Cowboy 18LB Oak & Hickory Lump Charcoal

I bought a little bbq this spring and use Cowboy brand charcoal. Most often, I cook striploin steaks and burgers. Using a chimney, and a couple of wood starter cubes, it takes only 5 minutes to get going. It takes between 15 and 20 minutes to cook the food. The smoke taste for food is light. If I want a heavier smoke taste I can add a few smoke pellets with maple. I do reuse the charcoal and mix with fresh,which makes it a good value. The ash is very good for the garden.

After following the recommendation from a couple of guys at work , I brought a 34 lb. bag at my local Smart and Final. I was happy to see it was made from oak and hickory rather than mesquite. Mesquite burns too hot and to fast for my low and slow way of cooking. When I first opened the bag, I was disappointed in how small the pieces were. Nothing in the bag was any larger than a peach and most around chicken egg size. In addition, I found a few scraps of metal strapping. This morning, when I cleaned out the ashes, I found a bunch of lava type rocks about the size of large strawberries. Small pieces burn fast and I had to keep a close eye on the temperature and had to keep refilling my smokers fire box. Between the small pieces and the trash, I was really disappointed in a product O really wanted to like.

I purchased this charcoal at Lowe's. When I open the bag, justice with the original cowboy,there were mostly small pieces of charcoal in the mix. This charcoal made an intensely Hot fire, challenging to control, and as before with the original cowboy, burning out quickly. I think I should return the product to Lowe's and ask for my money back. put more big pieces in the mix!

After following the recommendation from a couple of guys at work , I brought a 34 lb. bag at my local Smart and Final. I was happy to see it was made from oak and hickory rather than mesquite. Mesquite burns too hot and to fast for my low and slow way of cooking. When I first opened the bag, I was disappointed in how small the pieces were. Nothing in the bag was any larger than a peach and most around chicken egg size. In addition, I found a few scraps of metal strapping. This morning, when I cleaned out the ashes, I found a bunch of lava type rocks about the size of large strawberries. Small pieces burn fast and I had to keep a close eye on the temperature and had to keep refilling my smokers fire box. Between the small pieces and the trash, I was really disappointed in a product O really wanted to like.

I use a lot of charcoal and have tried many different kinds, but ran out and couldn't find my regular charcoal so tried this. The pieces were so small that they fell thru the grate and it burned so fast that you need to put twice as much in the cooker to have enough heat to complete a cook. I cannot reccomend this product.....hope it was just one bad experiece but I won't try it again.

The first few bags I bought the piece size of the cowboy charcoal was great. The grilling experience was just what I wanted.Even talked the product up. The last two I purchased have been very discouraging. At minimum half the bag was very small size and difficult to light in a tower. Air is hardly allowed through. Once lit, it obviously burns faster then larger pieces from earlier bags. Is this going to be the norm for Cowboy Charcoal?

The first few bags I bought the piece size of the cowboy charcoal was great. The grilling experience was just what I wanted.Even talked the product up. The last two I purchased have been very discouraging. At minimum half the bag was very small size and difficult to light in a tower. Air is hardly allowed through. Once lit, it obviously burns faster then larger pieces from earlier bags. Is this going to be the norm for Cowboy Charcoal?

I use a lot of charcoal and have tried many different kinds, but ran out and couldn't find my regular charcoal so tried this. The pieces were so small that they fell thru the grate and it burned so fast that you need to put twice as much in the cooker to have enough heat to complete a cook. I cannot reccomend this product.....hope it was just one bad experiece but I won't try it again.

I bought the charcoal as a replacement to Weber Hardwood lump briquettes hoping I'd get real wood. I've been terribly disappointed with quality of Cowboy charcoal. I used it twice and haven't had good result. Tonight I started a fire to cook a pizza on Kamado grill and the charcoal turned my brand new pizza stone black and left oily residue on bottom. Fire smelled like oil, rubber, and chemicals. Lumps are more like remnants from lumber yard and you can actually see clear lines and straight edges - never seen straight edges in nature.

I bought the charcoal as a replacement to Weber Hardwood lump briquettes hoping I'd get real wood. I've been terribly disappointed with quality of Cowboy charcoal. I used it twice and haven't had good result. Tonight I started a fire to cook a pizza on Kamado grill and the charcoal turned my brand new pizza stone black and left oily residue on bottom. Fire smelled like oil, rubber, and chemicals. Lumps are more like remnants from lumber yard and you can actually see clear lines and straight edges - never seen straight edges in nature.