Some time ago, we purchased an 8-pound bag of this charcoal at Walmart, thinking to do a review of it. When we opened the bag,
the size of the pieces was so small we decided it wasn't worth our time. However, since then we have read some positive things
about Expert Grill from readers and decided to buy the big bag and give it a second chance. Turns out it was a good thing we
did and we think many of you will be surprised by what we found.
Expert Grill is a house brand name at Walmart, so there is no easy way to find out who makes this charcoal or get any information
about it. However we were able to deduce that it was once made by Duraflame, however not since 2018. We can't tell who is making it
now. Also, we know is that is is made in Mexico so we have
provided one of our helpful maps at right in case you wonder where Mexico is.
We really didn't know what to expect when we dumped the bag out for sorting and inspection, so we were pleasantly surprised
to find what appeared to be a reasonable mix of sizes. And while we are aware of a video out there from some guy who found a piece
of insulation and a stick in his bag of Expert Grill, we found nothing in our bag except a not-all-that-unexpected rock. It was
smaller than a golf ball and not a reason to make a video.
As you can see in the following table, over half of the 30-pound bag was comprised of medium and large pieces of
charcoal. And although almost one-fifth of the bag was chips and dust, when you consider the price of this charcoal,
it is still a bargain even after you toss that 17.8%. Heck, this charcoal is a bargain even if you toss the small pieces
in addition to the chips and dust.
| Large |
7.1 pounds |
23.4% |
| Medium |
9.4 pounds |
30.9% |
| Small |
8.5 pounds |
27.9% |
| Chips/Dust |
5.4 pounds |
17.8% |
|
|
|
| Total |
30.4 pounds |
|
|
In our lighting test, Expert Grill took 3.5 sheets of newspaper to get started in a chimney starter. This
is Low compared to all other brands, making it fairly easy to start.
The smoke was a moderate woodsy type of smoke. THere was a small amount of sparking while it burned in
the chimney starter, but no popping.
Next, in our maximum temperature test, this charcoal burned at 902°F which is High compared to
other brands. There was a small amount of sparking and popping as the fire grew. The fire grew
quite slowly. Noticeably so, in fact. Later, in our burn time test, it took quite a long time for the
fire to grow to the point where the cooker was at 300°F (which is when we start the clock.)
And speaking of burn time tests, Expert Grill charcoal burned a pretty long time, ranking High compared
to other brands. When lighting with a MAP/Pro torch there was a moderate amount of sparking and popping,
so always exercise care when using a torch of any kind to light lump charcoal. Finally, the ash
produced by this charcoal was Low compared to other brands.
So in summary, Expert Grill is a pretty inexpensive charcoal that performs very well compared to
other brands. It is fairly easy to start, burns very hot for a long time and produces not that much
ash. The only measurement it lags behind in is the quantity of dust and chips in the bag. But as we
already have pointed out, even if you remove the small pieces, the dust, and the chips, the price per
pound is still below most of the so-called premium brands. We give this brand our Recommended rating.
