LUMP CHARCOAL IS NOT CREATED EQUAL LUMP CHARCOAL REVIEW B&B - COWBOY - FOGO
Today I will test 3 Major Brands of Lump Charcoal. FOGO, B&B and COWBOY Brands. I will show you how they compare in price, coal size, lighting time, heat regulation, heat recovery and flavor.
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Excellent presentation! Thank you!
Great content! I'm a newbie to charcoal and pellet grilling. Keep it up.
Scott,I have tried all 3 of these lumps in my offsets. I had to minimally adjust my vents on all 3. I did notice more fuel consumption using theCowboy Lump, maybe 5 pounds on a 5 hour cook. I’ve also tried Royal Oak which lands in the middle of the other 3 lumps, but at$13/ 30# bag I can live with it. I too noticed that Cowboy Lump has a distinctive odor unlike the others. Since I’m using a large offset and adding wood chunks , I’ll probably stick with the Royal Oak . Great comparison and review. I saw Cabela waiting for a treat . Hope all is well !
Alot of info, thanks for running the test. Thumbing up.👍
Glad you included what flavor the different lump charcoals have on the chicken. Thanks
Thank you. This was very helpful
You know it's a good day when you get a Backwoods Gourmet notification!
The background sounds were really nice, birds, frogs, rain, typical Florida. Thanks for sharing!
Mr. Backwoods: I would be interested in seeing what the cook times would be using a Dutch oven and the Weber grill. lump charcoal and briquettes in each. Thanks, Great videos
Good video; I like the charcoal reviews. How would you rate them for Dutch oven cooking?
Thanks for all the great recipes and tips you share I subscribed to your channel and you have inspired me to get back out and get back into outdoor cooking I fell victim to gun violence and have suffered with PTSD and getting back outside and cooking has become my therapy my wife and I come out y’all’s way every year to visit our grandson Thanks again for your channel 😎
I been trying out different charcoal last couple months I just got around to kingsford I'm hoping it does good for the grill and Dutch ovens . Expert grill and walmart brand suck when it comes to Dutch ovens I like it when you review charcoal gives and idea what works and dont work thanks for this video
Good review. Thanks for showing us. Take care.
I have noticed an unusual aroma on some lump charcoal. It reminded me of burning creosote. I suspect that can come from the charcoal making process. I never noticed it on the end product but it can be rather alarming when the fire is started.
Cowboy does vary for me on starting also lot of little bits at bottom of bag which I use to mix in with Kingsford or if I use lump seems like about 3# of bits I'll try different types like you did thanks for info
I use B&B Hickory blend!
Great review of charcoals. Not surprisingly Cowboy Lump was the sort of winner. Royal Oak is my all around favorite. Used it earlier today on new york strips for Dad!!! Love all your videos!!! Make more videos, everyone loves them, all very helpful and informative. Love you all!!! John T
The Cowboy chunks were impressive, have to give a try one of these days.
B&B is $12 a bag at Academy in Texas.
I use cowboy charcoal under my Mesquite wood I find it helps get and keep the heat going longer
Very interesting thanks for sharing
This was very interesting, great test process and review. I am using Cowboy for the very first time in 3+ years if kamado cooking. I'm very impressed with the consistent size of the pieces.
The only ones they sell around here where I live is Royal Oak and cowboy I usually start off with briquettes and then when I need to add charcoal I add lump the main reason is it takes me two and a half hours to do my half chicken/ gizzard aluminum foil boats.
I use Royal Oak and B&B for my lump.. B&B is my preference and if you snuff it out can last too.
Thanks
I actually have the same style lid. Is that thermometer accurate when doing 2 zone?
Nice comparison video! I use B and B lump in my grill and it does burn hot. Have you ever used lump for dutch oven cooking? Also, love the frog chorus in the background...summer music.
I have used lump for Dutch oven cooking. We will be doing some reviews on that application in the future.
Had no issues lighting Fogo or Royal Oak. Royal Oak burns a long time but there is lots of dust at middles of the bag. Fogo has held up the best to me.
I have been dabbling with making charcoal and would like to send you some of mine
I've used all three in my Kamado Joe, as well as Royal Oak. All three performed very well for me with no issues. My only critique is that Cowboy and Royal Oak tend to occasionally have some foreign objects (mostly rocks), and also have more fines than other premium charcoals.
Thank you
I use the FOGO in the tan bag, all chunks are as big as soft balls
Oh shoot! What's up neighbor?! I'm in Jacksonville, fl! Graduated from MHS and have family in keystone!!
Embers is hands down the best regular charcoal for your money. Its made by Royal. The first time i used it my wife asked what i did different to the chicken. Great flavor 😋 👌
where'd you get that torch?
Since the number one issue with lump is quality control, my opinion on Cowboy for instance is based on many bags over the years. Some bags were good but since the quality went back down after I gave it a second chance I haven’t used anymore in a while. As for time lighting in a chimney, premium lump like FOGO lasts longer so it’s also slower lighting. Even with the more expensive brands, though, every bag is a little different, and sometimes even a bag of expensive lump can be a little disappointing in terms of smaller pieces and dust.
What about using coals from,our own firepit? How does that compare to briquettes?
Charcoal is made by heating wood in an oxygen deprived environment. Your fire pit should ideally be well oxygenated. The results will be very different.
I use Cowboy Lump charcoal and I do believe it's made here in the USA!!🇺🇸
What would you recommend for a slow brisket smoke ?
Use briquettes for a low and slow smoke. Since they’re all the same size it’s much easier to lock your temperature in and they burn longer.
I always found Cowboy to pop and throw sparks, if coal throws sparks I don’t buy again. Currently I use Royal Oak hardwood lump.
Been happy with FOGO so far and it's denser than other two. More expensive but you get more reusable product and more economical in the end. I'm waiting for a 35lb delivery of Jealous Devil at $8 less than FOGO. I heard it's denser than FOGO but no smoke flavor which I don't mind as I prefer my own flavors. You can't judge fairly on a 30 min burn.
I do not use lump charcoal and reason is that 1) it burns hot at first then seems to cool down quickly. 2) It gives off a lot of sparks pretty much throughout the cook. Am I doing something wrong with lump charcoal or maybe buying the wrong kind?
I bought Cowboy for a long time but lately I haven't seen stores in my area carry Cowboy charcoal ...
Thanks for putting in the time and effort on this one. Lump is always an interesting discussion. You started off stating that all lump is not created equal. All brands are not created equal. Cowboy always seems to get a bad rap and I understand way. It doesn't come from the same plant. I'm not sure how many but I do know it's produced in MO and KY. I use a LOT of Cowboy because I can buy direct from the plant in Albany KY. I have had lengthly conversations with the plant manager regarding quality and consistency. I can tell you they do try to produce a consistent product but they are working with the raw material that changes every day. Do you get crap every now and then? Yep... It's charcoal get over it. Its scrap wood cooked in a large pressure cooker scooped out with a front loader. You should see the amount of metal that they get out of it before it goes into the bag. How about those people that make deer stand ladders with railroad spikes. Overall I have been happy with ALMOST every brand I have tried and I have used a bunch of different ones. I did have one brand that just stunk because it was not made a the correct pressure. It happens... BTW the FOGO was not a 20 pound bag. Good stuff and thanks for the time and effort putting this one together.
I did throw a caption in there about the 17.5 lb bag. Is was marketed by Ace Hardware as 20lb. Thanks for watching Larry.
B&B for long cooks just can't be beat. For short cooks (steaks, burgers, brats, etc.) you only need about half as much B&B because it burns hotter. It is, however, getting kinda pricey, but it's still the hands down best.
Yeah it can. Fogo Super Premium take B&B to the woodshed.
@@nicg9599 yeah and your wallet
@@NvilleOL70 😂😂
I'm on the Treasure Coast, thanks for the video.
I would love to see you do video on homemade charcoal. I know there's two ways one is to bury it in the hole in the other is a 55 gallon barrel
Check out our channel page. We made it on the Weber Kettle grill.
@@BackwoodsGourmetChannel awesome I will have to look for it
Fogo Premium is more for hot fast grilling. It also has a better taste than the other 2. Fogo super premium is for long slow cooks.
Edible for health products?
FOGO... 17.6 pounds, get less costs more per pound. B&B is 12.99 at academy in Texas... I feel lucky! Great video, Take care.
I see that you don’t have foil or a drip pan under the chicken so the fat is going to drip down into the bottom of the kettle. Do you have a problem with the fat drippings gumming up the bottom and making the vent/ash sweep difficult to rotate?
People might think I’m crazy for this, but I take apart the one touch assembly at least every other month to clean. There’s too many parts to it to just ignore. Learned the hard way. Had to replaced a set of sweepers that wasn’t well taken cared of on the bottom side of the kettle so it accumulated gunk and rust and required way too much work to take apart.
I do not limit myself to any one brand. I use what will work the best for what I am cooking and how long I am cooking. Sometimes I use a combination of two types of lump charcoal. I also like Royal Oak and use it just as much as the others. It just depends on what and how long I am cooking.
Coulda told you Cowboy lump charcoal is the best. It's made in Albany KY. I've worked there as a electrical contractor for the Crace family when the plant was first built. They use retort ovens which make for super consistent batches. Cowboy Charcoal is now owned by Duraflame. I've also worked for 2 Kingsford (Clorox) briquette plants in Kentucky. Kingsford uses retort ovens and a German spiral open hearth. The retorts allow for making liquid smoke by scrubbing the chimney draft with water. Yes liquid smoke is exhaust smoke made from cooking wood to charcoal. Spray water in the chimney, it precipitates with the smoke particles, is collected in the retort, thinned to consistent concentration and bottled for you. And Cowboy Charcoal is pure hardwoods with absolutely no additives. I wish you may great grill cooks with Cowboy Charcoal. Thanks for buying our products.
Thank you for the great information. I could really use a charcoal sponsor due to the amount I burn around here testing and making good content. backwoodsgourmetchannel@gmail.com
I once got a bad bag of cowboy, sent a photo to customer service, they sent me a new bag 2 day shipped. New bag had nice size pieces, some couldn’t fit in the Weber rapid fire chimney. I think it’s seriously the best bang for your money. I currently use jealous devil for smoking, but switch between Cowboy and Fogo Black for grilling.
Update, B&B is now also owned by Duraflame. Also, the B&B is oak, the Cowboy is a hickory and oak blend, and rhe Fogo is a South American hardwood.
I personally prefer B&B. But I have tried the cowboy and it was okay, but my cowboy charcoal bag had made in Mexico on it. I was always told that cowboy was made here in the U.S. I guess like everything else, cowboy is outsourcing its products as well.
Thanks man. The wife picked up the cowboy at the store (charcoal, not the guy with the hat) and I was about to through it out. I guess well all sit down tonight and enjoy some apple smoked chicken. Quick question, are you a goat farmer or something? I could have sworn I heard them in the background.
I remember years back when The Cowboy first hit our area it was DIRT Cheap , It was like $4.00 a bag for several years till one day I went to pick up a bag an it had jumped to $12.00 , I was WTF !!! , Since then I only use Royal Oak , a couple times my local store was out a I bought a couple bags of The Walmart brand as I had a couple other things I needed to pick up -- man that stuff was awful it looked like Construction Site Scrapings 1/4 of the bags were damn rocks an big chunks of Clay an what looked like pallet material, Trees don't come with milled looking 1x4 boards you know ,
For a while they were using leftovers from hardwood flooring plants. At least they are using trees now.
I’ll never use Cowboy again.
I've tried 4 brands of lump and half the bags are broken up so small they fall through the coal grate . The big chunks are good but you don't get much usable chunks . Kingsford or Royal Oak briquettes are a better value .
I use Dollar store aluminum trays about 2-3" deep pans to keep the charcoal stationary ..
My fave Harder Charcoal HAXLWC33 100 Percent Natural XL Restaurant Style Barbecue Grilling Lump Charcoal, 33 LB Bag. Blows all these away for quality and consistency of burn and aroma.
Seems like every bag I've tried has a few decent chunks on top and nothing but little pieces at the bottom that burn up too quick.
I’ve had that experience with Cowboy.
These lump charcoal are all of different wood types. I think that a better comparison would be to compare different brands that use the same wood type
Cowboy was really good back then something happened to the sizes of the pieces of charcoal you get there very inconsistent I don’t use Cowboy anymore I buy B&B now I use it most of the time I haven’t tried fogo yet I also use Royal for hot and fast cooking
Damn locust gettin it done 👍🏻
I use FOGO lump…just orderer the premium
GrillHunx said hold my beer hahahaah
😩 Those poor knives good video that chicken made me hungry👍👍
The best on the market is Hasty Bake.
Hmm, I must have bad luck with Cowboy, 4 out of 4 bags was almost half full of flake and it looks like the fourth of July in my BBQ's. I use Lazzari out here in California, it seams to be more consistent in size and quality
I haven't seen Lazzari in my area in SoCal, mostly Sonora and it's fireworks when you light a chimney. Which stores carry Lazzari?
@@yesitsmario88 I am in So Cal, hardware stores and BBQ stores. I use Fogo also but find that there is more smoke flavor with Lazzari, Oak and Mesquite, but there are more sparks than Fogo. Sparks matter less to me when I can buy 1 bag of Fogo for $60 or 3 bags of Lazzari for $66, and the flavor is great. I still use Fogo for some things.
@@Brutalgruve Hardware stores like Home Depot/Lowes? Which BBQ stores? If you don't mind sparks, try Sonora charcoal, Smart & Final carries 40lbs for about $17. Right now I'm into Jealous Devil, local Ace has it, $40 for 35 lbs. No sparks, burns super clean, from what I've heard it's similar to Fogo.
Ace hardware is always going to be higher you got to shop around I get my b&b 20lb bag for 14$
Cowboy is $25 a bag in Canada 😬
You need to show how to make homemade lump charcoal.
Making your own charcoal is a terribly bad idea. The conversion of the wood carbon resource is backwards. If you want to use your own wood carbon for fuel you are much better off to just burn the seasoned wood. Charcoal manufacturers use a controlled process (It's not carbon neutral but it ain't bad.) that gives more Btus per pound of wood than DIY could ever achieve.
Oh I thought it said limp charcoal, nevermind
👍👍
Just got a bag of the Cowboy. The chunks were so small I couldn’t even start them in my chimney. Horrible.
I like BnB
I got the dust in the bag…bag
It would have been nice to see which one lasted (burned) the longest. That would be a big factor in the price.
Not impressed with royal oak
I think some of it is by the 3rd time you got it down.. lol
Sounds like you have an overpopulation of spadefoot toads lol.
I find theses lump charcoal bags are inconsistent, some bags are excellent and some are crumble and terrible. I buy whatever feels like big chunk and not useless small pieces. Felling the bag
Cowboy? Not again. Got a piece that just bubbled like tar. Mostly a bag of nibblets and dust too.
your FOGO bag was 17.6 lbs., not 20.
Thats why I put in a caption that you must have missed.
Well imo you didn’t try all major brands..I been cooking on big green eggs for 15+ years,competition, catering and back yard cooks and started with green egg brand and decided I would try something cheaper and I think I’ve tried every brand in major box stores even bought more expensive brands for competition just because one says it’s better!!Even royal oak who makes green egg brand and nothing compares to green egg lighting,flavor,and longevity..I can do 16 hour cooks on right at a gallon jug of green egg…and still fire it up the next day and cook steaks hamburgers etc..imo
Fogo is a no go
😎👍💯🌟🌟🌟🌟
Im a royal oak kinda guy
I prefer royal oak to Cowboy which I will never buy again. I’ll go with briquettes over Cowboy.
Bubba
I never use lump charcoal - they burn too hot. I prefer Kingsford briquettes.
We have the cowboy brand by us, and in my opinion is garbage. I bet I've bought 10 bags and nothing but crumbs, nothing bigger than a 1/2 dollar.
I have also had that experience like I mentioned in the video. However, I have not used in in a few years, so I wanted to give it another try. This particular bag was great. If you get a bad bag, take it back to the store.
I recently bought a bag of Cowboy hardwood lump & half the bag was tongue & groove flooring & a couple of small chunks of 2 by 4s. Used it in my fire barrel instead. Never buying it again.
What the hell was all that background noise???? Annoying!!