Frank Licata
TVWBB Fan
Have been smoking only with kbb. Was thinking of giving lump a try this upcoming smoking season. Anyone that has experience using both or uses one over the other care to share their story I would love to hear it.
Lump charcoal question
- Thread starter Frank Licata
- Start date
Alan B (Big AL)
TVWBB Member
Lump is the WSM's best friend. Much less ash to clog up the works, clean burning and provides wood smoke flavor. My go-to brand is Rockwood Charcoal for backyard and comp cooking. We use it in both the WSM and gravity fed smoker with excellent results.
Teddy J.
TVWBB Pro
I used KBB when I started, but was getting frustrated because I couldn't really differentiate between the seasonings I used. I was told by a few board members that lump was 'cleaner', so I gave it a shot. Never looked backed, and couldn't be happier. I'd probably be open to trying the Competition K, but never have. Something about using the natural charwood, finding the HUGE pieces and breaking them up to make them useable, throwing out whatever trash and rocks that I may find in the bag, picking the charwood sizes I want to use for X cook - I dunno, it adds a little fun for me. Kinda like frying in cast iron over an open fire, I dig the throwbacks.
Dave/G
TVWBB Emerald Member
Briquettes tend to nestle against one another right out of the bag. Lump not so much sometimes. So if you try lump, my #1 tip is to fill charcoal ring 1/3rd then shake the ring to settle the pieces. Do that twice more for a full ring and you'll have sufficient contact between the pieces to keep the fire going
I used Royal Oak lump for decades. It worked well for me. It really is good stuff. Once you learn it's idiosyncracies, it's very easy to use.
But I recently switched to Stubb's briquettes and like it better than RO for a lot of reasons..
Stubb's is just as "clean" as RO, costs less per pound, lights a bit easier, seems more consistent as far as temp. regulation goes and it produces very little ash.
Stubb's is charred wood with a corn starch binder. Nothing else. Clean enough for me.
Make no mistake, RO lump is good stuff. I dumped them because over the course of two weeks I emailed them a few times with a simple question. No response.
So I called the tiny hamlet of Bradleyville, Missouri where they're located, asked my question, and got a rude response.
They are a family run outfit and I think they have a snotty niece answering the phone and a lazy nephew whose job it is to answer email, but doesn't.
RO is rarely, if ever, on sale. And if you do see it on sale, it's the store giving customers a break, not RO. This was told to me by the RO rep.
I was also rather loudly, proudly and haughtily told the company has never offered coupons for their products in its 50 something year history.
The RO rep I talked to was a snide little titch. I ended up telling her, "Hey lady, you're selling burned wood here not Wedgwood China. Relax."
That's when she hung up on me.
So I cut RO loose. Why support a company that is rude to its customers? I'll never use it again. But do remember, it is a decent product.
My wife says I have "Irish Alzheimer's." I can forget anything but a grudge.
But I recently switched to Stubb's briquettes and like it better than RO for a lot of reasons..
Stubb's is just as "clean" as RO, costs less per pound, lights a bit easier, seems more consistent as far as temp. regulation goes and it produces very little ash.
Stubb's is charred wood with a corn starch binder. Nothing else. Clean enough for me.
Make no mistake, RO lump is good stuff. I dumped them because over the course of two weeks I emailed them a few times with a simple question. No response.
So I called the tiny hamlet of Bradleyville, Missouri where they're located, asked my question, and got a rude response.
They are a family run outfit and I think they have a snotty niece answering the phone and a lazy nephew whose job it is to answer email, but doesn't.
RO is rarely, if ever, on sale. And if you do see it on sale, it's the store giving customers a break, not RO. This was told to me by the RO rep.
I was also rather loudly, proudly and haughtily told the company has never offered coupons for their products in its 50 something year history.
The RO rep I talked to was a snide little titch. I ended up telling her, "Hey lady, you're selling burned wood here not Wedgwood China. Relax."
That's when she hung up on me.
So I cut RO loose. Why support a company that is rude to its customers? I'll never use it again. But do remember, it is a decent product.
My wife says I have "Irish Alzheimer's." I can forget anything but a grudge.
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For a completely different attitude and what I think is a superior product, try Ozark Oak out of Yellville Arkansas. You can even drive up to the plant and buy a pallet load at the same price the stores pay, You just have to have a trailer that they can load by forklift or be willing to hand load it by yourself.
Robert McGee
TVWBB Gold Member
I have tried a few bags of lump but I REALLY dislike the trash that I find in most bags. The last bag I got had about two lbs of rocks in it. Rocks don't burn worth a dern, either. They weigh heavy, too. Did I tell you I don't like rocks in my charcoal?
Frankly, I am very happy with Kingsford Original. I buy several hundred pounds when the sales hit and THAT makes me happy. Good price, and consistent performance with NO trash.
Keep on smokin',
Dale53
Frankly, I am very happy with Kingsford Original. I buy several hundred pounds when the sales hit and THAT makes me happy. Good price, and consistent performance with NO trash.
Keep on smokin',
Dale53
TonyUK
TVWBB Guru
I used to use lump exclusively for years. But eventually got fed up with finding pieces of string, wire & stones in the bag. And this was from a number of different brands.
I then switched to briqs. Eventually found that the Weber 240 briqs & Aussie Heat Beads were very good at keeping a consistent burn. The downside to the Weber 240's is the amount of ash it leaves behind. However, lately I bought 40lbs of the Weber 240's, & a 1/4 of every bag there was broken pieces & dust! (I open all the bags & decant the fuel into a plastic heavy-duty builders rubble bag, & then store in a big plastic storage bin, to keep out the moisture).
Every bag of Aussie Heat Beads had no more than one or two broken briqs, & a neglible amount dust. No foreign matter at all. They are now my go-to fuel.
Edit: Apologies. I kind of drifted off-topic there.
I then switched to briqs. Eventually found that the Weber 240 briqs & Aussie Heat Beads were very good at keeping a consistent burn. The downside to the Weber 240's is the amount of ash it leaves behind. However, lately I bought 40lbs of the Weber 240's, & a 1/4 of every bag there was broken pieces & dust! (I open all the bags & decant the fuel into a plastic heavy-duty builders rubble bag, & then store in a big plastic storage bin, to keep out the moisture).
Every bag of Aussie Heat Beads had no more than one or two broken briqs, & a neglible amount dust. No foreign matter at all. They are now my go-to fuel.
Edit: Apologies. I kind of drifted off-topic there.
Boy, not sure what lump you all are using if you are finding all this stuff in it. I use Wicked Good Charcoal and never found anything other than charcoal in there and I have gone through a pallet of it. yes it is not cheap, but I am able to buy by the pallet so it is reasonable. Even if I could only buy it by the 3 bags they will ship via FedEx/UPS, I would still buy it over KBB or Stubbs. I have used both and I can't stand the ash, choking the fire, and lack of reuse with briqs. Plus I have found briqs are much more susceptible to absorbing moisture over lump.
I usually cook long sessions and WGC will go over 24 hours in one ring, never have to kick the legs to clear the ash, and can resuse whatever doesn't fall through the grates. In fact, I don't even empty my bottom bowl every time to dump the ash. Depending on how long the cooks are, I can empty every third cook.
Yes some pieces are big and I just bust them up quickly and I do try to pack the charcoal in by shaking the ring to get things to settle. But these little drawbacks are nothing compared to the benefits to me. It also burns extremely clean with a nice thin blue smoke in no time.
I can understand people won't pay the price for WGC and I am lucky in that the extra cost doesn't hurt me. I will say the only thing I have seen with WGC is that I have found about a handful of pieces over all the bags I have used that had some of the wood not carbonized entirely. Not that big of a deal to me. Also, as with all lump, it won't be as stable temp wise as briqs, but again that doesn't bother me....I used to freak out if my temp was not in a 5 degree ban, but those days passed long ago.
I love lump and the benefits make it easier for me to cook on my WSM. But everyone is different. Try lump. If it works better for you, great. If not, do whatever works for you.
Good luck,
Kg
I usually cook long sessions and WGC will go over 24 hours in one ring, never have to kick the legs to clear the ash, and can resuse whatever doesn't fall through the grates. In fact, I don't even empty my bottom bowl every time to dump the ash. Depending on how long the cooks are, I can empty every third cook.
Yes some pieces are big and I just bust them up quickly and I do try to pack the charcoal in by shaking the ring to get things to settle. But these little drawbacks are nothing compared to the benefits to me. It also burns extremely clean with a nice thin blue smoke in no time.
I can understand people won't pay the price for WGC and I am lucky in that the extra cost doesn't hurt me. I will say the only thing I have seen with WGC is that I have found about a handful of pieces over all the bags I have used that had some of the wood not carbonized entirely. Not that big of a deal to me. Also, as with all lump, it won't be as stable temp wise as briqs, but again that doesn't bother me....I used to freak out if my temp was not in a 5 degree ban, but those days passed long ago.
I love lump and the benefits make it easier for me to cook on my WSM. But everyone is different. Try lump. If it works better for you, great. If not, do whatever works for you.
Good luck,
Kg
Dwain Pannell
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I use both depending on what i'm cooking. I used to use nothing but lump but now I like to dry jerky, smoke bacon, snack sticks, sausage, etc.
To keep the temps down I use briquettes leaned against each other create a "C" (some folks call it a snake or fuse). I can slowly increase temp by adding a row or a layer.
However, when I am full on smoking a brisket or butt or chicken I prefer lump.
To keep the temps down I use briquettes leaned against each other create a "C" (some folks call it a snake or fuse). I can slowly increase temp by adding a row or a layer.
However, when I am full on smoking a brisket or butt or chicken I prefer lump.
Jason Noble
TVWBB All-Star
I don't think you would be able to achieve the burn times possible with briquettes. Just a less dense fuel. Never used lump in the WSM so can't say for sure.