Natural Lump Coal or Briquettes?
- Thread starter K Smith
- Start date
Larry D.
TVWBB Emerald Member
I prefer lump: less ash, no additives, easier to reuse the leftovers. But briquettes do have the advantage of being consistent in shape and size, so they pack together well and perhaps burn more predictably than lump. And, pound for pound, they are cheaper. Being new to smoking, you might want to stick with briquettes until you get some experience. Once you are able consistently to get the results you want while cooking with briquettes, then you can try lump to see if you like it better.
Alan Dively
TVWBB Member
Briquettes are cheaper by a weight measurement but I think lump is about equally as expensive when measured by volume, which is how most people measure it out (Chimney starter). A bag of kingsford gets 3-4 grilling sessions, where a bag of lump is more like 7-8. In the end, I would guess that the cost per usage for grilling is pretty close to being a wash between the two - depending on what brand of lump you use etc.
Ron G.
TVWBB Wizard
I've been using Lump almost exclusively, and would tend to agree with what Alan said.
(I WOULD tend to disagree with his choice of Team to root-for
)
If you properly pack the charcoal ring and use the second charcoal grate, for most typical cooks, Lump is easy to use. However, good brands can be hard to find in certain parts of the country, whereas good-ol' Kinsford is at least CONSISTENT.
From what I've heard, all-wood charcoal briquettes (Wicked Good, Rancher, Stubbs) are a close second - maybe even better for stuff like REALLY LONG cooks (Big Briskets and whole-hog / whole pork shoulders) These charcoals have almost no fillers in them, except for a neutral "corn starch" used to hold the compressed wood charcoal together. I guess that compressing the lump in this manner achieves a higher density and burns longer.
I'm not big on most regular briqs, mostly because of all of the dust / fillers that you are paying for, and the resulting clean-up.
If you want to use lump, try a bag of the different brands that you can get and then stick with one or two that you like.
From what I've seen, when using lump - you may want to add a bit more Smoke Wood than you would with regular briqs. From what I've observed, most Lump has a more neutral flavor profile.
Don't be afraid to experiment
(I WOULD tend to disagree with his choice of Team to root-for
If you properly pack the charcoal ring and use the second charcoal grate, for most typical cooks, Lump is easy to use. However, good brands can be hard to find in certain parts of the country, whereas good-ol' Kinsford is at least CONSISTENT.
From what I've heard, all-wood charcoal briquettes (Wicked Good, Rancher, Stubbs) are a close second - maybe even better for stuff like REALLY LONG cooks (Big Briskets and whole-hog / whole pork shoulders) These charcoals have almost no fillers in them, except for a neutral "corn starch" used to hold the compressed wood charcoal together. I guess that compressing the lump in this manner achieves a higher density and burns longer.
I'm not big on most regular briqs, mostly because of all of the dust / fillers that you are paying for, and the resulting clean-up.
If you want to use lump, try a bag of the different brands that you can get and then stick with one or two that you like.
From what I've seen, when using lump - you may want to add a bit more Smoke Wood than you would with regular briqs. From what I've observed, most Lump has a more neutral flavor profile.
Don't be afraid to experiment
Russ Harris
TVWBB Super Fan
I use both. I use Stubbs briquettes which can be found at Lowes. About 2 or 3 times a year they put it on sale and I stock up. And I also use Royal Oak lump which can be found at WalMart - which explains why I love using it, but I hate going to buy it. Anyway, when I first started out with my WSM I used Kingsford in the blue bag. But I didn't like the way it made my food taste. When it burned it had this off kind of "chemical" type smell and it carried over into the taste of my food. Both the Stubbs and the Royal Oak are all natural and they smell that way when they burn - just like burning a peice of wood. And I like the way my food tastes. Both produce less ash that Kingsford, they burn long and steady, and the lump is easy to gather up unburnt pieces to re-use. Right now, thats what I use. If something better comes along maybe I'll switch up but this is what works for me. Good luck
Gary H. NJ
TVWBB Platinum Member
Use what you're comfortable with. I've used both. I tend to use lump, but it's just a personal preference.
George Curtis
TVWBB Olympian
i would suggest starting out with briquettes and then when you got a handle on it then switch. this way you just have to learn the coals. and yes, packing in the lump is the secret.
LarryR
TVWBB Diamond Member
I agree with George, start out using briquettes, its just easier, most of Chris' recipes on here call for briquettes and the quality is consistent. Once you get a few cooks under your belt branch out, try a few different fuels. Personally I use Kingsford and Rancher briquettes. Frontier and Royal Oak lump as well as extruded coconut. Each has it's on purpose in my cookers.
StanHenson
TVWBB Member
I like briquettes. Those summer Home Depot sales are just impossible to beat.
Stan
Stan
Matt Sanders
TVWBB Pro
Lump is more expensive per weight, but you also use less weight of it to produce a given amount of heat, so I don't consider price an important.
I usually prefer lump, and use it about 90% of the time. Less ash, more heat (great for searing), it starts to burn cleaner sooner, and I love the way it tinkles and crackles while it burns.
No additives of course.
But I do sometimes use briqs, just for something different.
Lump can vary a lot by brand. Start with Royal Oak (sold at Wal Mart, Menards, and Do it Best stores). It's very popular here because the size is good, it doesn't spark much, and it's pretty consistent from bag to bag.
I usually prefer lump, and use it about 90% of the time. Less ash, more heat (great for searing), it starts to burn cleaner sooner, and I love the way it tinkles and crackles while it burns.
But I do sometimes use briqs, just for something different.
Lump can vary a lot by brand. Start with Royal Oak (sold at Wal Mart, Menards, and Do it Best stores). It's very popular here because the size is good, it doesn't spark much, and it's pretty consistent from bag to bag.
I use Stubbs all natural hardwood briquettes from Lowes.
It's kind of the best of both worlds. You get the ease and heat consistency of a briquet, but the great taste and flavor of natural hardwood.
I've noticed better tasting food and less ash since switching from K blue. Also, I feel it's a lot healthier without the filler.
Now I still use K blue for high heat cooks, but definitely not for long term low and slow smokes.
It's kind of the best of both worlds. You get the ease and heat consistency of a briquet, but the great taste and flavor of natural hardwood.
I've noticed better tasting food and less ash since switching from K blue. Also, I feel it's a lot healthier without the filler.
Now I still use K blue for high heat cooks, but definitely not for long term low and slow smokes.
Monty House
TVWBB Pro
I've never frankly understood the "lump creates less ash" issue. I exclusively use KB, and my ash (even on long cooks) never is a problem. Plus, regardless if it's a little or lot of ash, I only dump it once.
If my KB stash goes down--and there's a great sale on it--I may try lump. But, it won't be because it creates less ash.
If my KB stash goes down--and there's a great sale on it--I may try lump. But, it won't be because it creates less ash.
You should treat yourself to a bag of lump briquettes so you can taste the difference.
Unless the cost of fuel tops your list.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Monty House:
I've never frankly understood the "lump creates less ash" issue. I exclusively use KB, and my ash (even on long cooks) never is a problem. Plus, regardless if it's a little or lot of ash, I only dump it once.
If my KB stash goes down--and there's a great sale on it--I may try lump. But, it won't be because it creates less ash. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Unless the cost of fuel tops your list.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Monty House:
I've never frankly understood the "lump creates less ash" issue. I exclusively use KB, and my ash (even on long cooks) never is a problem. Plus, regardless if it's a little or lot of ash, I only dump it once.
If my KB stash goes down--and there's a great sale on it--I may try lump. But, it won't be because it creates less ash. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>