Lump Coal?


 
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I'm doing my first lump cook tomorrow. I usually use Kingsford but wanted to try the lump. My hardware store only had Big Green Egg lump and the Cowboy brand which everyone seems to hate so I went with the BGE brand. Will let you know how it goes.

Bob
 
Loved the Lump! Less ash and a very consistent burn. I caught the temp at the right time so no problems with running too hot. Great reaction time when I open my vents a little more as advertised. Only problem was it does seem to burn through a little quicker than expected so I had to add more lit after about 10 hours to get my temp back up. I think I am a convert.

Bob
 
Robert, you can also get Royal Oak Steak House Lump in the green bag at Menard's. The BGE lump is made by RO for BGE.

Glad you liked it - I switched years ago. Much easier to dispose of ashes too- I use a colander and sprinkle them around yard for fertilizer.
 
I prefer KF for grilling in my kettle and RO lump for smoking in my WSM. I have determined that I like the ease of use of KF when grilling, plus ash doesn't fly around as much as with lump, which always seems to get on my steaks. On the WSM, I believe the smoke impregnates the food a lot more, so I prefer the more natural properties & taste of lump.
 
I am a new WSM owner and had my first smoke this weekend (butt and ribs). Any way, I went to my local barbecue store to purchase some wood chunks and the salesman there was swearing lump was far better. I was telling him about my WSM and Kingsford charcoal and he pretty much said Kingsford is processed garbage and will leave a funny tatse with the food. I thought alot of people on this forum used kingsford charcoal because of burn times etc. I am reading these posts and I am starting to think otherwise. Does the majority use lump or charcoal with their WSM? Can someone shed some light on my confusion? I do wish to produce the best tasting product with my new smoker. However, I am lazy and do not want to baby sit a fire all day either. By the way the salesman also owned a big green egg and swears that is a better smoker than th WSM. Point is his opinions may be biased!!! thanks for your input
 
Originally posted by Michael Atwell:
I am a new WSM owner and had my first smoke this weekend (butt and ribs). Any way, I went to my local barbecue store to purchase some wood chunks and the salesman there was swearing lump was far better. I was telling him about my WSM and Kingsford charcoal and he pretty much said Kingsford is processed garbage and will leave a funny tatse with the food. I thought alot of people on this forum used kingsford charcoal because of burn times etc. I am reading these posts and I am starting to think otherwise. Does the majority use lump or charcoal with their WSM? Can someone shed some light on my confusion? I do wish to produce the best tasting product with my new smoker. However, I am lazy and do not want to baby sit a fire all day either. By the way the salesman also owned a big green egg and swears that is a better smoker than th WSM. Point is his opinions may be biased!!! thanks for your input
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According to http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/charcoal.html#lump

The general consensus is that lump tends to burn hotter than briquettes, but not as long or as consistently. Some lack of consistency is to be expected, given that the content and piece size varies within an individual bag and between bags.
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I've found smoke wood is more important than what charcoal you use.

As far as his argument about the BGE and WSM, A Mercedes is a "better" car than a Honda. You get a lot of perks for the extra cash, but the latter is still a damn fine piece of equipment. Skill and a WSM will produce a better product than naivety and a BGE.
 
Obviously, everyone has his or her preferences.

Here are the brands I've tried over the years and my opinion about them. That's all it is, my opinion.

Kingsford briquettes - cheap, not surprising since it smells like crap.

Kingsford Charwood lump - I lit it and thought it was the 4th of July with all the sparks.

Cowboys lump - I found objects in it I never knew existed.

Royal Oak Lump - Very clean smell and hot burn but somewhat inconsistent size of pieces.

Rancher briquettes - Great clean smell but slow to start and more ash than lump.

Original Charcoal lump - Sparks a little on startup as all lump but has clean smell, hot burn and very consistent size of lumps.
 
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