Big KEl Cubano Restaurant Grade Charcoal, 15kg Bag Marabu Lumpwood Charcoal

We tried a few lump wood charcoals and some were too dusty, crumby, with small pieces. This was a great step up: large chunks that burn well and give off great heat for cooking. The larger chunks mean it is tidier to use and less waste at the bottom of the bag. We have bought quite a few bags and it is always very good. Caveat: prob not useful on a diddy outdoor grill (pieces would be too large). This is not cheap but it is great quality. Highly recc.

Using as i write this for the 1st time.First impressions: Er, wow!BIG chunks that dont fall through my mesh onto the ash pan. Good!Mainly tubular shaped, 1.5 inch diameter, 4 inch long.Takes AGES to get to cooking temp, slow burn, which is a good sign in my book. The bits of shingle from the 24h petrol station are gone in 15 mins. So make sure you light at least an hour before guests arrive. In my case there are no guests, this is purely my pleasure.45 mins since it being lit. So far about 20% has disintegrated into ash, the rest is slowly burning. There is still perhaps 15% black wood. My pile isn't massive, im only cooking onions and a burger so the heat is gentle but consistent.I did read reviews saying it was cheaper direct from Big K, it was, by a pound but then add the 8 quid delivery and buying from Amazon is by far the better option.So an hour in now and still heat being produced and enough heat to cook on.2 hours and its about died down, however i only used a small amount so i have no doubt a larger quantity would still be producing heat. In short. Fantastic charcoal.

Mostly large pieces of charcoal with less of the small / broken pieces that you get in other brands offerings.Burns long and hot and perfect for a Souvla - let the coals burn for a while if you're cooking Burgers or Chicken as they will cook very quickly on the outside and be raw in the middle due to the high heat output at the start of the burn.

Like others have mentioned, the bag contains (mostly) large pieces, which is obviosly a good thing. I know, having bought Big K products before, that if there are lots of fragments, it is probably due to how it has been handled rather than what was originally put into the bag.I filled my chimney 3/4 fully and put a couole of fire lighters underneath it. What I found is that it took a while to get going, and quite a bit longer than other lumpwood charcoal I have used before. However, once it is lit, the heat is immense; I have never seen my barbeque thermometer read so high before, so make sure you temper the heat with your dampers! It also burns for ages and was still generating heat long after I had finished cooking (certainly beyond two hours).One thing to look out for, which Big K mention on their website; this charcoal has a tendacy to spit sparks, and if one lands on you, could burn a hole in your clothes, as I found out!Overall, highly recommended, and looking forward to the next cook.

I'm a keen bbq'er (not to sure that's even a word, but we'll go with it) and being a keen bbq'er I've gotten through a few bags of the black stuffThis coal is hands down up there with the best on the market.You might think that 35 I think it is, of the queen's finest is alot for 15kg, and depending on which way you look at it, you'd be right. But the quality of this stuff is superb, the pieces are massive, it burns really well, very evenly, and the heat that comes off it im almost sure would be enough to forge Thors next weapon.

I've tried most charcoals readily available and too many burn out quickly. This lasts the distance and maintains a steady temp. Recommend a good size chimney starter, no chemicals. Also helps deal with invasive plants and supports Cuban economy which sounds a good thing. Definitely my go to charcoal and so I have bought often.

Poor. Mainly small pieces and dangerously spitty.

The charcoal burns very nicely - it can easily be controlled for a steady slow burn, or fast and hot, for a steakhouse sear. Longevity is really good too. I've done a 7 hour rib smoke on it on a Kamado Joe kettle joe, without having to refill. And after closing the vents at the end, there was still about 15% of the original volume remaining. Enough to start a fire for the next cook.Flavour is mild, to none. The only significantly detectable flavour comes from the smoking wood.This does have major flaw though. The size distribution is quite extreme. Ranging from big chunks, up to about 3 fists in size, all the way down to little 10p sized chips. Unfortunately the bulk of it is more on the chip sized side. So much so that if you pour it into a Kettle Joe's charcoal basket, about 1/4 of it is small enough to fall straight through the grating, into the ash drawer. With some careful re-arranging, you can replace some of the small bit s back on top. But even so, you will find that during the burn, a lot of the small pieces will fall through into the ash drawer long before being fully burnt.This causes a lot of wastage. The ash I discard at the end of each cook typically ends up consisting of around 60% partially burned, still black, charcoal gravel, to about 40% ash. Because of this, it's not really as economical as it might seem. Of the 15kg in the bag, I estimate that I ended up discarding around 2-3kg worth in unburnt and unusable small flakes.If this was better filtered and graded to leave only pieces over 1 inch diameter in the mix, it might be worth its not inconsiderable price tag. But at present, it feels well overpriced for what it is.