Lump Coal?


 
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Since I am in the Military, I move quite frequently. I just moved from the Southern IL (just outside of ST Louis) and had no problem finding a local source for good quality lump charcoal. I always picked it up at the local BBQ store. I have a house in Phoenix and started calling around to find some and no one had any idea of what I was talking about. I finally found a Barbeques Galore that said they carried some hardwood charcoal. I went and picked up a bag of their brand of hardwood mesquite charcoal. Took it home and prepared to grill some burgers in the performer. From the second that stuff lit, it was a nightmare. I have never seen anything like it and have used lump charcoal almost exclusively for the past 3 years in IL. It started sparking and you really could not stand within 4 or 5 feet of it. when it finally stopped sparking, it was almost all burned up. I ended up using what was left to light a chimney full of kingsford.

Anybody have any similar experience and does anyone know of a local place in the SE Phoenix area to pick up some quality lump charcoal?

Thanks,
Troy
 
Anybody have any similar experience and does anyone know of a local place in the SE Phoenix area to pick up some quality lump charcoal?

Thanks,
Troy
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Sounds like you got some of that crappy "Best of the West" mesquite. Check out your Walmart, all of the ones in this area carry Royal Oak, it's all I use
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You can also check some of the ethnically oriented supermarkets. I found a hispanic supermarket right across the street from where I work where I can get quality lump at a price comparable to the RO at Walmart.
 
Troy,

I have not tried a lump that DOES NOT spark to some degree. RO, Picnic, BGE, B&B. Depending upon the cook I have gone to mixing with briquette... still sparks.

Q'n, Golf'n & Grill'n... too many choices!
Gary
 
Originally posted by M_Kuharious:
another question, should i even be using lump with grillin'. i do mainly direct heat cooking. should i stick with kingsford bricks?
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If you got Rancher briquettes, don't worry about because they're great and will work for anything you need. BTW, Royal Oak is an excellent brand of lump.
 
Originally posted by M_Kuharious:
ok, so my question would be what lump should i try? since i thought i that was what i was getting. i saw kingsford lump at target, but at 6 bucks a bag kinda expensive. i do have 2 1/2 bags of this charwood coal to go through, but what do you all think?
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Royal Oak is good lump if you can find it. Walmart sells it for $5.72 per #10 lb.

I love the Rancher except for it being a little slow to start in a chimney.
 
Originally posted by Bill Pearson:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by M_Kuharious:
Not sure I would. I bought three bags thinking I got a good deal. Man I have a lot to learn. Trial and error. What brand of lump should i look at using and where can I find them?
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I would recomend trying Royal Oak Lump, there are better, but there are many more that are worse
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They rebrand a lot for other people. I don't know where you are located, but here in SoCal I kind find it 365 days at the Walmart. If you find something else and want details about it check out The Naked Whiz </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

The briquettes at Ralphs and Vons are also Royal Oak.
 
i use redneck lump it is at a local weber dealer and it is awesome the pieces are large but not to large and is the best i have ever tried.
 
Originally posted by M_Kuharious:
Does lump coal produce more ash than regular charcoal? There seemed to be ashes flying everywhere. It think I did a good job keeping it off the food, but is this normal or did I buy cheap lump?
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lump is less ash than briquettes but is lighter and tends to fly in the air more. thats just typical of lump coal.

the problem i have with using my kettle and lump is the uneven heat when grilling directly over a bed of lump. its great for inderect cooking but trying to sear stuff or a quick chicken breast or burgers i find it annoying to cook over.

with some brands like royal oak things other than charcoal can tend to be in the bag. royal oak is the only lump for sale where i live and the quality is often iffy. i had a piece of plastic in a batch and one time i suspect some tard at the plant had tossed in treated building lumber into teir charcoal mix.

if there was a different brand here i would probably try that but for me where i am in the royal oak is less than pleasent to use. your experience may vary but i have found kingsford to be all around best.

i honestly cannot tell the difference in using lump or briquettes so i have given up on lump and just go for ease of use.
 
Originally posted by Jon Merka:

the problem i have with using my kettle and lump is the uneven heat when grilling directly over a bed of lump.QUOTE]
Try this, works for me and I only use lump because I like the cleaner smell.
After you dump the lit lump, let it burn a while with the lid off until it shows red throught the bed. It doesn't take long with all that oxygen and the heat will be more even, and there will be plenty of it. Then start grilling.
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Originally posted by Dave/G:
Try this, works for me and I only use lump because I like the cleaner smell.
After you dump the lit lump, let it burn a while with the lid off until it shows red throught the bed. It doesn't take long with all that oxygen and the heat will be more even, and there will be plenty of it. Then start grilling.
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i have done that :/ im prolly just not good at using it. i have one bag left and was going to sort it out and cycle it through the wsm on the next cook this weekend. i like it fine in the wsm but its just a hassle to have to sort the stuff from royal oak. if i ever get to move back to texas where i have more choice of woods and charcoal i will probably try it again. but here in this barbaric wisconsin one cannot find much in the way of good supplies and cuts of meat. so after the last bag of RO is done im back to kingsford. its just easier and i honestly cannot tell the difference between them other than the hassles involved. it could just be walmart buying the reject bags in my area and selling em. dunno.
 
Originally posted by Matt Jones:
Don't worry, you won't ignite that easily if a couple hit you.
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That's what they told George I. Mott. And look what happened to him.
 
I tried some Lump about two years ago that I bought from Whole Foods. It burnt hot and had the flying ash syndrome. I assumed all lump was that way and never tried again.

Glad I read the threads here that brands make a difference. Will look for Royal Oak at Walmart.
 
I use both Royal Oak and Whole Foods brand. Both work well. I have not notice the flying ash as being a problem. Both work very well if you are searing something over the chimney (fillets or tuna), as they light very quickly and are VERY hot. Lump also works great for cooking flank steak because of the higher heat, IMHO.
 
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