Charcoal Review: Trader Joe's Hardwood Briquettes

Last week I was in TJ’s picking up a few things, one being charcoal. I have used Cowboy hardwood since I had my BGE mainly because TJ’s carried it so it was best available. The local supermarkets around me have only commercial briquettes and I have not found anything better yet.

TJ’s is now stocking their own house brand of hardwood charcoal briquettes, and no more Cowboy. [wow.gif] Briquettes always made me nervous, but the story on the packaging and the $6.99 price tag for 18lbs (Cowboy was $7.99 or $8.99 for 8lbs) drew me in.

These are briquettes and therefore to me are a PITA to start. I actually used some leftover wood chunks from the last fire to get things going with the MAPP torch. If I continue with these I will probably have to pick up a chimney.

Once the fire got going the needle spiked pretty quick! These suckers burn hot and long. Even after letting the fire go 2+ hrs there was still fuel left and I definitely cut back on what I normally use for the Cowboy.

My score 91+Pts and BEST VALUE! [good.gif] Give them a try if you see them in your local TJ’s!

Thanks for the advice Brent. Recently got the Weber Performer, which is basically the kettle with a nifty gas starting system for the charcoal. No need for a chimney. I’ve grilled a couple of times since getting it and have had mixed results. I’ve been using lump hardwood charcoal that I got at Target. What I have been having trouble with is gauging the quantity of coal to put in before starting to cook. More often than not, I seem to run out of juice before everything is cooked. Yes, the grill has those little lif-up grates for adding more coal, but it always turns out to be the case that the lit coals are to far into the center and the lift-up gates themselves are not large enough to allow for safe manouvering. I told myself from the start that I’d avoid briquettes, but it seems tthat I’ll have to bite the bullet and start using a mixture of both. I’ll look for thses next time I’m in TJs.

Jorge,

Other than the price, the big attractant for me was the story on the bag. Made with real hardwood and corn starch for a binder, nothing artificial. I’m starting to think this might be a big coup for me. They’re great fuel and if you want more “wood” flavor you can add smoking wood. For real “smoking” you always soak the wood chips, but I have found in the past using the Cowboy charcoal that the addition of unsoaked smoking wood chips does impart a more woody flavor akin to a campfire cookout if that’s what you’re looking for.

Glad this was brought up. At my TJ’s they tell me it’s the same stuff as before - Cowboy brand - in a different package. In Portland, they’re the same price.

And yeah, they burn really hot. [good.gif]

The Cowboy brand lump charcoal that I’ve used before seems to be mostly scraps of (hardwood) lumber. We don’t have TJ’s here, but Publix, a southeastern grocery chain, has decent hardwood lump charcoal in their “Greenwise” bags, currently $5 for 8.8 lbs (4 kg). It burns for a good long time. I light it in a Weber chimney (it really is superior to the 3-4 generics I had in the past) using a propane torch to flame a sheet of newspaper in the bottom for 30 - 60 seconds or so. It’s ready to go in 10-15 minutes.

Many reviews of hardwood lump here: The Lump Charcoal Database Reviews -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I’ve been looking for hardwood lump but am only able to find mesquite, which tends to be a little strong in the flavors it imparts from what I’ve been led to believe.

There must be some around… we used to get a couple of decent brands in Seattle (my favorite was in a 15-20 lb blue and white bag… King something? It was at University Seafood & Poultry near the UW). Anyhow, you might check the link I posted above to get some search images.

The lump charcoal database is great, but the only other good thing I can find locally is BGE lump from the store where I got my egg. It’s expensive and the store is not really convenient to get to for me. Having charcoal shipped is cost prohibitive on an individual level. I have thought of buying a pallet of one kind and having it shipped to the store, but that seems a little excessive. :wink:

Dude… excessive is what we’re all about! [drinkers.gif]

very nice, need to buy some soon anyways!

cowboy is crappy. been using wegman’s store brand lump. easy to get here, inexpensive and decent

A quick note: I have used the briquettes twice now and while I still love the quality of the fire I find these to be moderate to high ash, unlike the pronouncement of “very low ash” on the bag. The bottom of my BGE had a good inch of ash in it and had to be cleaned out, though I had just cleaned it out before firing.

Thanks for the review. Our local TJ’s just started carrying the Cowboy briquettes (as opposed to just the “hardwood” which was just charcoal wood scraps) this year I have been buying it. I was there yesterday and noticed that they only had a few bags left in the pile of the TJ’s brand. It does burn hot and I have notice a lot of ash with the Cowboy brand. I’ll give the TJ’s brand a shot after I finish up the Cowboy.

Much lower ash than Kingsford, though.

Whole Foods is where I’ve bought it most recently and it’s mostly hardwood floor scraps. I think that’s the cowboy brand. But since I have so much hardwood flooring around, I just started using that. The charcoal burns hot and if you throw a few hunks of mesquite on the grill, you get that extra flavor. After using briquettes for years, I’m never going back. I like the flavor, the heat, and the convenience - I light them with a propane torch and in less than five minutes they’re going great.

The Lump Charcoal Database Reviews -- Naked Whiz Charcoal Ceramic Cooking" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here’s a site that rates charcoal. I don’t agree with some of it but FWIW.

I use Mali’s and Lazarri when I can find it. Cowboy in a pinch.

JD

John,
I find the info on the lump charcoal database to be dated and unuseful in general, unless you are a total grill novice.

thanks for this note Brent. Bought some the other day for July 4th and they burned real long and real hot. Now I need to figure out how to regulate the heat on it… otherwise… 18 lbs for $6.99 is a deal

I’m curious to give the TJ’s stuff a shot, but my local TJ’s is still stocking the Cowboy brand. I have used Cowboy in the past, but refuse to do so anymore. I’ll use plain old Kingsford briquettes before I’ll use it again. It burns white hot, but starts losing it’s heat pretty quick. If you plan on using it for indirect cooking on your Weber Kettle, it can be a pretty frustrating experience.

The best stuff in a bag, IMHO, is Royal Oak. It consistently burns very hot and slow with little ash. I’ve also used the Big Green Egg brand, which is actually manufactured by Royal Oak and is probably the same thing. It’s supposedly the “private reserve” of everything that Royal Oak produces, but I don’t buy it.

On a whim, I picked up a bag of Kingsford Charwood in the grocery store a few weeks ago. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was actually pretty good. Held a nice long heat and there wasn’t a ton of dust or small pieces in the bag.

Kent,

You can always ask the folks at your local TJ’s, but I would assume each supply hub is selling out their stocks of Cowboy and will switch over to the TJ’s briquettes as soon as they’re out of Cowboy.

Charlie,

Glad you had a positive experience this weekend! One of the ways I regulate the heat is by cutting down on fuel. Try using fewer briquettes in your next run. I’ve just been cooking more with indirect heat as well, not sure how easy that is for you to do in your kettle.