Hard lump charcoal help needed on a kettle 18.5

[sebhitman]

Hi guys a new griller among you guys. I just got a brand new 18.5 for myself since i don't cook big. I replaced the original ash plate with a aluminium bowl to make sure i can catch as much ashes and hot coal falling as possible. The 2 main problems are when i light my hardlump wait about 25-30 mins and go dump it on the bottom grill a lot of pieces falls into the tray. I kid you not i have melted a piece of shoe haha . This also makes my fire inconsistent and not durable. Is there anyone that has a trick or a mod i could do to avoid losing coals when dumping and keeping my fire RED HOT as long as possible. Thanks.

[Travis]

Well, first of all, hello! Lump charcoal is hard to buy in my opinion because there are so many different makers and the product is so  different from bag to bag. I've tried so many different types. Some brands like royal oak seem to be better than others. It has more medium to big pieces instead of small "unusable" coal. Cowboy brand (for me) seems to have much more small stuff and is not consistent from bag to bag. So, you might take that into consideration.

If you are using a chimney to light your coals, there is no need to let the coals ash over because with lump you don't have all the binders and fillers in the product which is what I understand you're burning off when using briquettes. My point to this is if your letting it burn down for 25-30 minutes, you're probably burning up all the coals on the bottom which would cause them to fall between your grate. Just light your coals and when you see flames coming up through the chimney, dump them. The top layer will still not be lighted, but they will catch quickly.

Hope it helps and good choice with the 18". They are my favorite.


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[Dsorgnzd]

You might also consider getting a second charcoal grate and laying it on top of the first, turned 90 degrees. This creates smaller, square openings that will stop many of the small pieces of lump that would have fallen through. I have done this on my 22-inch kettle and my WSM, and it works very well.

[kettlebb]

I don't have an 18 but like @Travis said, I don't let them light in my chimney that long. I wait until the flames just stop the top then dump the coals. Also, I bought a second charcoal grate and it is perpendicular to the one directly underneath it. This helps keep more of the "smaller pieces" on the grate. I use Royal Oak for lump and it's pretty consistent in my opinion. You should buy Stubb's natural charcoal briquettes and give them a try. They will change your life.


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[Filibuster]

   Buy some weber charcoal baskets and put a layer of briquettes on the bottom. Hope that helps.

[MikeRocksTheRed]

Everyone has really great advice so far.  Is there a reason why you are using lump instead of briquettes?  It is a very personal thing and everyone here has a different opinion on this topic.  Briquettes would definitely solve your issue as would the other suggestion everyone has suggested so far.  Briquettes would also give you a more consistent fire if that is what you are looking for.  The different sized chunks in lump makes it harder to be consistent from one cook to the next.

Lump Pros:
Hot
Lights faster
Less ash
Clean smoke when lighting
Can be added mid cook

Lump Cons:
Inconsistent sizes
Inconsistent temp
Inconsistent burn time
(again, all of these are basically due to the inconsistent size)

Briq Pros:
consistent size
consistent burn temp and times

Briq Cons:
lights slower
Dirty smoke when lighting
can be added mid cook for slow and low (225-250) smoking cooks, but will produce a bit of dirty smoke if added to a hot fire.
More ash than lump

[Bubblehead]

Bookmark this link in your phone and it makes an easy reference when buying lump.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

Like others have said, it's a matter of preference.  I prefer lump because I hate emptying the ash catchers and like the taste.

[Travis]

Bookmark this link in your phone and it makes an easy reference when buying lump.

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpindexpage.htm?bag

Like others have said, it's a matter of preference.  I prefer lump because I hate emptying the ash catchers and like the taste.

Thanks for that link man. Bookmarked.


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[MINIgrillin]

When I use lump and need a longer burn I'll lay a bed of unburnt lump and pour hot coals on top. Makes temp control a bit interesting but not too bad.

[huntergreen]

i switched from royal oak lump to stubbs briquettes and havent looked back.

[kettlebb]

i switched from royal oak lump to stubbs briquettes and havent looked back.

Same here. I don't get any money from Stubbs and I've posted it a lot lately but it is now my only fuel. Love the stuff.


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[1buckie]

Yes, Stubb's briquettes are a decent replacement  or, if you want to stick with lump charcoal for real hot cooking, spend a little extra & get Wicked Good (it IS Wicked Good!!!)
The stuff is very well made & stays together better than most....burns hot & long.....


Ace Hardware's usually have it, or other higher end BBQ places....

http://www.wickedgoodcharcoal.com/retail_locations.htm

[Shaffl]

Another fan of Stubbs here.  Also Sportmans Warehouse has John Wayne all natural briquets made from oak and hickory.  That stuff is excellent but pricey.

[go_home_red]

Stubbs Stubbs Stubbs!

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[Johnpv]

I'm going to echo 1buckie here.  Stubbs is the best briquette on the market, and I don't smoke anything with out.  For grilling though its all about the lump for me.  Wicked Good is AMAZING stuff.  Though I don't order it shipped any more, it just gets treated too poorly and I end up with about 1/3 of the bag being broken into dust that is unusable.  Locally in Northern NJ I've getting a brand called Pitmasters choice I believe ( I can check later) and its almost as good as the Wicked Good stuff. 

I'll just add I'm not a crazy fan of the NakedWhiz.  I support what he's trying to do but his methodology is poor, and I think results should be taken with a grain of salt.