What is everyone's favorite charcoal?


 
EricV. said:
I believe the WSM manual actually states that lump isn't recommended.
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I was surprised to read this, but I checked the manual (no offense Eric) and it is true. I have some pretty big logs in my lump and it has been wildly uneven when it comes to keeping temp in my WSM. I just never connected that problem with the lump. I have too much lump to give it up, so I chopped some up into smaller sizes, not quite as small as a briquette but much smaller than it was.

Has anyone else done this? What should I expect? Always learning - thanks!
 
Joe D - BBQ Joe said:
I was surprised to read this, but I checked the manual (no offense Eric) and it is true. I have some pretty big logs in my lump and it has been wildly uneven when it comes to keeping temp in my WSM. I just never connected that problem with the lump. I have too much lump to give it up, so I chopped some up into smaller sizes, not quite as small as a briquette but much smaller than it was.

Has anyone else done this? What should I expect? Always learning - thanks!
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Joe,
I did chop up lump for my Bubba Keg. The smaller pieces were more stable than large and small mixed pieces. It's all about consistent surface area. Large pieces have less surface area than a bunch of small pieces of the same weight. When there's a mix of large and small pieces the burn rate changes.

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Chuck-roaniecowpony said:
Joe,
I did chop up lump for my Bubba Keg. The smaller pieces were more stable than large and small mixed pieces. It's all about consistent surface area. Large pieces have less surface area than a bunch of small pieces of the same weight. When there's a mix of large and small pieces the burn rate changes.

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What were you using for coals there? Those look pretty uniform for lump.
 
I picked up a bag of Jealous Devil last week at the butcher shop. At $25/20 lbs, not a bad deal. I'll try it after I finish this bag of Rockwood (which I do like a lot.)
 
CaseyMcC said:
What were you using for coals there? Those look pretty uniform for lump.
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That looks like it was Royal Oak lump made from wood mill remnants. It was years ago. But I did chop it to get it to smaller pieces. You can see the hatchet in the lower left of the picture. That really seemed to help the finicky Bubba Keg run more stable. That and that charcoal basket a friend made for me. It's 10" dia x 4" high. The holes are either 1/4" or 3/16". That picture must have been about 10 years ago or more. That basket is still working, although it has distorted on the bottom from setting it on a high output propane burner hundreds of times to light the charcoal for hot grilling. For a Minion fire, I loaded it like the picture and lit the top center.
 
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I want to mention Big Green Egg hardwood lump. I don’t know that it’s the best lump out there, but it’s the best smelling charcoal I’ve ever used. Lots of hickory scent right in the bag.
 
Jason Godard said:
I‘ve tried bags of both. The Royal oak doesn’t smell the same to me. Not much smell to it in the bag. The BGE smell of hickory is heavy. I can almost see them spraying liquid smoke into the bag before they seal it. ;)
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That's good to know. At this point I'm using about 80 percent JD lump which is working fantastic, and 20% Lazarri Mesquite.

I need to pickup more oak next time I'm near the place that carries it.
 
I tried B+B for the first time this weekend on some spares, and was really surprised at how well it held temp and slow-burned. I am going to look at that B+B a lot closer.
 
Mario said:
Nice collection, I've tried everything there except for B&B XL and Kamado Joe. Which is your favorite?
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The B&B XL and Kamado Joe are supposed to be Quebracho which is what JD is. The B&B has bigger chunks than the Kamado Joe. I like them both but the Kamado Joe is easier for me to get.
 
I bought a bunch of the Cowboy briquettes on clearance at Costco when they were $10 for the twin pack. I am not exactly happy with them. A lot of ash will float off of them. Plus, they don't seem to get too hot. I bought the black bag B&B Texas Size lump and the family really disliked the smell when it was lighting and even burning.

I guess I'm a Kingsford guy for briquettes.
 
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