Mike B in NC
New member
Is there any advantages in using Royal Oak Lump hardwood charcoal vs. briquettes? Can they be combined and used in the same smoke?
Lump hardwood charcoal or briquettes?
- Thread starter Mike B in NC
- Start date
Mike B in NC
New member
Thanks. My question was for a WSM 14.5.
Dwain Pannell
TVWBB Hall of Fame
All about Charcoal FWIW I prefer Royal Oak.
Chris Hosston
TVWBB Member
Dwain Pannell
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I prefer Lump in both the WSM and Kettle. Less ash, no additives, IMO cleaner burn, and excellent results
Last edited:
Chris Hosston
TVWBB Member
Do you use 1 or 2 grates at the bottom of your WSM for the lump? I bought an extra grate just for using lump so it won't fall through the grate.
Darrel Williams
TVWBB Super Fan
I am contradicting some people here but I NEVER use regular briquettes (KBB, Kingsford Blue Bag) on the smoker because the amount of ash the it produces blocks airflow, so temps are harder to regulate.
Kingsford Competition (K-COMP) in the red bag is a 100% natural briquette without the binding agents. It produces less ash, and IMHO is more reliable. It's more expensive than KBB, but it's my choice in my smoker(s).
Lump is better than regular briqs, but note that it wants to run hot and die out quickly. Long smoking sessions over 5 hours may require a refueling step.
Ron G.
TVWBB Wizard
On my 18" WSM, I use hardwood lump almost exclusively
I use a local brand = Grove
I find that it is more flavor-neutral than K or RO, but not quite as neutral as Cowboy - which seems to be made from (mostly) wood-shop scrap.
If I do a good job of packing the charcoal ring - I can get about 6+ hours out of it, which is pretty good burn-time for Lump, but I usually need to shovel-in a re-load for longer smokes and I time my smokes accordingly.
I think that Cow is made from wood that starts-out drier and ends up with even less flavor and faster / hotter burn.
This lets me use more smoke wood for the flavor and avoid coal dust and other fillers that are in most Lump.
It also burns-down to nearly nothing (I can get-by with emptying the lower bowl out after 3 or 4 smokes - this would be nearly impossible with K)
Some prefer the flavor from stuff like K - and I feel that there is no real "right" or "wrong" answer - it's a matter of personal preference
I use a local brand = Grove
I find that it is more flavor-neutral than K or RO, but not quite as neutral as Cowboy - which seems to be made from (mostly) wood-shop scrap.
If I do a good job of packing the charcoal ring - I can get about 6+ hours out of it, which is pretty good burn-time for Lump, but I usually need to shovel-in a re-load for longer smokes and I time my smokes accordingly.
I think that Cow is made from wood that starts-out drier and ends up with even less flavor and faster / hotter burn.
This lets me use more smoke wood for the flavor and avoid coal dust and other fillers that are in most Lump.
It also burns-down to nearly nothing (I can get-by with emptying the lower bowl out after 3 or 4 smokes - this would be nearly impossible with K)
Some prefer the flavor from stuff like K - and I feel that there is no real "right" or "wrong" answer - it's a matter of personal preference
I use both lump and Kingsford blue in my WSM's. When using KBB, I usually run my WSM's for 1-1 1/2 hours before anything goes on. I wait for thin blue and then put on the food., with lump, it takes a lot less time for that thin blue to arrive. No one seems to comment on the difference in taste between the two types of charcoal.
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
I've pretty much used anything that will burn. Sure, I stay away from anything that has a bad reputation (like Cowboy) or should I say I gravitate to the name brands, but I've not found them to be significantly different. My preference is lump and have used R.O. many times. I've got 12 - 15+ hours in a 18" WSM on R.O. lump. You do have to pack it and load the ring, but I can get long cooks without reloading which is my main goal. I like lump because the lower amount of ash.
To the O.P. - yes, you can use lump and briquettes together. The main thing you want to do is pack the ring with as little air gaps as possible.
I think the main thing to do is try different things, but not to change too much at one time. Take some notes (mental or written) and pretty soon, you'll find what works for you. Personally, I think the most important thing to get a long burn time is positioning your smoker out of the wind.
To the O.P. - yes, you can use lump and briquettes together. The main thing you want to do is pack the ring with as little air gaps as possible.
I think the main thing to do is try different things, but not to change too much at one time. Take some notes (mental or written) and pretty soon, you'll find what works for you. Personally, I think the most important thing to get a long burn time is positioning your smoker out of the wind.
Dwain Pannell
TVWBB Hall of Fame
2... in the Kettle and WSM
Matt Mills
TVWBB Member
I prefer Kingsford briquettes for 2 simple reasons. Briquettes are all the same size but lump is different sizes. And kingsford blue can be found at any walmart, kmart, grocery store you stop at.
