Cheap Prep Item Alert: 40lb Mesquite Charcoal only $7.47

40 lb bag of Mesquite Charcoal

I don't know about you guys but 40 pounds of charcoal, and MESQUITE charcoal at that, for under $8 is a pretty darn good deal around here. I purchased it at my local Walmart Neighborhood Marketplace. Those are the Walmart grocery stores, not the big Walmarts that have everything under the sun. It is made by El Diablo.

This is an exerpt from their website: "Mesquite charcoal last longer because it is 100 % charred wood. This not only enhances the flavor of your food, it makes mesquite a healthier alternative than briquettes. Mesquite charcoal is an all natural fuel, while Briquettes contain waste material, petroleum additives and binders, all of which affect the flavor of your grilled meal."

I used it on Easter to cook a spiral ham in one of our dutch ovens. It is the large, chunk (aka lump) charcoal...not briquettes. I placed a few large chunks between a newspaper and hit it with my hammer to break it up into smaller pieces. Then I picked up the newspaper, using it as a tray, and dumped the smashed up charcoal into my chimney starter.

Using the same method as normal briquettes (wadded up newspaper crammed up under the chimney starter), I got this charcoal to light up just like normal charcoal.  I put about 3-4 medium size chunks under the dutch oven and 5-6 on the lid. The only size comparison (for the charcoal chunks) I can think of right now is about the size of an egg.

The ham was delicious and the charcoal worked great. Get it cheap while you can and stock up. I see it is also advertised online at CostCo. If you want to know more about lump charcoal, visit this link.

Update  5-22-11: This same bag is now $14.xx at the same Walmart. Hellooooo hyperinflation!