar a pound better than $8 for a 40 pounder?)
I need to do a side-by-side comparison. But, a buck a pound? I get my meat cheaper than that. (Steve, your pork butt doesn't ride a boat from Honolulu!) (Yeah, but my butt rode a DC-10 from there.)
steve
-
ONO will burn hot.. but good when you need to pump it up
-
As a newbie to the BBQ world I have to ask the question.(actually more than one) Is lump charcol better than the briquettes??? Why would you use one over the other?
Can you mix the 2. Which is best for comp. So many questions. If it makes a difference I am using a Brinkman Pitmasters smoker but, I will need to add a bullet smoker to my arsenal
Any advise would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
-
We only use Kingsford Blue bag for competitions....except for the brisket on the Traeger. You are bound to get a bunch of differing opinions on this.
-
done both.......... except on the DP... use lump coal and wood
-
As a newbie to the BBQ world I have to ask the question.(actually more than one) Is lump charcol better than the briquettes??? Why would you use one over the other?
Can you mix the 2. Which is best for comp. So many questions. If it makes a difference I am using a Brinkman Pitmasters smoker but, I will need to add a bullet smoker to my arsenal
Any advise would be greatly appreciated
Thanks
Matt, I use both, depending on what I'm doing. And, I mix them, too. Kingsfords Bluebag will supply the heat, but very little flavors. Chunk mesquite will supply some flavors, especially if you turn down the heat so it smokes. For me, chunk is cheaper, but I don't always want mesquite smoke flavor, so I use bluebag for heat. I don't do a lot of chicken, but I don't think I'd use too much mesquite chunk on it. (Which is intersting, since Hawaiian Huli-Huli chicken is traditionally cooked on kiave chunk.)
steve
-
I refuse to use briquettes when I smoke due to the incredibly large volume of ash it produces compared to lump. I don't personally think lump adds any flavor; ie Mesquite. Everything that produces the flavors has burned away. I also don't use briquettes because most of 'em add coal, limestone and other stuff I don't want to eat. But a large percentage of winning cooks uses KBlue, and I am a CBJ, so I apparently eat of it and can't tell the difference!
All that said, I have used Stubbs briquettes, which are supposed to be free of all the weird additives. Since I consider it a heat source more than anything, cheeper=better for me. $10 at Costco Business center, $11 @ Rest. Depot for 40# bags. Works for me!
-
Thanks guys. I appreciate the advise ;D
-
Rob, is it better than regular mesquite? (I mean, is it a dollar a pound better than $8 for a 40 pounder?)
I need to do a side-by-side comparison. But, a buck a pound? I get my meat cheaper than that. (Steve, your pork butt doesn't ride a boat from Honolulu!) (Yeah, but my butt rode a DC-10 from there.)
steve
i started using it in my vertical gasser so i didn't blow through a lot of it. now that i have my SFB it is a little hungry eats up that cowboy stuff like twinkies. one of the things i like about ono is the size of some of the chunks. last bag i pulled out a 6" diameter log.............
btw - what are you using for $8 for a 40# bag?
-
I have to say I am sold on lump. As it has been stated Briquettes have a lot of additives and binders. And for sure it produces much more ash.
-
Guys, I use some generic (Shamrock Foods) brand of Mexican mesquite chunks. We get them in at work, in ripped-up bags, cheap. No, the employees FIGHT over them, the customers NEVER see them. $7.99/40LBS.
Rob, I get them from work, if/when they come in. Who cares if the bag is ripped? I'm bringing it home in the bed of a truck, and, I can't use it in an un-opened bag anyways.
steve
-
steve, do you work for shamrock or at a foodservice establishment?
-
I work at a store that gets damaged or late dated products from a bunch of (mostly) grocery suppliers. Think BigLots, or Grocery Outlet, but bigger. Shamrock is just one of our suppliers.
steve
-
I have been using Cowboy brand from Lowes for about six years and really like it.
I smoke in a Bar-b-Chef offset from Barbeque Galore and it burns just fine in it.
Happy smokin!
-
So farmy favorite lump charcoal is this really cheap stuff from Fry's called Diablo. It's Mesquite, and when its getting hot it can pop, crackle and whistle a bit- pretty entertaining I think... But man.. for grillingor smoking, the stuff just keeps burning and burning... I used about eight ounces on an aussie setup, and I swear, three hours after I was done cooking, the coals were still hot enough to sear a steak Pittsburgh style...
I can't wait to get my Texas Pit smoker and use it...
-
Love a steak pittsburg blue.........
-
Karl, if you have Costco or Slam's Cub cards, they both carry 40# bags of lump. I do believe the stuff Costco, down @35th and IS, has is Diablo, for $10. About 6 of the Fry's bag for $3 more. Or Sam's or Smart and Final for Best of the West lump. Chunks the size of your thigh. Well, pretty close. Bust that stuff up while it's hot for an early 4th of July. Those are $14.27 or $15. respectively.
-
I usually use Kingsford but stopped by BBQ island this weekend and picked up some Good One Lump. I will see if I like it and post a review later.
-
I usually use Kingsford but stopped by BBQ island this weekend and picked up some Good One Lump. I will see if I like it and post a review later.
Kenny, it was great meeting you, and I think you'll enjoy the Good-One lump. ;D ;D
-
I've used the Good One Lump before. The last two bags I bought had a few big cement rocks in them weighing about 5lbs. each!! For the price I don't think you can beat the Sam's club or Smart & Final 40lb bag of Best of the West lump for around $15. I pretty much just use it for a bed of coals then add wood though.
-
For the price I don't think you can beat the Sam's club or Smart & Final 40lb bag of Best of the West lump for around $15.
Agreed.
-
My favorite is the BGE brand lump, buts its ridiculously expensive. So I usually use Cowboy brand lump from the ace hardware down the street. Giant bag for like 12 bucks.
I really only use the BGE brand lump if I've got something really special that Im doing a low and slow cook for.
-
I've been stuck on Wicked Good for a while now. I tried a bag of the BGE lump and had way too many pieces that weren't completely carbonized. I have the same issue with a lot of Royal Oak. I also really like Real Montana charcoal in maple and apple. Their black hawthorn charcoal is awesome for pork.
-
I've been stuck on Wicked Good for a while now. I tried a bag of the BGE lump and had way too many pieces that weren't completely carbonized. I have the same issue with a lot of Royal Oak. I also really like Real Montana charcoal in maple and apple. Their black hawthorn charcoal is awesome for pork.
Where do you get the Wicked Good, and Real Montana?
-
Well today was my first time with best of the west lump from smart and final, I am very pleased with it so far had the proq stoked at 225 all day no worries. I was gonna toss my cell phone in there to see if it would pop and crack and make pretty colors like the cowboy lump >:D but did not have the heart to do it.
-
I did my fist cook yesterday using Best Of The West and I must say I was pleased. It held around 275 all day, 10 Hours. Put in about 30 lbs and still looks like about 1/3 still in the fire box after shutting it down. The cost for the cook was about the same as I spend of pellets for my Traeger for the same cook. I was worried about the cost to fire up the big smoker but very happy. I know the big cooker tasted better, Used 2 Pecan, 1 Apple chunk and a hand full of Cherry pellets for the redder somke ring. I do have a couple of bag of the Good One Lump to try on a future cook.
-
My fav lump is Royal Oak, made in the U.S.A. It's all good my friend.
-
Been using the good one but tried the Ozark Oak which burned hotter so I did not have to use as much last night when I grilled some steaks. Ozark will probably replace the Good One until I find something better. Might have to try Diablo or the Smart and Final due to price for my next church cook. Lump is the only way to go for me.
-
My two cents:
I never use lump in the smoker, I've finally learned the WSM well enough on Kingsford blue bag and especially for competitions I want to eliminate as many variables as I possibly can. Lump is inconsistent by it's nature, maybe I'll try it one day but it's still a work in progress to perfect the steady temp using briquettes for me anyway-I'm a slow learner...
Grilling is a whole other ball of wax and I've used several different brands of lump. The Best of the West mesquite lump is cheap, but I found it really pops bad. Ono is a good product but I'm a cheapskate and it's just a little out of my price range. Cowboy is decent, and the Fry's store brand can be quite good, but I've also found some pretty bad bags with lots of melted plastic and uncarbonized pieces.
My favorite is/was Kingsford Charwood but I don't think they make it anymore. Fry's was blowing it out last year so I hit every store in North Phoenix and probably bought ~25 bags at two bucks a pop. I still got two in the shed :)
-
I've been buying 20lb bags of Royal Oak for about $15 from Brooksies in Chandler. I'm loving the stuff. Good sized chunks and not a lot of trash for a great price.