Lump charcoal/minion method question


 
A

Andrew-C

New member
Hello all!

I'm Andrew from Washington, DC, and I recently picked up a used WSM 18 after owning a 22-in kettle for a little over a year. I have modded my kettle and smoked on it in the past, with decent if finicky results. I cooked on the WSM for the first time yesterday (chicken) and had decent results, but definitely had an uneven burn on the fire using B&B oak lump that I simply poured into the fire-bowl over apple chunks (a la Harry Soo) and started with the minion method. My question is for those who use lump charcoal: do you find you have to manually build your fires or do you just pour your charcoal and hope for the best? If you hand-build, what are some tips and tricks you've picked up over time? Thanks!

Edit: additionally, the fire in my above example had burned more completely on the door-side, so I'm curious whether you veterans out there have a particular way you like to align the door compared to the bottom vents, i.e. over a vent, or away from a vent etc.
 
I really don't recommend lump for WSM cooking, perhaps for fowl. I think you can get it to work but I haven't had much luck with it. Lump works better in drums or kamados. Anyway good luck with the trial & error.
 
Welcome Andrew.
Using lump takes some practice but defiantly doable.
First thing I did was buy a second grate, turn it @ a 90 and wire it to the ring.
www.virtualweberbullet.com

Charcoal Grate Modifications - The Virtual Weber Bullet

A few charcoal grate modifications that will improve the performance and ease of use of your Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com
When you load your lump you do it in stages, shaking as you add to compact it.
I never bother with door position compared to vents, just rotate so it's front and center. Only keep the top vent downwind and if not using a wind block close lower vents up wind.
 
i used to only use briq in my WSM as they are very reliable and consistent. here's a link to using WSM as a stick burner if you're seeking a more "natural" smoking session:

tvwbb.com

WSM 22" Stick Burner Method

Hello. Recently I tried using the WSM as a stick burner. The results were excellent. So I wanted to share my method. INB4 "WSM is set it and forget it. Why would you ever want to go through the hassle of smoking real wood." Well the answer is simple: taste. The conventional WSM restricts airflow...
tvwbb.com tvwbb.com

briqs when laid out correctly (snake or Minion) have a very consistent burn with even heat temps throughout the cook.

 
timothy said:
Welcome Andrew.
Using lump takes some practice but defiantly doable.
First thing I did was buy a second grate, turn it @ a 90 and wire it to the ring.
www.virtualweberbullet.com

Charcoal Grate Modifications - The Virtual Weber Bullet

A few charcoal grate modifications that will improve the performance and ease of use of your Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker.
www.virtualweberbullet.com www.virtualweberbullet.com
When you load your lump you do it in stages, shaking as you add to compact it.
I never bother with door position compared to vents, just rotate so it's front and center. Only keep the top vent downwind and if not using a wind block close lower vents up wind.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help, to everyone! So, I did already get the second grate, and used it for this cook. Your suggestion is a good one, I’ll definitely give it a try. It would seem to be like shaking a cake to get the air bubbles out…so am I correct in believing that a more compact pile is better? I imagine there’s a sweet spot but I’m still curious.
 
Andrew-C said:
so am I correct in believing that a more compact pile is better?
Click to expand...
Yes it is, especially on long or overnight smokes.
As far as where to add wood chunks I scatter them over the unlit, then dump my lit over the top.
I also split my chunks in halves or quarters... Just a tip I learned from here many years ago and it works for me.:wsm:
 
Hey Andrew - these are all good tips. I find that the pieces in a bag of lump charcoal can vary quite a bit in size. I think the longer peices (say, 8" or longer) can cause your minion method to ignite and spread unevenly. Breaking up those longer pieces seems to help. Normally I can break them up with my hands, but once in a while a hatchet or hammer comes in handy.
 
Hey Andrew, a big West Sacramento welcome to you!! I have used a lot of both, and I love the B&B Oak lump. I agree with a previous suggestion, breaking up the bigger pieces to be more uniform helps a lot. I also replaced my basket with a vortex plate/basket (better airflow, overall). I often have windy conditions and find it can fluctuate temps a bit as well. If I am going to use briqs, I have found the Royal Oak Chef's Choice Professional works really well. Not a fan of Kingsford (Sac-relig, I know) the RO is a great replacement for the Weber briqs, that I absolutely loved, but can't get anymore. Overall, on the 18" WSM, briqs are probably the way to go. the 22" unit can handle bigger pieces which is why the lump works well with a some trial & error. Lastly, using a WIFI blower/controller like a thermoworks or Flame boss. Keep tryin' testing out new recipes and don't give up. The 18" WSM is an awesome cooker and you will do well. Blessings!
 
This is a one-time experience on a new to me 14.5 WSM (like new) and Royal Oak lump. -- not sure how it applies to the bigger WSMs, but don't remember it working on the 18. Forgetting that I had given my chimney away with the 18" I sold, I found myself trying to light with nothing but the fire ring (haven't even received the second charcoal grate for criss-crossing yet). With bacon grease impregnated paper towel (2 half sheets) from nuking bacon, and a pile of lump rising up out of the ring, I found there was enough draft, even with a breeze, to light the charcoal basically the same way the Weber chimney did for me.

After spreading the lumps, the burn went well and kept going strong through my short 1 1/2 hour cook time. After finish, more than half of my coal remains for next use. I would agree that breaking up big lump chunks would probably help, but I never really noticed a problem with uneven burning. Possibly because I tend to put bigger lumps around the edge of the ring before lighting.
 
Hi Andrew the lump definitely takes some adjustment to get used to but it's worked very well for me. I use the minion method and hsve built a larger ring to hold more fuel. I do notice the lump charcoal burn isn't completely even and there's generally one side that is burned lower than the other. However the temperatures in the smoker are even and the cook hasn't been affected. If you had gone a snake method this would have been completely normal and I'd submit it's fine when this happens with the minion method too. Why does it happen? Two primary reasons others have touched on, air flow and the stack of the lump. Fire needs ignition, oxygen, and fuel. If one pice of lump is lit but doesn't have good contact with the next piece the fire can stall on that side. If you have a breeze blowing in from one vent I'm willing to bet you'll notice the charcoal has burned more thoroughly on that side...you mentioned the fire was finicky...what did you go through...maybe something else is at play here. How did the cook end up?
 
I only use lump in my 18” WSM, along with the rest of my cookers. I stopped being picky about how it lays in the charcoal bowl a long time ago. I dump the bag into the charcoal bowl, light my small Weber chimney starter (full), dump the coals on top, assemble cooker, and leave one bottom vent about 1/3rd open. No minion method, no procedural stacking of the lump, no worries. Somehow I find the less you worry about stuff while you BBQ the easier and better results you get. 😂
 
Andrew-C said:
…so am I correct in believing that a more compact pile is better? I imagine there’s a sweet spot but I’m still curious.
Click to expand...
I noticed this question on re-reading this thread. In answer, I say "maybe". I posted elsewhere about having a fire ring full of small pieces from the bottom of a bag of Royal Oak lump. The dense mass seemed to smother the started fire. I'm not sure, but would suggest such a mix ain't great and also that a lot of fire is needed to get going and then maybe careful watching to avoid over temps. I left mine to burn out after my cook to avoid the situation next time..
 
After using lump regularly for 15+ years, here’s my unbiased feedback.

Brand doesn’t matter if you have the right cooker, if you’re on this forum you probably do.
EVERY bag of lump has three main sizes in my opinion. Big and hard to light, perfect size, then chips/dust.
Working with either all big or all chips is problematic. Don’t do it. If you are out of charcoal you can make it work but it takes some fighting.
With that being said usually dumping the bag you will get some big and some perfect, then at the end your left with all the chips and dust in the bottom. I use chips as my last resort when I don’t have a new bag of charcoal, but they are also great to have handy if you need to smother a hot fire.
I’ve cooked with premium lump and family dollar lump. My advice is save your money and buy good meat and more tequila.
I’ve never had a bad meal when the meat cooked properly, and sometimes you come across a particular flavor of lump that you like which you never would have tried before.
I joke about the family dollar lump, but true story I picked up a small bag of some terribly named stuff at a family dollar or dollar general one night in a pinch, and they were some of the best steaks I ever cooked.
Don’t stress about the small things and let the cooker do the work. It just needs the tools.
 
Also, to answer a previous question - yes the more compact you stack the lump the less the fire can breathe. This will affect your lower vent settings to achieve X temperature as it ramps up. In my experience the WSM can compensate for any packing of lump by adjusting lower vents and offsetting lid briefly to ramp up, but a compact charcoal ring full of chips and dust can be very very difficult to bring up to temp. It’s always easier in my opinion to bring down a hot fire in the WSM than to struggle with one coming up to temp that may be too thinly lit or packed with dust/chips and can’t breathe. Usually if that happens I just take the center section off for 5-10 minutes and then place it back on once the fire gets going.
 
I used lump once or twice, but it's so oddly shaped it really doesn't hold the same amount as briquettes. So I never used it again in the WSM. Lump is really better for grilling. Where you want, possibly, the higher temperature is you can achieve with it
 
@Teddy J. My thanks. You experience seems to validate my thoughts. @MartinB , you may be right but I've found briquettes make lots of ash which would quickly fill a 14.5. I'd rather replenish lump for a long cook than stop everything to dump ash. Just my opinion.

Kristopherson for late night listening makes all this very palatable. I spent months over years developing my listening space -- all well worthwhile.
 
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