Well it lasted about 7 hrs at 225, not bad for that load.

Packed it full this morning and lit off at 5:45, temp still at 240ish. Peeked in and there is plenty of fuel left, so I am very impressed!

Also there was only a handfull of ash from last nights cook, wow!

Was this with the minion method or just 2/3 a ring of completely lit lump?

Both cooks were MM, did ok on second cook. I got 10 hrs out of it.

But I did 2 10 lb butts yesterday and got 14 hrs out of one load. Takes some getting used to lump but I feel like I will stay with it!

I want so badly to jump on the lump bandwagon, but after every bag of lump I try, I keep going back for another bag of Kingsford.

I do enjoy lump in the kettle when trying to sear a steak, but for me I MUCH prefer the consistency of Kingsford in both the kettle and the WSM. I just hate all the ash...

I am really impressed with the Nature Glo (premium RO brand). If you can find it, try it.

For me, it depends on what I'm cooking. For long overnight cooks, I prefer briquettes for their predictability. For regular grilling, lump is great.

I used the Primo lump made for the Primo cooker, no crackle with long burn time. I am going to seek ou the wicked this weekend and try it.

I just did some grilling (chicken thighs, asparagus, acorn squash) with Royal Oak for the first time and am impressed. As a briquette user, I found that a little lump goes a long way. I had tried some Cowboy lump last summer but really didn't like it. I think I could comvert to quality lump for low 'n slow with a little practice...

Used the Wicked Good Weekend Warrior blend to smoke a brisket this weekend. I was quite impressed. I got about 7 hours of of one load and gave a terrific flavor. This is my choice of lump now, however Kingsford charcoal is cheaper for you cheapwads out there. Long live the Q!!!

I think I'm going lump all the way. Last weekend I did 6 baby backs with Royal Oak (love the clean smell as it burns). I had heard about having trouble keeping temps stable with lump on the WSM, but I locked in around 225* and stayed there for five hours no problem. (Bottom vents almost completely closed). I was surprised how much fuel was unburnt when I opened her up the next day. I'll have a better idea of lump on the WSM when I do a longer smoke next, say, Midnight Brisket...

I have cooked with RO Lump (made in USA) for the last couple of weeks and I think there is no going back to anything else for me!

I can find almost anywhere and at WM it's $13.53 w/tax for 2 10lb bags!

I like both so far. I haven't be able to "taste" kingsford but I like the price for long smoke sessions. I also love how inferno hot I can get lump for searing while grilling. I think there's room in my garage for both.

I used lump for the first time yesterday to grill a pork tenderloin and I loved the flavor. However, since I have 20 bags of K in the garage I'll be using briquettes for a long, long time.

Gonna try some lump. I've only used K so far.

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Allingham:
Depends on what lump costs where you live.

In season, Kingsford costs about $10.49 for 48 pounds. $5 worth of Kingsford will certainly keep a WSM running for 20.5 hours. Where I live, I can't buy 8.5 pounds of lump for $5.

Regards,
Chris

Chris: An 10Lb bag of Kingsford costs around $16.00 here in Costa Rica if you can find it. However, the Kingsford is a great product and very easy to maintain the temperature control that is needed for the Low and Slow method of cooking. Here in Costa Rica we do not have the variety of commercial briquette or lump charcoal that you have in the USA. So, when grilling I use a lump charcoal(nails and all) which costs around $4.00 for a five pound bag for grilling and Kingsford(sometime mixed with Lump) when I BBQ.

Richard

OTG 22 1/2" with Smokenator, WSM Classic

So far just briquettes for me. I'm a recent convert to TJ's briquettes, I love 'em. I use K in the chimney for the Minion, but they always go on top of TJ, and the results have been steadily good.
But, I guess it's getting near time to branch out and try something new.

Here is how the question was originally asked;

"Which is your favorite fuel for barbecuing in the WSM at "low & slow" temperatures: Lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes?"

However, now the hardwood lump briquettes are getting more popular. I use Kingsford for low slow cooks and lump for grilling.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Shaun R,

For the low and slow cooks, I like the Kingsford Competition briquettes.

I've made the jump to lump. For me it seems to hold the heat a bit longer. Although you can smell the kingsford for blocks away compared to the lump. Smells like victory!

Lump burns so hot it seems it could melt the metal on my Weber kettle grill. I like lump to sear steaks and get a nice charred outside while keeping the center rare and juicy. Lump is super good for this. I light it with a weed killer/snow melter propane torch and its just a minute or two and I am searing steaks.
In the WSM..its K briquettes all the way. Burns slow and controlled for a nice long burn. A 20 lb bag of K minion started, set the Guru to 225, and a smoker load of butts will be done in 13-14 hours with K to spare. No reloading or concerns. Lump cant compare IMHO. Lump burns up in a hurry since it doesnt seem to have the same density. If lump is known for its high heat output, why use it for the lo-n-slo cooking style?