We were made aware of this charcoal from two sources within 24 hours. A reader asked if we were going to review it, and the manufacturer
Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco |
asked if they could send a sample for review. We figured that somebody was trying to tell us something, so we of course eagerly asked for
a sample bag. We should note that Jealous Devil at this time, only comes in 35-pound bags intended for restaurant service, but there are
plans for smaller sizes for retail sale.
Jealous Devil is made in Paraguay from a South American wood called Quebracho Blanco, a wood we have run into a few times before. If you are wondering about the word
"quebracho," it is derived from quiebrahacha, or quebrar hacha, meaning "axe-breaker". As for a description of the wood, we get this from Wikipedia:
"Quebracho blanco wood is uniformly yellow-ochre, without differences between hardwood and sapwood. It is quite heavy
(relative density = 0.885 g/cm³) and hard, and responds well to bending and shock. Upon drying it tends to collapse, producing deformations and cracks,
so the drying process is slow; the wood must be treated with fungicides. It is easy to work and has many uses in carpentry (carts, wheels, floors, shoes,
tool handles, furniture); it is also good for chess pieces, skis, etc. Preserved with creosote it can be used outdoors. In some places it is widely
used as coal, since it does not produce sparks or large amounts of ash, and it burns strong and slowly."
When we opened the bag and emptied it onto the ground for sorting, we found no scrap, no funny stuff, and no uncarbonized wood. What immediately
strikes you is the size of the pieces. As you can see in the following table, there was a modest amount of large pieces, but nothing huge that needed
to be busted up with a hammer. The vast majority of the pieces were medium sized, and the amount of chips and dust was pleasingly small.
| Large |
3.9 pounds |
10.9% |
| Medium |
23.1 pounds |
64.7% |
| Small |
7.6 pounds |
21.3% |
| Chips/Dust |
1.1 pounds |
3.1% |
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| Total |
35.7 pounds |
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As you can see, the 35-pound bag contained 35.7 pounds of charcoal, so you certainly get what you pay for.
The charcoal is quite easy to light, taking 3.5 sheets of newspaper to start a chimneyful. This is low compared to all the
other brands we have tested. The smoke during lighting is moderately strong and like all charcoals from South America,
quite different from the oak and hickory
smoke that many in the US are accustomed to. You may find you like it or you may find that it takes a little getting used to.
There was absolutely no sparking or
popping during the lighting or as the fire got going in the chimney.
In our maximum temperature test, Jealous Devil burned at 1172°F, which is very high compared to other brands. In fact,
it is the third highest temperature we have ever recorded for a lump charcoal, beaten only by the two Real Montana charcoals
that we have previously tested. Again, while the fire was building up to this high heat, there was absolutely no sparking or popping,
and the fire spread fairly rapidly.
Jealous Devil's burn time was high compared to all other brands we have tested. When we lit the charcoal with a MAP-Pro
torch, there was still no sparking or popping. Finally, the amount of ash produced by our test burn was low compared
to other brands of charcoal.
Jealous Devil is a great charcoal. All of our key performance indicators get either 4 or 5 stars: very low chips and dust,
easy to light, super hot burning, long burning and low ash. In addition, there is no sparking or popping to worry about. And
on top of all that, the size distribution of the charcoal
is about as good as we've ever seen. As long as you are not put off by the relatively strong smoke, it all adds up to a Highly Recommended rating.
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Note: At this time, Jealous Devil charcoal appears to be sold on their website. The
price we show in our Quick Stats is the price of a single bag, $47.99. If you sign up to buy a bag a month, the price is $37.99 per bag.
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