Kamado Joe KJ-CHAR Big Block XL Lump Charcoal, 20 pound & KJFS Fire Starters, 24-Count Kamado Joe KJ-SCS Classic Grill Expander Kamado Joe KJ-HCIGRIDDLE Half Moon Cast Iron Reversible Grill Griddle for Classic Joe, Black

It might be a little more expensive than others but it actually isn’t if you factor in efficiency. This stuff burns longer and hotter than any other brand I have used and I’ve tried a lot. Will never use anything but this stuff.

I’ve been cooking on the Big Green Egg for a long time and I’ve tried lots of different brands of charcoal … this is my go-to for great flavor and large chunks!

The description doesn’t lie, this product is big chunks of natural lump charcoal. I’ve bought this product several times now, & I like the performance, & unlike some other brands I haven’t found any rocks or other foreign debris mixed in. The rounder chunks average on the size of lemons to oranges, the biggest round chunks that I’ve gotten were about the size of grapefruits. The longer, narrower chunks are about the size of bananas to cucumbers. Of course some of these pieces get broken down in shipping & handling, but overall, there’s a pretty good consistency of large pieces. The charcoal is made from a blend of 4 hardwoods from Argentina that I had never heard of before, namely guayacan, guayaibi, mistol, & white quebracho, according to the package. Because of this, it doesn’t have a particular flavor profile that you would expect from a charcoal made entirely of familiar American hardwoods such as hickory or oak or mesquite, it’s flavor is more of a gentle generic smokiness. It burns very well, with a nice consistent heat over the course of the burn. For these reasons, I find it best suited to use for making a deep bed of coals in my Weber kettle when I’m cooking several rounds of food for guests, and also in my smoker as a nice consistent heat source after I have wrapped my meat and I’m no longer trying to impart any more smoke flavor. Overall, I’m happy with the product, have bought it several times now, & will continue to buy it in the future.

This lump has an excellent burn and imparts a light but deep flavor that compliments whatever wood chunks you add. I can easily get 12+ hours with a single basket in my Classic going low and slow. I always get some nice large chunks in my bags and there is a decent consistency. Finally if you want to crank up the heat you can quickly reach 700+ degrees to make some killer pizza.

Appreciate the response and making it right! Thank you! Just got 2 new bags and the product is much better…problem resolved!!I’ve bought this product several times. I keep a stock of it at my house…but when I got around to opening this last order (2 large bags)…both were extremely disappointing. The largest piece I have found in either bag is about the size of half a golf ball…seriously…that’s awful. If I don’t hear back from the company I’m switching to something else…I’ve probably bought 15 bags of this and just recently they are not even close to what I expect from large (or extra large) lump hardwood coals.Do better…just lost a customer!

Big chunks, works great.

likesbigger pieces burn longergood for longer cook times foods (briskets, ribs)dislikesSo big pieces and some smaller pieces, heat up at different times because of the size

Some really large chunks. But also some small unusable pieces. Better sizing vs other brands, say cowboy or red oak. Worth paying a little bit more per lb. Maybe10% ?

Like many of the one star reviews here the bag of charcoal I got smelt terrible. It had a horrible petro chemical smell and tainted the food I cooked on it making it completely inedible. I have a Kamado Joe grill and can't believe this is a Kamado Joe product. I'll not be buying again and I'll be contacting Kamado Joe directly to ask if they stand over this product.

PROS:1) 90% BIG CHUNKS: GREATER THAN 10CM X 6CM X 4CM2) POSSIBLE TO USE CHARCOAL TWICE3) IMPARTS EXCELLENT FLAVOUR4) PAPER BAG WITH INNER PLASTIC LINER KEEPS YOUR CHARCOAL DRY5) LIGHTS EASILYCONS:1) PRICEIf you spend £2000+ on a Kamado grill, what’s the point of spending a few quid on supermarket charcoal. I bought a box of so called restaurant grade lumpwood charcoal. It was poor quality, burned very quickly and was mainly dust. Thus, the box that was half the price of the KJ Lumpwood Charcoal, was a false economy. So instead of being a tight @rse, I bought 2 bags of KJ for a party we had last weekend. We cooked for 8 hours, the same charcoal I put in at 1600hrs, was still going at midnight. Trust me, it’s worth splashing out on this KJ Charcoal. BUY IT, IT’S DOTTORE APPROVED!!!

Never write reviews normally but had to give a heads up to Kamado Joe.I had read the reviews stating a chemical smell but decided to go ahead and purchase because I had seen YouTube channels use it and review it, specifically SmokingDadBBQ.During the burn I could smell a quite strong smell of what seemed to be ammonia from the flue of my Kamado style BBQ.Fortunately it did not impair the flavour of the venison roast I was cooking but it wasn't on for a particularly long time, say 45mins.It did last a long time, far far better than cheap garage brands and I've used it for direct heat cooking where it was excellent.I'll continue to use the bags until they are finished but I'll be buying another brand for my low and slow roasts.Kamado Joe should really take note of these reviews as it will diminish their brand if they continue to supply charcoal like this.

For me Kamado Joe are the best charcoals money can buy. I might be a bit biased, as my barbecue is Kamado Joe as well, but recently I did Christmas goose with tones of veg, 9 hours slow cook with half a load on my classic at 135 C, and the temperature literally never changed. At the end I opened the vents to increase temperature to 220C for half an hour to make it crispy and I still had charcoals left. Could have gone for another few hours easily.

So I’ve used SupaGrill and other cheap brands for smoking meat. Nothing, nothing compares to this. Premium brand, huge pieces... one was pretty much a branch of a tree! Lasted about 4-5 hours before needing to be “topped up.”Sorry for the other reviewers, you must have had a dodgy batch.The picture results from the bbq speak for themselves.