Lump in the WSM


 
Ron De Hoogh

Ron De Hoogh

TVWBB Pro
Has anyone used lump in their WSM? I have tried lump in my kettle to some success but never in my WSM and was curious about any tips. Thanks!
 
Though I only recently reengaged charcoal after a far-too-long hiatus (read that as I've been using a gasser for a few years) I have found lump coal far too hot and fast for the WSM. I stick to briquettes for the WSM and use lump in the kettle from time to time.
 
I’m planning on doing a mix... I bought a bag of lump that has some really big pieces in it, I think I’m going to place some of those big pieces on the bottom with some wood chunks and cover it with briquettes. Then dump a half of a chimney of lit ones on top to get it going.
Also planning to use a ATC with this method
 
MichaelM said:
Though I only recently reengaged charcoal after a far-too-long hiatus (read that as I've been using a gasser for a few years) I have found lump coal far too hot and fast for the WSM. I stick to briquettes for the WSM and use lump in the kettle from time to time.
Click to expand...
So in theroy you could get away with fewer lit coals and catch your temps sooner?
 
I've used lump, I've mixed lump with briquettes, mixed used briquets, new briquets and lump together, and use plain ol briquets...They all get hot, I never bothered to see if there was much difference, LOL, YMMV
 
I use lump in my WSM22 regularly. For over a year, I have used Jealous Devil because I have a local source that sells it at a reasonable price. The big advantage to lump is it burns clean and produces very little ash. Cheap briquettes (I won't name names) can smell awful and chemically when they initially start to burn. That's why I don't use briquettes (except Weber) on long, overnight MM cooks; I don't want that smell in my food. If you do switch to lump, you will need to buy a second charcoal grate. Orient the new grate 90 degrees to the old grate and wire them together. This will keep the smaller pieces of lump from falling through the grate. See Chris' explanation and pictures here:

https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/charcoal-grate-modifications/

I have not had a problem with lump burning hot and fast on low and slow overnight cooks. It's all about how much lit charcoal you start with and air control (using the vents or an ATC).
 
I've used both lump and briquettes in my WSM. I like both. The lump is just fine, maybe a little hotter, but produces less ash. The briquettes keep a more consistent temp, but produce more ash. 6 of 1, 1/2 doz of another.
 
When I first met Harry Soo, he was still using lump in his WSM. He would meticulously arrange each piece so that it would fill each void and touch the adjoining pieces. Each piece had to touch to ensure consistant ignition during cooking.

The whole process reminded one of a jigsaw puzzle. Except that there were very few mating pieces.

There may still be a youtube video of him carefully laying out each piece of lump.
 
I have used only lump (Royal Oak). I use an ATC with a modified air entry and almost never have a problem with temps. Cooking at 225, I might add coal after 15 hrs or so. At 275, it's quite a bit sooner.
 
I use Wicked Good lump. Large pieces, long burn with low ash. Keeps a nice steady 225-250. I've tried a long cook with Kingsford only and the ash filled the bottom, choking off the air and causing the fire to go out.

Funny but when I use that same lump to grill something fatty like a rib eye the fire is as hot and flaming as the furnace of Hades. Nearly impossible to control but lots of fun to try and the char flavor is great, a flavor very different than what I get on the gasser. Just funny that the same charcoal that is so well behaved in the smoker becomes a raging lunatic in the kettle.
 
Joe D - BBQ Joe said:
I use Wicked Good lump. Large pieces, long burn with low ash. Keeps a nice steady 225-250. I've tried a long cook with Kingsford only and the ash filled the bottom, choking off the air and causing the fire to go out.

Funny but when I use that same lump to grill something fatty like a rib eye the fire is as hot and flaming as the furnace of Hades. Nearly impossible to control but lots of fun to try and the char flavor is great, a flavor very different than what I get on the gasser. Just funny that the same charcoal that is so well behaved in the smoker becomes a raging lunatic in the kettle.
Click to expand...
I bought a 40 lb bag of this stuff for $13, it has some seriously huge pieces in it like 3”-4” diameter logs. It also has a lot of small pieces, I use the big pieces in the bottom of my WSM covered with briquettes, then I use the small pieces in my kettles. 5FB8695B-4DBA-4D15-9064-8C1C920B0071.jpeg137338A3-F73B-48F1-99FF-C1C7A9F685BC.jpeg
 
I use lump most of the time in my 18". I have used B&B, Cowboy, and even Publix Greenwise lump when the others were out of stock. Great results with all. No issues burning too fast or hot. Always use the water pan with either water or sand.
 
I have only used lump in my wsm. One time I used briquettes because I couldn't get to the lump charcoal I wanted in the time I had. I found that the briquettes burned a lot faster than the lump. I am a lump charcoal only guy!
 
I've never tried lump in my WSM - could be worth a try.

So, is what I've read wrong about lump? That it burns hotter and also faster than briquettes?

I like the idea of being able to crank up the WSM to higher temps for a hot/fast brisket cook, but not sure if I'll be fighting vents or adding fuel for a long low and slow butt cook.
 
Isn't lump more pricy? For a long low and slow seems like you would be fighting to keep lump cool enough. I choke my vents for brickets.
 
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