I am close to being a lump only convert...thoughts wanted...


 
J

Jacob Montgomery

New member
Hey folks,

Don't post much, but y'all have helped me more than you know just lurking and browsing the forum for ideas and suggestions. I know the lump vs. briquette discussion/argument has been a popular topic...okay, beaten to death. But I wanted to throw my thoughts into the ring as well.

For one, I am apparently one of the few who has the problem of tasting something "off" in my food smoked over briquettes...I also smell a distinct, and quite unpleasant smell when using briquettes via the minion method. **Note: I have not had this issue at all when cooking over fully lit briquettes...

Anyway, I am big fan of RO lump (USA sourced/made) for it's all around performance/value.

I wondered if anyone else has experienced the same issues with taste and smell using the minion method WITH BRIQUETTES? I haven't had these issues using the minion method with lump...
 
I have not had the issue of taste. ...but I can see the difference with some briquettes: thicker smoke when getting a fire going and more ash. I understand from naked whiz that K comp and wicked good are better choices for briquette's. I also like Stubb's. ....but I like RO lump and even Publix Greenwise lump as well.
 
I will not comment over the lump vs bric debate. That being said, after trying both ways, I will only smoke over RO or similar lump, because I do not like the taste as much, and it is so much less waste. For HH grilling, I almost exclusively use briquettes....I stocked up on KBlue Briq's. My grilling items are not usually on long enough to get the flavor if I let them (the briq's) get fully ashed, and on sale they are less expensive than lump, though less efficient. KBlue goes on sale more often than the RO at my local Menards or HD, so I do what I can. All things being equal, I would be totally lump only.
 
I have not noticed any off taste using kbb and the minion. I get a charcoal smoke taste once though from adding a good amount of unlit to lit in my OTS

I will use either in the grill based on what I am doing but always used kbb in the smoker
 
I use mostly lump whether smoking or grilling. It does burn hotter but it has not been a problem for me to control. The only briquettes I will use are 100% natural wood and they aren't cheap. I have also done a combination of both, putting a single layer of briquettes down with lump over top. That worked very well doing an all night cook. For the smoker just don't start too much at one time. I used a propane torch with Map gas and in 20-30 seconds it going. I kind of pick through my charcaol bag as well making sure it's tightly layed in so there are no air spaces. I also made my own ring which has two bottom charcoal grates at 90 degrees , that way the smaller stuff gets burned as well before it can fall through.

The big thing for me is staying away from briquettes with coal dust, borax and whatever else they put in them to give consistent heat. You can't wait for that stuff to burn off and ash over in a smoker. I don't want that in my food.
 
I use lump for long smokes where I use the Minion method, but I often dump fully lit K on top of the lump. I use K for grilling and always wait for all the briquettes to ash over before cooking. I used to be pickier and only used lump for everything, but K is cheaper. Also, I find a lot of un-charred wood and un-charred bark in RO which can cause a lot of nasty smoke.
 
I use RO for all my cooks. If I can't find RO, then I'll use Publix Greenwise lump, after that it goes downhill really fast. I've got one bag of KComp that's been sitting there for a long time now that is my 'can't find anything else standby'.

My #1 reason is for RO is that it produces a very neutral tasting fire. That allows me to add my smoke wood (apple, cherry, etc.) and get the best effect from it. Briqs always give almost a charcoal-ie(?) flavor that I end up fighting. I know that doesn't make any sense but I definately get a different flavor between briq and lump.

Russ
 
I use KBB and have never noticed an off taste when using it. The only problem I have with KBB is the ash. When the big box stores put KBB on sale, it becomes a very economical fuel as compared to using lump.
I really like RO lump, but it's not generally available where I live and is a lot more money per pound when it is available.

Bob
 
I love using lump in my WSMs and in my kettles, but it was getting pricier and harder to come by.
I have switched to using Royal Oak Chefs Select natural briquettes and get the best of both worlds: very consistent long burns and untainted lump smoke flavor.
ROCS still costs more than KBB but it's less than lump.
 
I never experience any unpleasant smells when using the Blue Bag stuff-maybe the bad smell is masked by the can of lighter fluid I pour over the briquettes first! :D
 
I've benn using the Kingsford competition all natural, I get the 2 20 lb bags from Costco for about 15$ with a coupon and love the stuff,
 
Thanks for your thoughts folks...From the responses, there are definitely more people who have a similar experience as I do with lump vs. briq's than I originally thought...something to ponder.

On a side note, though I've never used it, I have heard good things about Publix Greenwise lump - on more than a few occasions...interested to try it now that others have also had good experiences with it.
 
OK, I'll be the one to say I dislike the flavor with briquettes, and even more so with the popular blue brand and their all natural version. I've been an enthusiast for TJ/Ranchers (all natural briqs) for a while, but a recent experience with oak lump completely turned me around. I'm also thinking that mesquite lump lends itself to the flavor profile that I dislike, unless cooking beef. I'm starting to be an oak addict; now if I could only find product at a good price and availability.
 
Wow. Everyone chimed in on this one so I guess I'll throw in my own two cents.

With lump, it doesn't really matter how much lit I start the cook with to get a clean burn. I'll start with as much or little of the top layer lit as I want to, probably lit with a torch, and place my wood around the edges in the unlit zones. As long as it's fully carbonized, lump burns very clean.

However, if using briquettes, I dump enough fully lit out of a chimney to nearly cover my unlit K Comp or other natural briqs, and I won't use regular Kingsford in the ring as unlit. I find that I'll have to wait for charcoal smoke to clean up if I don't start with enough lit, so I completely cover the ring of unlit except for two or three spots around the edges where the wood chunks will go. Most important thing about good wood smoke is that the slower it starts smoking, the better.
 
Clark "Harbormaster" Hodgson said:
I love using lump in my WSMs and in my kettles, but it was getting pricier and harder to come by.
I have switched to using Royal Oak Chefs Select natural briquettes and get the best of both worlds: very consistent long burns and untainted lump smoke flavor.
ROCS still costs more than KBB but it's less than lump.
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Find a wholesale source. For example I buy Humphrey's lump for about $11 a 20lb bag at roller mills or feed stores within 10-30 miles depending on where I go. I can get Royal Oak Lump (USA) any time from the local Restaurant Depot which is about 10 or 15 minutes from my house for $10.50 a 20+lb bag (price is from last week). Can also get Royal Oak and hardwood sticks from also from Restaurant Store in Reading, PA or Maryland and they are public walk in without a temporary pass, etc like Restaurant Depot they also have a website. I can also get Wicked Good lump in 25 lb bags at $11-12 bag, but would have to drive further for that. Different ways to skin the cat. The restaurant supply places I mention have mulitiple brick and mortar loactions around the country. Most reatuarant supplies and a good number of roller mills or seed and feed places will have a supply of lump. It's used by restaurants, mills, etc for other uses like blacksmithing.

Look around, check with the lump manufacturers themselves to find locations that stock their product near you. I haven't paid retail, $25 typical bag or shipping on lump for over 8 years or so.

And usually those same suppliers will also sell HW Briquettes cheaper than retail as well.
 
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Paul Lai said:
OK, I'll be the one to say I dislike the flavor with briquettes, and even more so with the popular blue brand and their all natural version. I've been an enthusiast for TJ/Ranchers (all natural briqs) for a while, but a recent experience with oak lump completely turned me around. I'm also thinking that mesquite lump lends itself to the flavor profile that I dislike, unless cooking beef. I'm starting to be an oak addict; now if I could only find product at a good price and availability.
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The oak lump is my favorite, but I actually really like mesquite on everything because of the citrusy flavor it brings. I just don't like the sparking. I prefer these to anything else. I have been using KB I bought on sale lately and it has a ton of ash. I might pass on the next sale. besides the sale wasn't that great at 26 pounds for 7 bucks. Not like the old days when it was 40 pounds for about the same.
 
Since running into a BOGO deal on Stubbs last year, I've barely used lump. I think I still have the same half bag and really only use it when I need very high heat.
 
Bob Mann said:
I use KBB and have never noticed an off taste when using it. The only problem I have with KBB is the ash. When the big box stores put KBB on sale, it becomes a very economical fuel as compared to using lump.
I really like RO lump, but it's not generally available where I live and is a lot more money per pound when it is available.

Bob
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I can't tell the difference in taste either, and the ash is what I don't like about briqs (ESPECIALLY blue). That said, I've always got 2 kinds of fuel around - RO lump for cooking low & slow and KBB for grilling. IMHO, you can't beat the convenience of briqs when grilling.
 
I almost bought lump at Home Depot last weekend but ultimately balked due to the high price. Got 2 big bags of Kingsford blue for the same price as one small bag of lump. I'm still interested in trying it, but I need to find a better deal somewhere.
 
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