Scott T - Calgary
New member
Does anyone know why the Owner's guide recommends using briquettes instead lump charcoal or heat beads? I know from the forums that a great deal of people use lump charcoal. So I was wondering what the reason might be.
A question about the owner's guide.
- Thread starter Scott T - Calgary
- Start date
I don't know for sure. When I met with Weber in 2008 to discuss WSM usage, we talked a lot about different fuels. It's not like they don't know about lump. I can only assume that they feel briquettes are a more even, consistent heat source for barbecue.
Regards,
Chris
Regards,
Chris
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scott T:
Does anyone know why the Owner's guide recommends using briquettes instead lump charcoal or heat beads? I know from the forums that a great deal of people use lump charcoal. So I was wondering what the reason might be. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It sure makes it easier to give recipes that include instructions including how much charcoal to add. I think they pretty much figure that anybody using lump either knows what they're doing or is willing to experiment a bit and figure out what works with their particular lump.
Does anyone know why the Owner's guide recommends using briquettes instead lump charcoal or heat beads? I know from the forums that a great deal of people use lump charcoal. So I was wondering what the reason might be. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It sure makes it easier to give recipes that include instructions including how much charcoal to add. I think they pretty much figure that anybody using lump either knows what they're doing or is willing to experiment a bit and figure out what works with their particular lump.
LarryR
TVWBB Diamond Member
I read on here the best use for WSM manual was as a fire starter. There was a guy who was an engineer for Weber on this site awhile back and someone asked him the same question. If memory serves me correctly it had something to do with consistency of briquettes over lump? Anyone else remember this?
Now go light your user manual on fire
Now go light your user manual on fire
Scott, It's because you have alot more variables with lump than briqs. It's not that you can't use it, it's just that Weber feels if you use briqs, you'll get more consistant results each and every time.
I burn nothing but lump in my WSM. You have to pack it so you don't get big air gaps, which can lead to temp spikes. If you pack your lump, and use your vents to limit air flow, lump burns just fine in the wsm. Yes lump will burn hotter than briqs, but only if you let it.
HTH
I burn nothing but lump in my WSM. You have to pack it so you don't get big air gaps, which can lead to temp spikes. If you pack your lump, and use your vents to limit air flow, lump burns just fine in the wsm. Yes lump will burn hotter than briqs, but only if you let it.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by LarryR:
Anyone else remember this? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Larry, This Post?????
Anyone else remember this? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Larry, This Post?????
Scott T - Calgary
New member
I really appreciate the great feedback.
The place I purchased my WSM (I tried buying through the Amazon link here but they do not ship to Canada) from only had the lump. So that is what I am starting with.
Bryan thanks for the heads up with packing the lump to prevent air gaps. That would have been a mistake that I would have made.
Larry I may not burn the owner's guide straight away but it good to know that it is there if I run short of newspaper.
Thanks again!
The place I purchased my WSM (I tried buying through the Amazon link here but they do not ship to Canada) from only had the lump. So that is what I am starting with.
Bryan thanks for the heads up with packing the lump to prevent air gaps. That would have been a mistake that I would have made.
Larry I may not burn the owner's guide straight away but it good to know that it is there if I run short of newspaper.
Thanks again!
Larry D.
TVWBB Emerald Member
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Scott T:
Bryan thanks for the heads up with packing the lump to prevent air gaps. That would have been a mistake that I would have made.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Scott, the way I do this (if you don't mind getting your hands dirty) is to pour the lump into the charcoal ring, then use my hands to shift it back and forth while pushing it away from one side of the ring. This compacts the lump while creating a "hole" at one side of the pile. I then pour the lit charcoal into that hole, for a Minion-method burn. This only takes a few seconds, and I get a pretty consistent burn throughout the course of the cook.
Bryan thanks for the heads up with packing the lump to prevent air gaps. That would have been a mistake that I would have made.
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Scott, the way I do this (if you don't mind getting your hands dirty) is to pour the lump into the charcoal ring, then use my hands to shift it back and forth while pushing it away from one side of the ring. This compacts the lump while creating a "hole" at one side of the pile. I then pour the lit charcoal into that hole, for a Minion-method burn. This only takes a few seconds, and I get a pretty consistent burn throughout the course of the cook.
Agreed about packing the lump if you're using Minion-method. For shorter cooks you'll probably just be dumping a couple of chimneys in there and unless your pieces are very odd you probably can't get into too much trouble.
The only other gotcha I can think of while using lump - if you're switching from brand to brand you might notice that some are more dense than others - the lumps just don't seem to weigh very much for some. Not too surprisingly those don't last as long, and if you're measuring by volume you might want to add a little extra. When in doubt, add extra - the amount of burning is limited by airflow and if you have any kind of decent seal on your unit you can close the vents and kill the fire and just reuse unburnt stuff next time.
The only other gotcha I can think of while using lump - if you're switching from brand to brand you might notice that some are more dense than others - the lumps just don't seem to weigh very much for some. Not too surprisingly those don't last as long, and if you're measuring by volume you might want to add a little extra. When in doubt, add extra - the amount of burning is limited by airflow and if you have any kind of decent seal on your unit you can close the vents and kill the fire and just reuse unburnt stuff next time.