Kowboy Lump


 
C

Craig Castille

TVWBB Wizard
I finally got enough courage to use lump charcoal on some spareribs this past sunday.

Carefully monitoring temps was my main concern, to which I found to be pretty simple. I never experienced some of the spikes that others have had, but when the WSM was choked down so much, I guess spikes are less of a concern.

I was surprised that a 3/4 full ring was still maintaining temps at 220 after 10 plus hours and had more time left.

I guess I'll have to keep trying this lump. Thanks for the advice.

Craig
 
IIRC cowboy lump is hardwood scraps and of a mostly uniform size and density. This type of lump usually burns hot and even. Temp spikes usually present with natural blends of hardwoods that lack that uniformity.
 
I've been using natural hardwood lump exclusively for several years. The chunk sizes are not uniform. I experience temp fluctuations, but have never really seen any drastic temp spikes, unless I screw up and leave the door off for too long (it's happened
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) Maybe I've just been lucky.
As long as I get my vents set correctly, I don't have to worry too much; I often do overnighters with no problems.
Just my 2 cents.
Jim
 
I just have been going through a couple bags of this stuff. Inside I saw what looked like scraps from a hardware store (there was pieces of what looked like interior molding and trim). I used it for grilling and it worked fine, I used it to bbq and I couldn't get the temp down. I've been using lump for a couple of years and haven't had this problem before. I had all the vents shut and could barely get the temps down below 250, I actually had to shut the top vent half way which did the trick in about 10 min.

I also noticed some not so normal smells upon initial combustion, not as bad as firing up kingsford briquettes, but much worse than other lumps (big green egg, royal oak) where there is almost no smell (or they actually smell good).

I just looked over the review on nakedwhiz.com they got a bag with peices of plywood in it! Now I'm not sure of the exact details of how plywood is made, but I'm pretty sure there is some gluing going on in there
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not good.

I bought it as an experiment and won't buy it again. It's served it's purpose
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Anton
 
Hey Anton have you tried Royal Oak Lump from Wal-Mart Garden dept for $5.27 a bag ??
Looks like a 20 pound bag of briquets but weighs in at 10 pounds I think.

I have been trying to hate it all summer long but dang it is cooking right along fine.
Large chunks no scrap and burns steady and smells fine I think.
 
Jim,
Can't say I've used those. But that seems like a pretty sweet price. I started with royal oak my first coupel of smokes on my WSM, then switched to big green egg as I found a source very close to home. From what I have read on nakedwhiz is big green egg and royal oak are the same brand, but big green egg gets the better peices. I just bought a couple of 40 lb bags of Lazzari mesquite lump, have yet to try it out.
 
I have used 3 bags of Cowboy and it's OK. B&B is my choice. That stuff rocks. It's brittle though so the vendor has to take care of the stock or it will end up a bag of chips. I here wickedgood is also tops. Depends on where you live to get a good price. Check this site for more info. All the best D
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/nwindex.htm
 
I tried a lump from Wally Martz over the winter and didn't care for it. Wasn't thinking about trying any again. I tried Humphrey lump the other week and love it. My WSM doesn't like Kingsford anymore lol. I use Kingsford for the kettle still for the even heating, but don't think it will be going into the WSM to often. I feel that you taste more of the meat flavor using the lump over Kingsford. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Bob, The first time I used lump my wife said without any provocation, that the food tasted better. I was stunned. My Ol lady doesn't give out compliments like that easyly. I could taste it but didn't want to say it first, but she did. There is a difference!
B&B rules
 
Yeper, Cowboy is just about the worst lump you can buy. I've used several different lumps over the years and here's my list as to my favorites. Alot of who likes which lump is all about where you live. Unless you are willing to buy it online which gets very expensive as i can atest to. Most of these are so close to being equal that if they were all available to me here in Lancaster i would buy them all. Hump wins because of burn time and price and the way it packs in the ring plus i get it local. It's on the small side which means little to no air gaps. Wicked is great but runs rather large and i can't get it here. Hump and wicked burn times are the longest.
1) Humphrey's $9.31 20 lb or $17.50 for 40 lb.
2) WickedGood - online
3) B&B Oak - online
4) Ozark Oak - online
5) Royal Oak - avail here but at $11.99 a 20 lb bag. OUCH
6) Lazzari Mesquite - online
7) Maple Leaf - no longer available in the U.S. that's a shame because it's great stuff. Lucky Kanucks.
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All these are so close you won't go wrong with any of them.
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