Kingsford, Cowboy or Royal Oak???

Beertooth · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject: Kingsford, Cowboy or Royal Oak???

I was going to post this in 'Wood and Charcoal' but 'General BBQ Discussion' has a ton more traffic.

I am shopping for fuel and I basically have 3 choices in my area. Kingsford briquettes, Cowboy lump, or Royal Oak lump. What would you use and why? What have you used of these three? Why would you NOT use one? Why do you like one over the other?

Any input would be great!

Thanks.

P.S. - Thinking of WSM during winter months in the Pacific North West. Smile

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Frankenswine · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

Out of those 3 I would have to say Kingsford. I used to use the RO a lot but the last few cooks it was burning out really quick. I did a cook on my WSM a few nights ago with Kingsforsd and temps in the low teens and it held solid for 12 hrs at 235.

necron 99 · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I voted Royal Oak lump. I haven't used it personally, but it's rated higher on burn time etc. than Cowboy on the Naked Whiz site.

Cowboy would be my second choice of those 3, but be aware it burns pretty quickly - the 8.8 lb. bag of Cowboy at HD is in about the same volume size bag 20 lb. of OCC Rancher briquets come in. I tried a bag of Cowboy for grilling 10 or 15 years ago or so and was disappointed in it.

Kingsford briquets would be my last choice due to the mineral coal ingredient - although Kingsford will evidently be marketing some all natural briquets in 2009, we'll see what they're like soon I suppose.

http://www.thesmokering.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=22810
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tnbarbq · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I love RO. They also make the Best Choice lump available at many IGA stores. I avoid Cowboy lump if possible. They claim it does not have plywood but I've seen too many pieces that look like it for my comfort. The last time I used Kingsford lump I had a big problem with sparks.
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HarvestMoon · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I voted RO, because I got six and a half bags in the garage that I bought from Walmart.
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Oregon smoker · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

i voted RO lump. i have used the cowboy once, it looked like flooring scraps and smelled like $chit to boot.
these days i am using http://www.lazzari.com/. i found it at the cash and carry in 40# bags for $14. i get huge logs along with medium to small followed by chunks out of every bag. it burns hotter, longer, and about the same amount of ash as RO.

Big Bears BBQ · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

kingsford for us..............

Cal-B-Que · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I have used all of them and really have noticed no significant difference; So I get whatever is priced best.

I am more concerned about the wood that I use for smoke.

sleecjr · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

Royal oak lump is what i would go with out of the 3. Kingsford briquettes are full of who knows what and make a ton of ash in the cooker.

If you are having burn time issues. Try to find wicked good charcoal briquettes. They will give you way more burn time that anything. Yes even more than the lump. If you start the fire in a small spot away from the vent, you can get rock solid 225 for 14-18 hours in a bullet smoker. You will need to get use to them. As they require about 1/3 the air then most others do to get to temps.
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dj420 · Newbie Joined: 28 May 2008 Posts: 41 Location: Central MN

I use Kingsford. I have in the past used both RO & Cowboy, but being inherently cheap, always went back to Kingsford. I then found this article; http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/charcoal.html . I have used Kingsford ever since. I can't taste the difference.
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Fig Pucker · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I'm new to BBQ and have a WSM. I too read the article that dj420 linked and use kingsford.

From the article:

"The general consensus is that briquettes tend to burn longer and more consistently than lump charcoal, but not quite as hot."

I've yet to use lump. For folks who used both, what do you prefer and why?
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Canadian Bacon · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I would use RO lump,I can't stand briquettes,to much filler in them and they produce way to much ash,then you get air flow problems on long cooks.
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r6abusa · BBQ Fan Joined: 12 Jun 2007 Posts: 372 Location: Michigan

IMO Royal Oak is the only decent charcoal you have listed.

Here is a few of my favs:

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NumberCruncher · Posted: Dec 24 2008 Post subject:

I completely agree that briquettes are a pain in the butt. Too much ash. They do burn nice and evenly, and they're easy to handle, but I had some bad ventilation issues during a long cook in my WSM and that sux because there's not much you can do to clean it out mid-cook. So I bought a big bag of Cowboy lump, but I'm not too pleased with it. It's clearly wood flooring scraps and it pops a lot.

Still looking for alternate sources, but I haven't found many options. Most places that have lump will have either Cowboy or Kingsford. I need to go check out Sam's Club.
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DawgPhan · BBQ Super Pro Joined: 12 May 2005 Posts: 3444

I like the royal oak briquettes. I am not a huge fan of lump.

istock74 · BBQ Pro Joined: 28 Jun 2007 Posts: 965 Location: Logan, IA

Hmmm.... I use kingsford or royal oak briquettes for long cooks on my wsm. I use Royal Oak lump ( it's cheap and readily available here) for shorter cooks and grilling.
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Beertooth · Posted: Dec 25 2008 Post subject:

Thanks for all the input. I think for now I will keep both RO and K on hand. In the past I have even used a mixture of the two, tossing a handful of RO on top of the K for a little heat boost.
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Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
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Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
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Shaymus · BBQ Pro Joined: 04 Apr 2006 Posts: 869 Location: Boone NC

I use Original Charcoal but, out of the choices in the poll , I voted Royal Oak.
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necron 99 · Posted: Dec 25 2008 Post subject:

I don't know if there are Sam's Club stores in your area, or if you're a member, but here's a link to what the Sam's Club nearest us is carrying instead of Kingsford Charwood lump.

http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=407867

You can try the 'change store' feature to see if it's in any of the Sam's Club stores in your area. Used to be you could Google up a free 1 day pass pretty easily if you're not a member, or don't have a friend or neighbor that's a member.
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Beertooth · Posted: Dec 25 2008 Post subject:

No Sam's Club anywhere around here that I know of. Although there is Costco here and there. Hmmm.... I'll have to call them and see what they carry.
_________________
Camp Chef Pro90 Stove w/ Griddle
1985 22" Weber Kettle
CharGriller
18.5" WSM (Stoked)
22.5" WSM
85 Gallon UDS
Weber Smokey Joe/Mini WSM
Cast Iron Cookware
24" Disc Cooker
Masterbuilt 40" Electric
Char-Griller Akorn