South Of The Border Charcoal nakedwhiz.com       Home       Lump Review Index       Quick Stats Date Of Review: March, 2005 Date Of Latest Update: January, 2008 Purchased From: Donated by www.bbqshopping.com Date Purchased: March, 2005 Price: $12.75 Weight: 22 pounds, 10 kilograms Burn Time: Ash Production: Type of Wood: South American hardwood Strange Material?: 1 rock found Scrap Lumber Pieces?: None Smell: Very mild, pleasant, perfumed. Country of Origin: Bolivia Quick Links Photos of Contents: Click Here Other Photos, Including UPC Code: Click Here Lighting Instructions: Click Here Statements From The Bag: Click Here Unusual Or Unique Statements: Click Here Contact Information: Click Here Other Information: Click Here Photo of UPC Code: Click Here Rate And Comment On This Charcoal: Click Here Commentary First of all, let us explain that the retail packaging for this charcoal wasn't available when we conducted the review, so we don't have a photograph of the bag in its retail packaging. It came to us in a plastic burlap-type bag. When the actual retail packaging does become available, we hope to update the review. Normally, we don't weigh the contents of the bag, but since the bag didn't indicate the weight, in this case we did weigh the contents. It was easier to weigh the charcoal after we had done the sorting, so it afforded us the opportunity to actually see how much of each size of charcoal weighed. The total weight, as we measured it, was 9.8 kilograms or 21.6 pounds. After sorting, we came up with the following quantities: Large 4.3 pounds 20.0% Medium 9.2 pounds 42.7% Small 5.9 pounds 27.3% Chips/Dust 2.1 pounds 10.0% Total 21.5 pounds So, as you can see in the numbers and in the photo down below, there is a great size distribution. Over half of the bag was large or medium. About 10% of the bag was chips and dust, which is about average. The bag contained no scrap lumber or other funny items. We did come across one rock. In our chimney starter lighting test, this charcoal took 7 sheets of newspaper to really get going. This ties with Kamado Extruded Coconut charcoal for the hardest to start charcoals we've encountered. Also, when lighting in a cooker, the charcoal was very very slow to spread. When lighting the charcoal in the chimney starter, sparking was almost non-existant. However, when we used a MAPP torch to start this charcoal, there was violent explosive popping and sparking. We absolutely do not recommend that anyone use a MAPP torch to light this charcoal! But also note, that under no other conditions did we find any significant sparking. The charcoal burns plenty hot; the maximum temperature we could get in a small cooker was 880 degrees as measured with the dome thermometer. While it burned, the smell was very mild, somewhat perfumey, like most South American lump charcoals that we have tried. The type of wood is unknown as the manufacturer never answered our email. The charcoal burned a relatively short time, being considered low as compared with other charcoals we have tested. After our test burn was completed, the ash left behind was high compared to other charcoals. Finally, we conducted a rudimentary taste test. In one small ceramic cooker we started a fresh load of South Of The Border charcoal. In another small ceramic cooker we started a fresh load of Royal Oak charcoal, which is composed of the traditional American hardwoods such as oak, hickory and maple. We cooked some thin filets of chicken breast over each brand of charcoal to see how the tastes differed. The Royal Oak charcoal produced a mild but noticeable smokey, almost chemical flavor. The color of the meat was gray where it got the most smoke. The South of the Border charcoal produces very little flavor in the chicken. This meat definitely tasted more "chickeny", if we may use that word. The color of the meat was orange to brown, and much more appealing to the eye. This confirms that what we call the "perfumey" smell of the charcoal when it first burns does not translate into a perfumey tasting meat. This charcoal is ideal for cooking in which you want to control the smoke by adding smoking woods, versus relying on the charcoal to produce some sort of smoke flavor by itself. So to summarize, South of the Border charcoal is very difficult to light and the fire is slow to spread. It also produces a high volume of ash. On the other hand, it has a good distribution of sizes in the bag and a reasonable amount of chips and dust. It burns with a very mild smoke which allows the cook to control the smoke flavor in the food. It can burn hot but only burn for a short time. So with just the one caveat about not using a MAPP torch to start this charcoal, we give it our Average rating. To the left is the rating that our readers have given this charcoal. If you have used this charcoal and would like to rate it and leave your comments, Click Here To view reader ratings of all brands, Click Here. Other Information None. Unusual or Unique Statements None. Statements From The Bag None. Lighting Instructions None. Photos Of Contents This is the contents of the bag. The ruler has 1" squares. Here is a closer view. Here are some of the large pieces we found in the bag. Here are the contents of the bag sorted into large, medium, small, and too small/chips/dust. Other Photos None. Photo of UPC Code Here is a photo of the UPC code on the bag: Contact Information Imported into the United States by: George Harrison 1072 Dutch Mill Dr Monroe,Ga 678-978-2220