Nature's Own Chunk Charwood Charcoal nakedwhiz.com       Home       Lump Review Index       Quick Stats Date Of Review: December, 2005 Purchased From: Donated by the distributor Date Purchased: December, 2005 Price: $10.95 Weight: 20 pounds Burn Time: Ash Production: Type of Wood: Maple, oak, hickory Strange Material?: None Scrap Lumber Pieces?: 1 piece Smell: Mild wood smoke Country of Origin: United States Quick Links Other Information: Click Here Unusual Or Unique Statements: Click Here Statements From The Bag: Click Here Lighting Instructions: 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 First of all, we should probably clear up any confusion over Nature's Own and Peoples Woods. Here goes: Several years ago, Peoples Woods carried a brand of Charcoal called Nature's Own Basque Hardwood Charcoal. It came from Canada and was similar to Maple Leaf Charcoal in that it was made from maple and birch wood. Peoples Woods then stopped carrying the Nature's Own and began selling what we called "Peoples Generic" when we reviewed it. This charcoal was a more typical American hardwood charcoal. Then we heard rumors that Peoples Woods was closing. Well, Peoples Woods has been purchased by a. j. martin, Inc. who is now selling a charcoal very similar to the Peoples Generic that is called "Nature's Own Chunk Charwood". Do not confuse this with the Nature's Own Basque charcoal from Canada. This new charcoal is made from American hardwoods. So let's see how it did. First of all, it arrive in a very very sturdy cardboard box. We hope all deliveries will arrive in boxes this sturdy because the charcoal arrived in great shape. Upon dumping the charcoal out and sorting it, we found one piece of scrap tongue and groove, 1 rock and 3 pieces of uncarbonized wood. As you can see from the following table, the amound of chips and dust was exceptionally low. As of this review, this is the second lowest percentage of chips and dust that we have measured. Overall, we'd like to see a little less of the small pieces and more medium size pieces, but the size distribution was generally good. Large 2.8 pounds 14.0% Medium 7.0 pounds 34.6% Small 9.0 pounds 44.8% Chips/Dust 1.3 pounds 6.6% Total 20.2 pounds The charcoal took 3.5 sheets to light in our chimney starter lighting test which is average. As the charcoal burned in the chimney starter, there was very little sparking and no significant popping. We were able to get the charcoal up to 880 degrees in our maximum temperature test, which is on the high end of what we have tested. While burning, the charcoal has a mild woodsy smoke which was very pleasant. The burn time on this charcoal was high and the ash production was average. All in all, this is a very good charcoal and we give it our Recommended rating. 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. Unusual or Unique Statements None. Statements From The Bag "Real wood-grilled flavor the way nature intended.", "Burns Hotter", "Lights Faster", "Environmentally Better" "Compare The Difference" Nature's Own Chunk Charwood Ordinary Charcoal Briquets may contain combinations of the following ingredients Pure Virgin Hardwood Coal or oil Limestone Saw Dust Borax Sodium Nitrate Starch Charwood Scrap Lumber/Pallets "The Nature's Own Story Now, for the first time, Nature's own Chunk Charwood™ allows you to cook with the same woods used by chefs in the finest restaurants. Nature's Own All Natural Charwoods burn hotter, faster and cleaner. Ordinary charcoal briquets can give off up to 250 times more sulphur dioxide emissions that Nature's Own Charwoods. When you use Nature's Own, your food is cooked naturally, quickly, and the air is cleaner. You foods are healthier and more flavorful." "No trees are expressly cut for Nature's Own Charwoods. We choose only selected parts of trees, such as limbs and trunks, which do not meet lumber specifications." "We never use petroleum to fire kilns. Instead, we use grain alcohol, a natural fuel, to avoid petroleum residuals in the charwood. By using Nature's Own Charwood, you cook as mother nature intended." Lighting Instructions "Although petroleum-based lighter fluids may be used to light Nature's Own 100% Natural Charwood, they may be detrimental to the flavor, your health, and the environment." "Whenever possible, we recommend "natural" non-toxic starters, such as an electric starter, chimney type starter, or twig/kindling, to protect the natural wood flavor and the environment." "Directions Place small crumpled balls of newspaper and/or twig/kindling at the bottom of the grill. (Be sure to open bottom vents on grill.) Pile Nature's Own Charwood over newspaper/wood. Light newspaper with a match in several places. Keep grill uncovered until charwoods turn red. Spread charwoods and start grilling. Add charwood if needed for extended cooking. Tightly roll down top of bag and re-seal to keep moisture out." Photos Of Contents This is the contents of the bag. Those are 1 inch squares on the measuring bar. Here is a closer view. Here are the larger pieces we found in the bag. Here are the uncarbonized pieces we found in the bag and the one rock. Here is the piece of scrap we found in the bag. This is the machined groove in the edge of the piece. Here are the contents of the bag sorted into large, medium, small, and too small/chips/dust. Other Photos This is how the bags arrived. Once again, we had help from Elliot the Cat! Photo of UPC Code Here is a photo of the UPC code on the bag: Contact Information Distributed by a. j. martin, Inc. 51 Graystone St. Warwick, RI 02886 Phone: 800-729-5800 Fax: 401-732-0633 www.naturesownonline.com www.ajmartininc.com