Who Makes The Best Lump Charcoal For BBQ?

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Watch More: 📺 Who Makes The Best BBQ Charcoal? • Who Makes The Best BBQ...
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We recently took a look at four (4) popular brands for charcoal briquettes to see which one stood above the others. You can watch that video here: • Who Makes The Best BBQ...
Today we're comparing eight (8) popular brands of lump charcoal. The main areas of comparison are:
Cost
Temperature
Duration
The competitors are:
B and B (amzn.to/3SyWVc6)
Big Green Egg (amzn.to/466njgP)
Cowboy (amzn.to/3SpOlMS)
Fogo (amzn.to/470gizh)
Jealous Devil (amzn.to/46ZxJjm)
Kamado Joe Big Block XL
Rockwood (amzn.to/3u345LI)
Royal Oak (amzn.to/3FNXebp)
Please consider supporting Backyard SmokeMaster BBQ through the affiliate links for products that may have been mentioned in this video. As an Amazon Influencer, I earn from qualifying purchases, however you will not pay more for products purchased from the links above.
This is probably the longest video that I'll ever make for KZbin so get your popcorn ready to find out which brands came out on top!
Songs in this video are from Soundstripe
soundstripe.co...
K5QOPBGPXD5NGDGO
6NJ4O5YSGLKCDUTZ
6JHELL7E4YNY9WXP

[@MommyGuideInc]

Such a tedious task to do so thank you so much Kenyatta for these comparison checks.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

It’s a labor of love, but I’ll admit that getting this video out had its challenges 😂

[@avargs3505]

This was super helpful and super informative thank you!!!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

@avargs3505 I’m glad that you found it helpful.

[@MrChiki1911]

I'm watching this while grilling

[@ChrisHayesPhoto]

I get FOGO for $19.95 regularly in the St. Louis area. That makes it $1.13 per pound. I find the consistency of FOGO to be better than Cowboy in my area. Cowboy tends to have a lot of dust at the bottom which is useless. Royal Oak just makes me angry that I bought it. Great video! I definitely want to try out B&B and Rockwood myself.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for your feedback…. wow, $19.95 for FOGO is a great deal!

[@nate43bee]

Thank you!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

I’m glad you found the video to be useful

[@redstone5149]

Very interesting test! Thanks for putting in the time and effort needed to do a test like this👍

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for your support!

[@michaelelias1016]

When I start my LSG offset I fill the chimney 3/4 of full with B&B briquettes and before pouring the ashed over briquettes into the fire management basket I fill the bottom of the fire management basket with B&B lump, just a thin layer. Seems to be a good way to get my oak splits going really well. Thx for putting this together,

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your process, mine is similar. I fill up the bottom of the basket in my LSG with unlit lit and I also pour about 3/4 chimney of lit lump over the top. I start adding the wood splits after the coals ash over.

[@MarkTrades__]

Man the music, fade-in, & timing of your intros are great for your channel's size.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks Mark!

[@michaelmayeux3964]

B&B is my preferred lump charcoal. I'm getting the coals up to temp while I prep the food anyways, so I like that it takes a while to get going.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

I'm becoming a huge fan of B&B's products.

[@polsok44]

Very nice video👍 thanks for taking the time to do a video like this

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thank you!

[@ronscott700]

Really informative comparison of these 8 charcoals. Also, I thought your methodology was quite scientific enough for the general backyard cookers. You hinted at mixing the faster lighting smaller lumps with the larger long burning ones and I have been doing this the last couple years with JD and Fogo. Thanks for sharing.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it!

[@bubblehead7680]

Really enjoying this series. What would be nice is if you could attach a temp probe hooked up to something to record the temps over time. Then you could really see a curve on the temps.

[@muzaaaaak]

Been running JD since I bought my WSK. Absolutely love it for burn rate, flavor, size and heat output. It’s mildly sweet and pairs well with any smoke wood. To me, it’s the best natural lump available. Walmart, Home Depot and Amazon all deliver it for free. And that’s just perfect for me. Grill on! And have fun. That’s what bbq is all about. Thanks, Kenyatta!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your experience with JD. Great to know that it can be delivered for free. I will be taking advantage of that!

[@muzaaaaak]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ and I’m in NorCal. Outside Sacramento area. Walmart just had a JD sale. $0.85# delivered, in 20# bags. So I stocked up on a few bags.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks! I will start paying attention to WM!

[@ronheath5724]

I am a real novice when it comes to this. I just got my first smoker grill. A week and gotta put together. And tomorrow I'm going to Christian with that. I've watched so many videos on here on cooking ribs. I think I know how to do that. Yes, lunch hardcore, because I figured out all the videos I've seen. They all talked about one charcoal. Yours is the first one that I've seen worth a clip brand to guess brand I bought expert. Grill at Walmart, not knowing what to get.But i'm gonna try it and see how those and see how they turned out

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Try a few & see which ones work best for you. All of them will get the job done so I would factor price & availability into my decision on which brand to use long term.

[@lenrobinson1876]

Excellent review, Kenyatta! Thank you so much. I have been using Kamado Joe but will be giving B&B a try (B&B is readily available where I live in Minnesota.)

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks, B&B lump is a great choice!

[@mikecitizen2125]

Kenyatta, thank for your time and efforts. It’s appreciated by your BBQ family. I loved JD for years but have since moved on to FOGO for ease of delivery.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks Mike, the convenience of delivery is a big reason that I have been using Fogo for years too. Although I will probably start using one of the other brands, I will keep the Fogo delivery option as a backup.

[@Chilax]

Jd is available in most Walmart’s now though so it’s easier to find

[@justingonzalez6448]

You’re the man! Thank you so much for this comparison. I have been using briquettes in my Weber Kettle but want to start using lump. Seems like smaller pieces are good for general grilling like burgers, but a mix is better for longer cooks.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Yes, the small pieces are good for a short high temp cook and a mix with the really large chunks are good for long, low & slower cooks. Thanks for watching & commenting.

[@2elgnismi]

Love B&B it’s the best charcoal I’ve used but it’s super hard to find in my area, I have to order it from a local family owned hardware store. So that’s a little frustrating.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

I’ve become a bigger fan of B&B since the time when I made the video. Fortunately, it’s carried at my local Ace Hardware. Easy availability is always a huge factor.

[@talmadgewilliams8831]

Backwoods outdoors also had the same problem with cowboy starting up. Once he lit it the second time it was great too

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Interesting that he experienced the same issue. Thanks for sharing.

[@kennethdrury4993]

Great video. I’ve always use B&B since I can get it at academy down the road plus they offer several wood specific bags like oak, hickory, pecan and many more.

[@ericlopez2062]

Interesting. Not sure if you know but not green egg uses royal oak to package their brand of lump charcoal.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

I know Royal Oak is used by a number of entities. I didn’t know that BGE was one of them.

[@kw7796]

Great video

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks

[@miketrent1252]

I've owned my Komodo Joe for 5 days now and have done two cooks. I picked up Good Charcoal lump from Sam's and Rockwood at Ace. Good Charcoal is mostly small pieces. Rockwood had more medium lump but also small pieces. Good Charcoal was $19.99 for 27lbs and Rockwood was $29.95 for 20lb. I've mixed them for both cooks and see because of the size they ash quickly and I wondering on longer cooks If I'm going to need to fill up the basket to make 3hrs. We'll see. Good charcoal sure has the price right.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I’ve seen Good Charcoal at Sam’s but I haven’t tried it yet. I was a little wary because I had never heard of it before but I should give it a try at that price.

[@jasonbackus1863]

100% agreement based on those I’ve used - Kamado Joe, has the most big pieces and the most coal dust, so firmly the middle. My Sams just started carrying The Good Charcoal. Not a lot of dust, but pieces are all smaller similar in size to charcoal bricks with no large pieces. Royal Oak, I’ve literally found nails in. It’s awful! My new go to these days is Cowboy found at Walmart. Super bang for your buck and great burn. Best quality and price. Hard to beat.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for weighing in. I’ve seen The Good Charcoal at Sam’s but I’ve been hesitant to try it because I don’t recall seeing it anywhere else.

[@jasonbackus1863]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ .72 a lb is hard to beat which is what Good Charcoal comes out to. Acacia Hardwood, but I prefer Cowboy unless I’m there and cooking soon. My favorite is actually from a Chipotle type burrito place called Mesquites that uses charcoal to cook all their meat. Prices differ based on store, but they’ll sell their bags of charcoal, and it is Mesquite wood, Huge pieces. Really good if you have one around.

[@jp4751]

Interesting comparison. I like B&B Mesquite lump for steak, carne asada, etc. I like Royal Oak's flavor, but it doesn't run well for me on windy days, but that is my experience. Overall, for Lump I find myself using JD or B&B Mesquite. But, I also think you have to kind of seperate them because JD is South American hardwood, and B&B is more US style, so the flavors are different. One doesn't really replace the other.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Good point!

[@razmigmnknjian3522]

When I first started out I was using royal oak now I'm in love with fogo charcoal the black bag is my go to it's very good

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

I believe the black bag is great for high temp cooking. Do you mostly use it for grilling?

[@razmigmnknjian3522]

​@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQyes mostly for grilling but I also use it for smoking pork ribs I've also done vortex ribs with the black bag and got over 500 that was the fastest ribs ever just in 30 minutes wow fast

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Wow! 😮

[@Karamoonsage]

This video was done very well and was incredibly informative. However, the one area that needed to be added was a flavor comparison. I would have liked to see how each of the brands cooked the food and what the flavor differences are. That said, filming all of that would have been a much larger undertaking. Nonetheless, it would have been good to have that information. In the end, I chose B&B for the high-ranking and the oak wood. Plus, I chose the Rockwood brand because of the variety of wood in the bag and the different burn rate. I intend to experiment by mixing and matching to determine what gives the best cook vs the best flavor. This will be my first smoke session. Thanks for the great video!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thank you…. I wish that I had a crew like the big boys so that I could try more things. A flavor comparison for this cook would indeed be awesome.

[@MommyGuideInc]

So not all charcoal briquettes are the same. Thanks for doing these awesome test for everyone.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

No, there can be quite a few differences. Thanks for commenting LaLa!

[@johncauley7371]

Great review, however I have found Cowboy has very small lumps in my area and it doesn’t burn as long as your test results show. You have introduced me to a couple of new ones to try B&B and Jealous Devil. I have seen B&B in my area but not Jealous Devil. Again thanks for conducting a tedious task as this to provide valuable information.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your experience with Cowboy. Home Depot carries Jealous Devil so you might find it if there’s one nearby.

[@summertime24133]

Lump size is immaterial

[@jolkraeremeark6949]

​@@summertime24133falling through the grate would be an issue.

[@chipete1]

I'm looking forward to more of your videos

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thank you

[@Scott-k9f]

How come you don't show any Mesquite colds

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Just a personal preference. I don’t cook with it.

[@gingebrien2408]

Very surprising. Thanks for great info

[@bassmedic]

Some good info on the various brands. I have one thought to add about the size of the pieces. is that im sure the packaging and moving can effect the size. saying that there could be some pieces broken up from the processor to the store or shipped to your home. i have tried a few different brands from royal oak, cowboy, and jealous devil. seems like another brand but cant remember the name. for the price, size of chunks and availability for my location cowboy is what i buy if i can find it. i will say the worst one i have used was the royal oak. it seemed to burn up faster and leave the most unburnt pieces.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your experience with lump brands.

[@RedPede]

I've been using Cowboy, blues Hog and Royal Oak. Cowboy has great flavor.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Blues Hog is another great one.

[@bassmedic]

ive seen that this year at my local walmart. almost bought it the other day to try but they had the good cowboy lump so i bought it. btw there is a lump charcoal form cowboy that has hardly any bigger pieces in the bag. its the one that says 100% oak and hickory. if it says 100% hardwood thats the one with a good mix of small and large pieces in the bag.

[@kdotis68]

Kenyatta, It would have been nice if you had weighed the amount of coals in each of the burns to keep it even. Love your videos!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

I’ll be the first to admit that my experiment is not scientific. I started to go down the road of weighing the charcoal but the huge variance in sizes made it impractical. Weighing briquettes is easier than lump because briquettes are uniform in size.

[@Richard-il6wc]

Thank you

[@kentwindholz4634]

Thanks for all the hard work and research! 20lb bags of BnB are $15 at Walmart for online only purchase right now. I've been using fogo but I think for the price and after your video I'm gonna have to stock up on this deal!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for tip on B&B!

[@kentwindholz4634]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ Im up in Denver and I have trouble getting up to even lower smoking temps around 250, I’m hoping B&B burning hotter helps me out. Otherwise I have to start blaming my inexperience instead of the altitude lol

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

That’s an interesting variable. I’d love to hear if you think B&B burns hotter there.

[@kentwindholz4634]

I'll have to give you an update once I get to try it out. B&B briquettes are also on sale through walmart online right now I noticed. They list a 17.6lb bag for $28.95 but if you click it, it shows a 2 pack of the 17.6 for $19.95 total. I saw your briquette video you ranked it 3rd but it looked like for the heat output and duration I might have to stock up on it as well for that price. My girlfriends gonna make me quit watching your videos if I keep buying charcoal after each one haha😂

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

@@kentwindholz4634 B&B is a great charcoal, definitely stock up when the price is right!

[@Joker-bx4rk]

Great little comparison im in the U.K and as good as your top 3 go I can get my hands on it but it's very expensive So I find [ Big K ] and [ Kamado joe big block ] the best two which I use both all year round

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your experience in the U.K. In my opinion, availability& price are the two biggest factors. All of the brands will get the job done.

[@gregorydrake5656]

This was a very difficult comparison (so many variables). Very enjoyable. I wonder how the comparison would fare months later.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Right, these were just my results for one day. I wish that I could do the testing with the exact same conditions for each brand.

[@67ShepDogg]

I'm posting a video of me using the B&B in June.

[@gregkerchner3175]

I love the B&B Mesquite wood bag and I cook on a lang smoker and I have a weber 22 with a gabbys grill Santa Maria I love both! Just subscribed to your channel you are giving me new ideas for cooking thanks $

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Greg, thanks for your feedback & for subscribing! Much appreciated!

[@67ShepDogg]

I saw B&B @ CostCo and liked it every since then. I'm about to spit-roast a hog and wanted to see if a better choice was out there. I liked the outcome. The added bonus of some great alteratives, thanks.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Good to know that B&B is now at Costco

[@tombauer7330]

Costco had Cowboy lump on sale last summer, so bought a bag. It burned like coal, meaning smelly. Also, it had a fair amount of dimension lumber in it. Not my idea of all natural... Jealous Devil is good but I found that it doesn't last very long. Another thought, I think there is a big variation in quality within a brand. For example, I may have gotten a bad run from Cowboy. thanks for doing this one!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for your feedback. Unlike briquettes, lump charcoal is kind of snowflakes, each one is going to be different so I'm not trying to claim the outcome of my tests are going to turn out exactly the same if I were to run it again. Different day, different weather, and other factors can make a difference. One of the factors that helped Cowboy score high was it's low price.

[@tombauer7330]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ I'm going to try the Cowboy Lump next time I find it on sale, probably Costco. I dissed it from the last try. Looking forward to trying it again. Today I found B&B on sale at WalMart for $14.97 for a 20# bag. I ordered a couple! thanks for the tip on B&B. I might have passed it up otherwise.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

@tombauer7330 Thank you for the heads up about B&B at Walmart!

[@nidusaquilae76]

Awesome video. Well done.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thank you very much!

[@bbq-redneck7150]

After a few tests I ended up with B&B and I almost exclusively buy B&B, even if they are not that easy to get in Germany!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

B&B is becoming my go to for lump as well as briquettes.

[@CKID-dv8tq]

I’ve used fogo and B&B those tend to be my favorites cuz of the pieces and they tend to get hot 🥵

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thanks for sharing your experience with Fogo & B&B. I'm becoming a big fan of B&B.

[@CKID-dv8tq]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ same

[@dondiesel1100]

Look like b and b is #1❤

[@jasoncormier9588]

I am so jealous of Americans with the options in Canada Kamado Joe is $34.99 for 20 pounds. JD is $42.99 for 20 pounds. We don't have cheap options here

[@graystonegardens1642]

I use lump charcoal to make Bio-Char for my garden. Royal Oak 100% natural Zero additives

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

@graystonegardens1642 What are the benefits of using lump for your garden?

[@graystonegardens1642]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/gojKYpmja7imZ68si=j_jcoIctjmsWPgcx​@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ

[@yayinternets]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQBasically you are supposed to soak the char in a concentrated brew of minerals, organic matter, etc.. the charcoal will then release it into the soil and also help keep it a little bit less packed.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

@@yayinternets Thank you!

[@noeltaylor3594]

I love Cowboy, but it pops WAY to much. Dangerous.

[@robinjohnson2749]

I have one question can a person eat charcoal and it harmful to a person's body

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Charcoal is not food. I don’t recommend consuming it under any circumstances.

[@DiscGolf_]

What about the flavor?!?!

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

That's a great question. Cooking & tasting with all of the brands would be quite the undertaking. Might be able to address it in future videos.

[@DiscGolf_]

@@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ I will subscribe and watch out for it. (As my grill starts with Kamado XL)

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

Thank you for subscribing.

[@robertbryce7626]

Didn't watch due to very long bullCrap commercials.

[@BackyardSmokeMasterBBQ]

The ads are controlled by KZbin, as it is their platform. It’s out of my hands 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@swm78]

Thank you!