kentfireworks Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 i use royal oak 100% charcoal it is very good charcoal ... but you need to buy the 100% charcoal because the normal one is not good because it have a lot of clay and stuff in it
Eric70 Posted December 2, 2009 Posted December 2, 2009 (edited) According to this site http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag11.htm Royal Oak 100% Natural Wood Charcoal (red bag) lists its contents as various hardwoods that include oak, hickory and maple. I have used 2 bags of this so far for my BP coreburner rockets and would recommend it. The green bag of Royal Oak Steak House 100% Natural Wood Lump Charcoal has unknown contents. I am currently using the green bag, it is my first one and works fine. Perhaps I got lucky but next bag could be junk therefore I would recommend using the red bag. Edited December 2, 2009 by Eric70
gordohigh Posted January 31, 2010 Posted January 31, 2010 (edited) What I did on my last bag, (kinksford lump) was to tromp on the bag to help break up the chunks before I opened it. The bags on most commercial lump charcoal are pretty durable and will take quite a bit of abuse. I yielded enough powder from the stomping to do a small ballmill batch, and then sorted the rest. Then, I decided to do an experiment with a bunch of the light small pieces. I loaded a 5 gal plastic bucket about half full,loaded in some golf balls, and then put the lid on and then duct taped it real well. It is now in the back of my truck in the bed where it rolls around at will. I'm hoping it will break down the carcoal to a point where I can screen and ballmill a nice batch or 2, but we will see. I checked it yesterday and it feels like it has been reduced to about 1/4 the original volume so I know there are sttill some bigger pieces but it "feels" like it's heavy in the corners now which to me indicates that it is gaining in the process. Now this won't yield a quick batch, but while I still use conventional methods the bucket might give me a large batch some day when I don't feel like getting dirty. I can attest that the cowboy brand is a lighter weight faster burning charcoal. When I recently made some magnalium I ran out of royal oak charcoal and had to use the cowboy brand in my charcoal chimney starter and I had to add charcoal 3 times during the process where using the royal oak lump another time and didn't add any. I know this is an old thread, but any new Ideas are welcome as we all know charcoal is such an important part of our hobby and the dirtiest part too. Edited January 31, 2010 by gordohigh
Eric70 Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 It's been a while since the last post on this thread but here is some more information for the new year... Went to Sam's Club yesterday and got excited to see a big stack of 40 lb bags of "Frontier" lump charcoal for $14.95. I held off on buying it after the bag said product of Mexico. Not sure what would be in the bag in terms of woods used and quality. The link below is for outdoor cooking, these guys didn't seem impressed. I am not sure if it would be worthwhile for pyro: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78858
hillbillyreefer Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 Has anyone tried alfalfa charcoal? I have access to willow, maple, pine, and alder, all of which I've tried with success in small batches. In a previous post there was a link that referenced "barnyard straw" which I guess is some sort of cereal crop straw. That got me to wondering about alfalfa. May have to give it a try after this blizzard subsides.
Peret Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 Has anyone tried alfalfa charcoal? I have access to willow, maple, pine, and alder, all of which I've tried with success in small batches. In a previous post there was a link that referenced "barnyard straw" which I guess is some sort of cereal crop straw. That got me to wondering about alfalfa. May have to give it a try after this blizzard subsides.So-called "Cocoa Powder" was made with rye straw charcoal, lightly roasted brown instead of black, hence the name. But its principal distinguishing characteristic is that it was very slow burning compared to regular black powder. I imagine that any kind of "barnyard straw" would have a similar characteristic, since there's only a few genes difference between all the various members of the grass family. Cereal stalks are not pure cellulose, they contain a lot of silica and other junk for stiffness.
Richtee Posted January 9, 2011 Posted January 9, 2011 It's been a while since the last post on this thread but here is some more information for the new year... Went to Sam's Club yesterday and got excited to see a big stack of 40 lb bags of "Frontier" lump charcoal for $14.95. I held off on buying it after the bag said product of Mexico. Not sure what would be in the bag in terms of woods used and quality. The link below is for outdoor cooking, these guys didn't seem impressed. I am not sure if it would be worthwhile for pyro: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=78858What makes it good for cooking is what makes it bad for fast powder I figger. You hangin' at the Brethren? You a cooker?
Eric70 Posted January 9, 2011 Posted January 9, 2011 What makes it good for cooking is what makes it bad for fast powder I figger. You hangin' at the Brethren? You a cooker? Richtee - nope, not much going on for me there, just burgers, brats and steaks. For grilling I just like using lump charcoal instead of the processed junk. I like the real deal. It was not using charcoal, but smoking fish and other meat was something we used to do. That was back in high school and has been almost 25 years ago. My mother became very interested in that when our elderly neighbor gave dad and I his old Little Chief smoker. Must have been something to do with her having a Danish heritage, I don't know. Fella I work with is a goose hunter and makes some dang nice goose jerky. Anyhow, as for pyro, that bag of Frontier lump from Mexico may contain a fair share of mesquite. Guess I might end up buying it and let you guys know.
oldguy Posted January 31, 2011 Posted January 31, 2011 (edited) Just ground up my first 20 lb batch of BBQ type lump charcoal using an electric garden mulcher/shredder out in the back yard.It's a bid messy, but very effective for getting it down to ¼ inch minus fines.Lesson learned, next time I will cover where the charcoal exits into a tote, with a dampened old sheet or blank to control the dust. Today's adventure gives a whole new meaning to ones "carbon footprint". Edited February 1, 2011 by oldguy
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