Lump Charcoal


 
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Hello Everyone, I am new to both the WSM and to this board.

I've been cooking BBQ on an offset smoker for years but have had only limited experience with the WSM.

I always used lump charcoal in my small offset smoker but have noticed that most people on this board use brickettes in their WSM. Is there a reason for this? Have any of you used lump charcoal in your WSM and how were your results?

I'm looking forward to learning and sharing experiences with all of you.

Mark
 
Hi Mark,

I’ll weigh in on the side of lump as the only fuel I use in my WSM. Like Jim said, it does burn hotter and faster than briquettes but it’s not a significant difference in my mind. An eight-hour burn on a calm day is easy to do and also about as long as I’d want to leave it unattended, anyway. It lights without any coaxing and I also like knowing each bag contains nothing but wood. IMO, that’s worth the trade-off in burn times.

I may experiment with a mix of lump and K'ford briquettes someday. Seems like that should be the best of both worlds. Until then, I’m satisfied with lump.

As you become more experienced with the WSM, I’d like hearing your observations about the differences in cooking on the WSM and your offset, if you don’t mind.

Welcome to the forum. I think the WSM will soon become your cooker of choice.

Ken
 
Ken
I have had a number of folks that use lump solely for their cooking report thay have found some brands contained charcoal that had been coated with primers, paints and other finishes. I know one brand they where complaining about was BGE which I believe is produced by Royal Oak.
If the pieces of lump looks like it was produced from lumber you may want inspect it close.
I use lump also, mostly while grilling, but sending this just as a heads up.
Jim
 
Hey guys,
I use lump charcoal a lot for grilling and I mix it sometimes with Kingsford in my WSM. I have tried several brands, but IMHO, one brand I like very well is "Cowboys" brand lump charcoal. The only place I have found it in my area is a local grocery store called "BI-LO". This is a chain store in the southeast. It may also be available on the internet.

This particular brand looks just like pure wood. The burn time seems to be better than the other brands I have tried. It sure makes grilled chicken and fish taste incredible! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
Good point, Jim. Some brands are iffy regarding the contents of their lump. Like most things, the buyer should be aware when buying something even as mundane as charcoal.

I buy my lump several hundred pounds at a time direct from a manufacturer so I have absolute confidence in what goes in the bag. I know that some lump brands pass off machined lumber scraps as charcoal, so a caveat is in order and I should have included it in my post. If the contents of a bag of lump can form a perfect mortise and tenon joint, chances are it wasn't created by Mother Nature.

Have a great day,

Ken
 
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