Char-Broil Center Cut
Lump Charcoal

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Quick Stats
Date Of Review:January, 2017
Purchased From: Lowes
Date Purchased: November, 2016
Price: $22.99
Advertised Weight: See review
Type of Wood: "White hardwoods"
Strange Material: Nylon string
Scrap Lumber: None
Smell: Very mild
Country of Origin: Russia


Key Performance Indicators
Chips and Dust:
Lighting:
Max Temperature:
Burn Time:
Ash Production:


Quick Links
Other Information: Click Here
Statements From The Bag: Click Here
Lighting Instructions: Click Here
Safety Instructions: Click Here
Unusual Or Unique Statements: Click Here
Photos of Contents: Click Here
Other Photos: Click Here
Photo of UPC Code: Click Here
Contact Information: Click Here

Rate And Comment On This Charcoal: Click Here


Commentary

Char-Broil Center Cut Lump Charcoal is manufactured by Black Diamond, so you may wish to take a look at our previous review of Black Diamond Charwood for a more complete look at all the issues surrounding how this charcoal is packaged and marketed. Char-Broil Center Cut Lump Charcoal has all the same issues. Briefly, the box indicates that it contains 1.18 cubic feet of charcoal, while this is clearly impossible as the interior volume of the box is only 1.05 cubic feet, or 11% smaller than advertised. Moreover, if you take all the charcoal out of the enclosed bag and place it into the box, the charcoal doesn't come close to filling up the box:


As you can see, the charcoal only comes up to within 2 inches of he top of the box. If you do the math, the charcoal is only occupying 0.91 cubic feet, or about 77% of the advertised 1.18 cubic feet.

Further, if you look at the Char-Broil website FAQs for this product, you will find a number of entries by an inividual who goes by "DustinR" and has answered almost 25,000 questions that claim that this product contains 11 pounds of charcoal. Again, not true. We have weighed a total of nine boxes of this and Black Diamond Charwood and only one of the nine boxes contained over 11 pounds of charcoal. The other 8 boxes contained between 9.76 and 10.8 pounds, five of them containing less than 10.1 pounds. Indeed, the box of charcoal shown in the photo above contained only 10.2 pounds of charcoal.

But let's move on to how the charcoal does in our testing. First, the size distribution. Char-Broil has a promotional video on their website that states "The average lump size is 3 inches" and "You'll find that Char-Broil Center Cut contains less unusable charcoal dust than what you can typically find at the bottom of bag lump charcoal." What did we find? Well, as we do with all lump charcoal reviews, we dumped the charcoal out onto the ground for sorting. Here's the size distribution that we found:

Large 0.0 pounds 0.0%
Medium 1.8 pounds 17.9%
Small 7.2 pounds 70.9%
Chips/Dust 1.2 pounds 11.2%



Total 10.2 pounds


As you can see, the distribution was pretty dismal. No large pieces. About 18% medium sized pieces and all the rest either small sized pieces or chips and dust. The 11.2% chips and dust ranks average compared to other brands we have tested. So that blows the second claim about "less unusable charcoal dust than what you can typically find at the bottom of bag lump charcoal." Then here is a photo of all the pieces that were 3 inches or more. This constituted only 4.0% of the total box of charcoal, nowhere near an average size of 3 inches. So there goes the first claim of "the average lump size is 3 inches."

We found no scrap and no uncarbonized wood in the box. However, we did find a piece of string that resembled fishing line. Needless to say, the last thing you want burning in your cooker is a piece of plastic.

In our lighting test, Char-Broil Center Cut took four sheets of newspaper to get a good fire going in the chimney starter. This is average compared to other brands we have tested. While the charcoal was starting, there was no sparking or popping. The burning charcoal had a very mild smoke.

In our maximum temperature test, this charcoal burned at 1117°F which is very high compared to other charcoals. Again, there was no sparking or popping. The speed that the fire spread was moderate.

Finally, we did our usual burn test. Lighting with a MAP-Pro torch yielded almost no sparking and no popping. The fire spread very quickly after lighting. Again the smoke very extremely mild while the fire was starting. Char-Broil Center Cut lump burn time was Very High compared to other brands we have tested. In fact, it ranked number 2 overall. The ash produced was Very Low compared to other brands.

So as with Black Diamond Charwood, we have this dilemma of a wonderfully performing charcoal that is sold in boxes that aren't even large enough to hold their advertised volume. Then you find the boxes aren't even completely filled, and what you find inside has a very good chance of consisting of mostly small pieces and a lot of chips and dust. And then there is the price. We don't include pricing in the overall rating for a number of reasons, but we'll just pass on the fact that Char-Broil Center Cut charcoal at its normal retail price is the most expensive lump charcoal we've ever tested. By a lot. Even when you use the sale prices (typcially half-price) that have been seen lately, it is still in the top 20%. But again, we don't take pricing into account. So, based on its performance with excellent results for the maximum temperature, burn time and ash production, like with Black Diamond Charwood, we will give this charcoal a Recommended rating, but with a big asterisk.

To the left is the rating that our readers have given this charcoal. If you have used this charcoal and would like to rate it and leave your comments, Click Here

To view reader ratings of all brands, Click Here.


Other Information

None


Statements From The Box

"KICKITUP", "100% All Natural", "Faster Start", "Better Results", "Easier clean-up", "Easy Pour System"

"Never Purchase Charcoal by Weight!
Char-Broil® CenterCut™ is light in weight, heavy on quality. Water and other natural impurities have been burned away giving you the only charcoal in the market that meets the highest level of quality standards. Better charcoal equals better results."

"89% Average Carbonization (%)", "6% Max Moisture", "3% Max Ash (%)", "3'' Average Size"

"Real Wood Charcoal", "Briquet Consistency"

"Center-Cut™ Lump Charcoal

  • Organic, center-cut hardwoods only — no limbs, bark, binders or excessive charcoal fines and dust.
  • Uniform in size and quality for easier use and reliable results — consistent from one box to the next.
  • Fired longer to produce a lighter-weight, clean-burning, premium charcoal that minimizes unwanted wood sparks, dirty smoke and ash."
  • "USDA Organic", "Produced by Black Diamond CharWood.". "Certified Organic by Ecoglobe LLC.", "Made in Russia"

    "USE
    Char-Broil Center-Cut lump charcoal will respond quickly to airflow allowing you to accurately control grilling temperatures. After grilling, air vents can be closed to preserve remaining charcoal for future use."

    "CLEAN UP
    After burning, you will find very little ash left behind. Char-Broil Center-Cut is organic in nature and therefore the ash 100% recyclable."

    "DO NOT USE LIGHTER FLUID WITH THIS PRODUCT."


    Lighting Instructions

    "START UP
    CHIMNEY STARTER — For faster charcoal lighting, use the Char-Broil Half-Time™ Charcoal Starter. Place chimney on grate and activate by lighting Char-Broil's All-Natural Fire-Starters placed directly underneath the chimney. After approximately 15 minutes, or when charcoal is full activate and white around the edges, pour charcoal and spread evenly with a slight mound for maximizing effectiveness.

    MOUND SYSTEM — Pile charcoal in a pyramid shape over Char-Broil's Electric Charcoal Starter or All-Natural Fire-starters. Once charcoal is white around the edges, you are ready to grill.


    Safety Instructions

    "Important Safety Information

  • NEVER Barbecue indoors. Odorless carbon monoxide can accumulate and become fatal.
  • After ooking, MAKE SURE ashes completely cool before disarding.
  • NEVER use gasoline to light charcoal.
  • DO NOT add lighter fluid or any accelerant after starting a fire.
  • MAKE SURE grill is on a flat, level surface and a safe distance away from any flamable (sic) items.
  • Store your CharWood™ in a cool, dry area away from open flames."

  • Unusual or Unique Statements

    None


    The Ruler Used In The Following Photographs

    We use the following ruler in the photographs which follow. The black and white segments are
    1 inch long. The upper scale is in inches, while the lower scale is in centimeters. The distance
    between the centers of the two targets is precisely 9 inches.


    Photos Of Contents

    This photo is an overall view of the contents of the bag.


    Here is a closer view.


    Here are the larger pieces we found in the bag. These are also, the only pieces contained in the box that exceeded 3 inches in any dimension.



    Here is a closeup of a piece of plastic we found in the box. It had an appearance much like fishing line.


    Here are the contents of the bag sorted into large, medium, small, and too small/chips/dust.


    Other Photos

    None.


    Photo of UPC Code


    Contact Information

    1442 Belfast Ave
    Columbus, GA   31904

    Phone: 800-241-7548

    Web: www.charbroil.com
    Facebook: www.facebook.com/charbroil/


    About This Review

    If you are unfamiliar with our testing procedures, you may wish to read How We Review Lump Charcoal before reading this review. Also, you can read How We Score Lump Charcoal to learn about our scoring system.

    Prices listed in our reviews are current as of the date of the review. We do not attempt to keep these prices current.

    The conclusions and final rating given any charcoal are based upon the opinion of the author. We recommend that you use our rating only as a guide. You should read the entire review and decide what is important to you in making any buying decision.

    Performance ratings are designated with stars, 1 star being the worst and 5 stars being the best:

    = Performance is Far Below Average
    = Performance is Below Average
    = Performance is Average
    = Performance is Above Average
    = Performance is Far Above Average

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