[Vint_age]

I have been quite disappointed in the quality of lump charcoal in the last couple of years. 

I do all of my outdoor cooking an a couple of Big Green Eggs.

Here in Massachusetts choices are limited for charcoal. I had been using Royal Oak the last year and suddenly the product changed. Burns way too fast and more ash. I don't like paying the high price for the BGE branded lump even though it is usually pretty usable.  A couple of weeks ago I took a chance on Frontier brand at BJ's. A 40# bag was $15 or so (now it is about $20).  I figured a pretty cheap experiment.  It turned out to be very good lump. Not too heavy on the smoke, starts and burns well, minimal sparking. The only downside is the variability in the size of the chunk. Pieces bigger than my fist to a lot of tiny chips, so sorting is required. I went and bought 3 more bags to hold me over until spring.

For $20 for 40# the Frontier seems like a bargain. Any body else have any thoughts or experience with it?

[taoggniklat]

Lump is hard to come by in my area so I just stocked up on briquettes. I like Stubbs when I can get them but for now I have about 15 bags of Kingsford to work through (bought the pallet when they were on sale last fall)

[Rob Babcock]

I get decent lump around here but I'm currently out and can't recall the brand.  Mostly I good with gas when grilling, and I have an electric smoker and a Traeger for the other stuff.