Why briguettes and not lump charcoal (as per the manual)


 
A

A Kokkinos

New member
Hi to all - completely new here and new to WSM but not Weber. Just got my new smoker and going through the manual I saw that Weber does not recommend using lump charcoal in thw WSM. Can anyone help me understand why the recommendation? Is there a chance of damaging the smoker?

Thanks to all

Andreas
 
I think it's just that briquettes are more likely to give a long stable burn than lump is, because of their regular size & shape. Lump tends to burn faster and hotter, which is great for grilling but not so great if you want a 16 hour smoke. I suspect the varying sizes would make for a bit more variation in temperature as the coals burned down and settled, but I don't have direct experience to support that.

That said, I can't think of any reason not to use lump if that's what you have other than burn time and ease of maintaining consistent temperatures.

I was smoking a pastrami-cured eye of round last night in a WSM 18.5 and all I had was lump, so used it and it worked fine. The smoke was only a couple of hours though on about 1/2 a chimney of lump, no idea how long it would have lasted. Bottom line is that one of the big attractions of the WSM is their ability to maintain consistent temps for a long time, and briquettes work better for that than lump.
 
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It's not a requirement, but I think more a suggestion to help folks new to using charcoal smokers.

1. Briquettes are denser than most brands of lump charcoal, so the same volume of briquettes will typically burn longer than the same volume of less dense lump. Some lump, like Wicked Good WW and the extruded charcoals are pretty dense and burn just as long, assuming you pack it in.
2. Briquettes are easier to control temps with. I think the ash layer helps prevent run away temp spikes. Kind of like a charcoal governor. Lump is much more sensitive to air and you'll get temp spikes faster if too much air is let in.
 
In addition to the responses above, part of the reason for the briq. preference may have to do with the variation in the size of lump. I haven't used much lump but in I've found some fairly small coals in my Royal Oak. It would be easy for these to fail through the charcoal grate. As recommended, I added an additional charcoal grate that I criss-cross with the other when using lump.
 
You won't damage your smoker using lump; many of us use it regularly. Briquettes are easier to use which is beneficial for those just learing how to operate the WSM. As stated by the others, the irregular shape of lump causes an inconsistent burn (you may have large 'voids' or air pockets if you don't take your time and arrange lump). Experiement with both and see which you prefer.

Paul
 
Thank you all - you put my mind at ease since where I live why get only lump charcoal - briguettes are not available. We pay about 1 USD per pound and the national hobby is "souvla" - rotisserie of small pieces of meat over a live spit. The biggest the spit contraption, the higher the status..... Some of us are Weber converts and we paid an arm and a leg to import our grills and smokers from the US.

Again, thanks for all your help. Saturday will be the first run of the WSM with roast chicken parts and a pork loin roast.

Andreas
 
Many say that the best use of the WSM instruction manual once the smoker is put together is use the manual for lighting your Weber charcoal chimney. :confused:

Info on how to best use your WSM should be gotten here at TVWBB :wsm:

Just kidding - maybe :rolleyes:
 
Andreas, we don't know where you live! :) If you're comfortable, consider adding your location to your profile. That way members can provide tips and resources based on where you live.

Thanks!
Chris
 
I think Andreas pretty much told us by mentioning souvla... (runs off to Google)...

Hmm. Souvla appears to involve large amounts of meat rotating on spits above charcoal for hours. Sounds like a great hobby !
 
Andreas, the day I bought my WSM I switched to lump. Yea it's a learning curve from using briqs, but it's all about learning you're smoker and controlling air-flow..:wsm:

Tim
 
Sorry about not mentioning my country - the excitement of the new WSM made me forgot my manners. Souvla means Cyprus - and if you are ever here in the summer on a weekend do not be alarmed - Cyprus forests are not on fire. It is simply the smoke from all the souvlas going on. Some of us on the other hand who learned and tried the Weber way, forgot souvla and now grill (Weber Summit 670, Weber kettle) or smoke (New Braunfels barrel smoker), but finally now a WSM.....YES!!!!!!!!
 
I use lump most of the time, mainly because it's cheaper and I really like the Royal Oak. I also have a second grate at right angles to the original infact it's part of the charcoal basket I made. I shake up the basket to pack the lump so there are no air spaces. Most of my cooks do not exceed 6 hours. I do more HH cooks now or ribs so the lump works really well. I find I get more flavor with lump, sometimes, depending on what I am cooking I don't even add smoke wood, I just let the charcoal do it's thing.
 
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