How much charcoal and wood do you use?


 
T

Tom Hinkle

TVWBB Super Fan
I'm trying to get an average of how much it costs to operate a WSM. I know the amount of charcoal and wood varies, but I'm trying to get a ballpark average how much wood and charcoal people use for a long cook, like for a brisket or pork butt.

I have a rough idea in my mind that I would use half to 3/4 of a 22 lb bag of Kingsford and a third to half a bag of wood chunks. But I'm not sure I ever really kept close track and I'm just guessing. I figure it probably costs me about $7-9 to cook something on my WSM.

So if anyone has better records or knows more precisely, I'd appreciate hearing it. Thanks.
 
Tom,

Last week was four kettles for all for competition meats and we used a total of 40 lbs of Kingsford (a la Minion method - and yes, it works).

As for wood, we used chunks - approx 3 - 4 lbs and about 1 lb of chips.

Brian
House of Q
 
I can get 2-3 smokes from a 24# bag of Kingsford and 4-5 smokes from a $7.99 bag of wood from BBQ Galore.

How much meat do you have in your smoker? Seems like a lot of consumables.

I don't use water anymore (since the Guru) and use less charcoal now.
 
That's a big difference with having the Guru and no water in the pan, a lot less charcoal being used! I switch between water and sand depending on the cook, and see a big differfence.
 
I use somewhere around half of a 24 lb bag of kinsford for an overnighter. Chunks... I use somewhere on average 4 chunks of hickory. The 20 pound bag I bought cost around $10. I've been using the same bag for months.

Considering I've been getting 48 lbs of kingsford at Home Depot for $7.99, I think my long smokes cost somewhere around $3 - and that is on the high end. Meat not included, obviously.
 
Thanks for the replies, everyone. Yes, HD has Kingsford for a bargain price, twin 22 lb bags for about $8. They have always had a good price on charcoal, and now it's even cheaper.

It sounds like most of us would use about half a bag on a long cook, so it's only a couple dollars. Plus the wood, of course, and I probably use $2-3 in wood chunks. I get the $6 bags at Barbeques Galore. I haven't seen any larger bags for a better unit cost.

Normally, though, most places charge more for charcoal, and lump costs quite a bit more.
 
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