Cowboy 8 Pound Oak & Hickory Lump Charcoal

After following the recommendation from a couple of guys at work , I brought a 34 lb. bag at my local Smart and Final. I was happy to see it was made from oak and hickory rather than mesquite. Mesquite burns too hot and to fast for my low and slow way of cooking. When I first opened the bag, I was disappointed in how small the pieces were. Nothing in the bag was any larger than a peach and most around chicken egg size. In addition, I found a few scraps of metal strapping. This morning, when I cleaned out the ashes, I found a bunch of lava type rocks about the size of large strawberries. Small pieces burn fast and I had to keep a close eye on the temperature and had to keep refilling my smokers fire box. Between the small pieces and the trash, I was really disappointed in a product O really wanted to like.

I purchased this charcoal at Lowe's. When I open the bag, justice with the original cowboy,there were mostly small pieces of charcoal in the mix. This charcoal made an intensely Hot fire, challenging to control, and as before with the original cowboy, burning out quickly. I think I should return the product to Lowe's and ask for my money back. put more big pieces in the mix!