COSR18 Coconut Briquettes, 18-Pound

I kind of have mixed feeling about this product. I had been using natural wood charcoal, and I think most of the claims about this - less ash, burning hotter, burning longer - is as compared to the processed briquettes and not as compared to natural wood charcoal. Compared to natural wood, it might burn a little longer, but it takes longer to light. There is a lot less smoke, which makes it easier to work the grill, but also gives a lot less flavor.I have mixed feelings about the neutral flavor. On one hand, I guess the control is nice; on the other, the smoky taste is what charcoal barbecue is all about, so if you use this more expensive charcoal, you will also want to buy natural hardwood to toss on top. I prefer wood chunks and do not bother soaking them. If you go with wood chips, they probably burn too fast to be worthwhile if you don't soak them first. Either way, you are still using some natural wood; maybe less than if you were using wood charcoal, but that cuts down on the environmental effects.So...as a lump charcoal person, here is my pros and cons list:Pros- good for the environment- more control over flavor- less smokeCons- takes longer to light- less flavorSo...as you can tell, I am on the fence with this. It cooks fine once you learn to give it enough time, but compared to hardwood lump charcoal, I am not sure.

I love this charcoal. I throw a starter cube in the chimney, fill with the charcoal, light, and it works perfectly. And when I come back, it hasn't reduced to half the chimney. This stuff has some serious heft to it, and it burns hot and for a while. Perfect. I can use less and still get the results I want. Yes, it is expensive. But if your budget allows, I highly recommend it.

Exactly like the tag line says: lights fast, burns hotter and doesn't impart any taste to your food. What's that? You WANT it to impart taste? Not if you smoke meats, you don't. The fact that this charcoal doesn't impart taste means that you can control how much flavor gets into your meat by controlling the type and quantity of wood, and that's a good thing.I've been using this stuff for 4 years now and it's my goto charcoal.

A lot of ash

Many briquettes arrived smashed to bits

This match-light nonsense made my entire bbq smell like lighterfluid, permenantly. I now have to replace a $1000 ceramic grill, because they forgot to mention on the package that this os SOAKED IN FUEL.

Long lasting heat for my smoker with no negative effects on the aroma and taste of the finished product. This is what I use exclusively. If you have access to Trader Joes, they carry this item from time to time for under $10 FYI.

I usually use hardwood charcoal in my Big Green Egg. I tried this because it was on sale and looked like something cool to try. I tried a bag. It turns to tons of ash compared to hardwood. I supposed if you're usually using regular briquettes it may be ok for a replacement, but I don't like cleaning out that much ash.