lump charcoal mixed briquettes smoke level in food


 

BruceS

TVWBB Member
I usually smoke meat in my WSM with natural briquettes only. I am going to mix lump charcoal with briquettes and was wondering if the smoke level of meat would be stronger?
 
That's what I thought. That's what I did. I didn't notice any difference in smoke or taste. The only difference was the lump behaved erratically. (I used Cowboy lump) A few of the lump pieces were throwing of sparks that shot 8 feet out of my charcoal starter and continued to spark periodically throughout the cook. I'm just trying to use the stuff up now. Sticking with KBB. I think the chunks of smoke-wood have way more effect than lump charcoal. Just my opinion based on limited experience.
 
The smoke level will probably be more because lump will often have pieces that aren't fully carbonized. I won't buy Cowboy Lump because I got a bag that had chunks of plastic in it once. Maybe that's a one time thing, but it's enough for me to be done with it. The sparks can also be a concern. I was lighting a chimney of lump on my smoker and it lit a bag of wood chunks on fire that was about 4 feet away from the sparks. This was in the middle of one of the worst droughts we ever had, but still, you have to keep an eye on it.
 
I was lighting a chimney of lump on my smoker and it lit a bag of wood chunks on fire that was about 4 feet away from the sparks.

That's a scary thought; in all of my 2 1/2 years smoking & grilling I've only used KBB but a couple weeks ago I bought a bag of lump just so I can say I tried it. I have a habit of lighting and then going to the kitchen for final prep.
 
The smell of KBB lighting up is less than pleasant compared to lump. Almost acrid. You never light up ALL the briquettes in a smoker at once, and regardless of what Meathead Goldwyns biased opinion is, I choose lump. I like it better.

the only thing I have ever found in my lump bags is rocks.
 
The smell of KBB lighting up is less than pleasant compared to lump. Almost acrid. You never light up ALL the briquettes in a smoker at once, and regardless of what Meathead Goldwyns biased opinion is, I choose lump. I like it better.

the only thing I have ever found in my lump bags is rocks.

BBQ is a much an art , as it is a science. Everyone should do what they like to do. I don't think there's any set course that must be followed. Its free form. If a person feels good about how they BBQ, then their food will taste better to them.

But I don't see Meathead having a " biased opinion " on whether lump burns hotter than briquettes. He's supported his view with a couple of tests that were about as scientific as we're gonna see on this type of thing.

My only purpose for using lump has been for a hotter fire, like searing steaks. So now, I've got no reason to pay extra for lump.

Now it is Meatheads opinion that flavor comes from adding wood and briquettes are only there for heat. And I agree with that as I've always thought the same. It might be right, might not.
 
I still use lump for certain things, just not Cowboy brand. I use Royal Oak. My favorite was Full Circle but it's not available around here anymore.

I don't necessarily agree with Meathead on lump. I prefer KBB for most cooks, though.
 
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