What is Your Favorite Lump Charcoal?

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Just getting into Kamado cooking. There are so many lump charcoals. Which one(s) have you found that work best for you.

Do you used one brand for 12 hour smoke and another brand for grilling steaks?
 
Royal Oak. Readily available, relatively inexpensive, and consistent.

You'll see more expensive lump available from some internet-based places, usually backed up by sponsorship of Instagram BBQ influencers. I've tried them but didn't find them to be worth the extra hassle to obtain or cost.

You'll also find cheaper lump. Cowboy is junk, as are most other hardware store brands.

Stick with Royal Oak and worry about something else is my opinion. Royal Oak also makes Big Green Egg-braded lump. Locally, I could sometimes find BGE stuff cheaper per pound than Royal Oak.

Someone here on BITOG posted about some amazing deals on Royal Oak at some restaurant supply store, but the name of the place escapes me now.
 
I've tried all different sorts of lump and briquettes and spent as little and as much money as you could want. The brand that's consistently been better for me is B&B Charcoal, which I find at my local Ace Hardware. Both my wife and I think it tastes better, I think it burns better than most brands that I've tried (burns equally, doesn't burn too hot, etc), and it's only a few dollars more than any brand you buy at Walmart. Ultimately, like motor oil (or anything else in life, really), it all comes down to opinion and preference. With that said, in my opinion, if you can find this brand of charcoal, it's well worth it.

In regards to different usage for long cooks versus short, I don't use different brands, just different types since I don't have a jack-of-all-trades like a Kamado Joe. I use B&B briquettes in my smoker most of the time which burn slower than lump*, and I use lump in my Weber Kettle, as it tends to burn hotter and gives a nice, good sear.

*I use their lump for pulled pork, as those cooks rarely last more than 7 hours. If I plan on keeping the smoker going for 8+ hours, I usually will just use the charcoal briquettes.
 
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Best advice is to try different brands out. Your family's taste will guide you.
 
Royal Oak. Readily available, relatively inexpensive, and consistent.

You'll see more expensive lump available from some internet-based places, usually backed up by sponsorship of Instagram BBQ influencers. I've tried them but didn't find them to be worth the extra hassle to obtain or cost.

You'll also find cheaper lump. Cowboy is junk, as are most other hardware store brands.

Stick with Royal Oak and worry about something else is my opinion. Royal Oak also makes Big Green Egg-braded lump. Locally, I could sometimes find BGE stuff cheaper per pound than Royal Oak.

Someone here on BITOG posted about some amazing deals on Royal Oak at some restaurant supply store, but the name of the place escapes me now.

I've had the opposite experience. Royal was junk and Cowboy was great.
 
B&B or the Kamado Joe brand. The Kamado Joe brand is the best deal when you buy it at the Costco roadshows.
 
I use charcoal to "smoke" salmon on a plank. For that, I use the Royal Oak lump charcoal, a few kingsford bricks, and some wetted wood on the charcoal once it is going. Works great.
 
Someone here on BITOG posted about some amazing deals on Royal Oak at some restaurant supply store, but the name of the place escapes me now.
webstrantsupply I think.

I’ve seen places here use Lazzari lump charcoal for their pizza ovens or outdoor grills.
 
For just grillin steaks and what not... Kingsford Original or B&B Char logs
For steaks they light fast and cook fast … But for longer cooking meats I will use Kingsford in my starter chimney and then add Royal Oak plus wood chunks as I need more cooking time …
 
Royal Oak is easy to get, but I've really been impressed with Jealous Devil. I had to go to a bbq specialist to find it. They are really large pieces and takes less, plus don't fall through the grates. I like the fogo lump charcoal as ace hardware now carries it.
 
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