Big K El Cubano Restaurant Grade Charcoal, 15kg Bag Marabu Lumpwood Charcoal

Used this on my Kamado.. first time I wasn't sure how much to use so I put roughly enough to fill 2 large chimney starters (not lit!). Put a few hot coals, and a few chunks of wood, and let it go at around 225F on a bit of Pork.. 8 hours later, the pork was delicious and I'd only used about a third of the charcoal. Am about to do my 3rd cook without having added any extra!Bag is a large, really nice lumps, no chemical smells/taste.. fully recommended.. I just with it we're a little cheaper.I will be buying this again for sure!

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.

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.

No need to look anywhere else, this is the best coal, it has great heat and can burn for long periods and you can use for a second time as well.

Burns hotter than other charcoal I’ve used so bear that in mind. Lasts a long time

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.

well packaged, outer bag ripped but main bag fully intact.not opened yet but feels like pieces are large, will feedback further if this is not so.