We first reviewed B&B Oak Lump Charcoal back in 2004 when we first started up the Lump Charcoal Database. Since then a lot of
time has passed and a lot of charcoal has been burned
in our test cookers. On top of that, B&B Charcoal was recently acquired
by Duraflame, so we felt it was past time to update our review, using our current testing regimen.
B&B Charcoal is a family-owned business located in Weimar, Texas. For those of you who aren't familiar with
Weimar, we provide a map at right. They produce a number of types of charcoal, each made from a single species
of wood so you get predictable smoke flavor and performance. This particular charcoal is made from oak. Well, sort
of. B&B recently explained to us:
"B&B expects a min[imum] of 30% to 40% of the Primary Species on the bag (Hickory/Oak/Mesquite) is mixed in with a
blend of random hardwoods. It’s a 35%/65% blend in each bag. The other 65% is primarily Ebony, Mesquite, and Oak."
Ebony? Really? In Texas? Well, yes. There is a tree called Texas Ebony (Pithecellobium flexicaule) that grows in a region
from Laredo to Corpus Christi and south into Mexico. The map at right depicts its range.
As usual, the first thing we do is to dump the bag of charcoal out on the ground so that we can sort it into
different sizes and examine the contents in detail. We found a single piece of plastic rope in our bag. As
far as the size distribution goes, it was pretty good with about half the bag being medium to large sized pieces.
The 6.1% by weight of dust and chips was Low compared to other brands. We found no scrap lumber or anything else
odd, other than the single piece of rope. The following table shows you the distribution of sizes:
| Large |
2.1 pounds |
10.5% |
| Medium |
7.5 pounds |
36.7% |
| Small |
9.5 pounds |
46.7% |
| Chips/Dust |
1.2 pounds |
6.1% |
|
|
|
| Total |
20.3 pounds |
|
|
Next comes our lighting test in which we see how many sheets of newspaper it takes to get a good fire going
in a Weber chimney starter. In this case, B&B Oak charcoal took 5 sheets which is Average compared to other brands.
There was no sparking or popping while the charcoal was starting and the smoke was a moderately strong US hardwood
smoke.
In our maximum temperature test, B&B Oak burned at 895°F which is High compared to other brands. There was no
sparking or popping either while the fire was spreading and building, or while it was roaring away. The fire was
pretty slow to spread, but eventually, it got up there.
As far as the burn test goes, B&B Oak charcoal burned an Average amount of time compared to other brands. When
starting the charcoal with a MAP/Pro torch, there was a moderate amount of sparking and popping. Always be
careful when using a gas torch of any kind to start lump charcoal. And finally, the amount of ash produced
from our burn time test was High compared to all other brands.
So, what we have is a charcoal which has a pretty good size distribution, is pretty hard to light, burns pretty
hot for only an average amount of time, and produces a lot of ash. It has a pretty nice smell when it burns and
should prove appealing to those looking for good US hardwood smoke. We give this charcoal our Above Average
rating.
