Weber Kettle Club Forums
Grill Talk => Weber Grill Forum (Grills, Accessories) => Topic started by: Vette10R on August 01, 2017, 07:08:26 PM
-
I've always used kingsford in my old 18" but just picked up a performer and a bag of cheap lump charcoal. I like how the lump doesn't smell as strong and the taste is good but I'm seeing the weber briquettes and wondering how those compare? Also is the more expensive lump charcoal better?
Sent from my SM-G955U using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
-
I've been a >95% lump guy for the last 3 years or so. I don't do rings of fire much at all and see little advantage to using briqs. All briqs smoke and stink more than lump, imo. It's the nature of the beast.
I'll take any lump over any briq any day of the week.
That said, I grabbed 11 bags of the discounted Weber briqs.
-
I've been a >95% lump guy for the last 3 years or so. I don't do rings of fire much at all and see little advantage to using briqs. All briqs smoke and stink more than lump, imo. It's the nature of the beast.
I'll take any lump over any briq any day of the week.
That said, I grabbed 11 bags of the discounted Weber briqs.
Been dabbling in the lump charcoals this summer. I don't like the way it just throws out the red Sparks and ash when I have the chimney full and burning before they get all ashy. Kinda of crazy sometimes. Forget the name, cowboy maybe?
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
-
Still learning how to work with lump. I like it but it's a work in progress.
Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (https://siteowners.tapatalk.com/byo/displayAndDownloadByoApp?rid=91018)
-
I don't like the way it just throws out the red Sparks and ash when I have the chimney full and burning before they get all ashy.
Your over heating it, notice how the sparks stop just after the lid goes down.
Fill your chimney with the amount of charcoal needed to do the job. Full will work but not usually necessary for grilled foods unless your cooking grate is clear full.
then....before you light it...dump 2/3 of it on the fire grate...light the rest. When its good & hot spread it over the unlit or bank it to one end of a pile (alot like a snake). When you spread it over the unlit give it a few minutes with the lid off to get to just under your desired temp and allow the fire to run to the unlit a little.
If lump charcoal is allowed to ash over in the chimney about 30% of it is wasted.
All that will take longer to make happen but the quality of the food will be better than what youll get from any briquette.
-
I don't like the way it just throws out the red Sparks and ash when I have the chimney full and burning before they get all ashy.
Your over heating it, notice how the sparks stop just after the lid goes down.
Fill your chimney with the amount of charcoal needed to do the job. Full will work but not usually necessary for grilled foods unless your cooking grate is clear full.
then....before you light it...dump 2/3 of it on the fire grate...light the rest. When its good & hot spread it over the unlit or bank it to one end of a pile (alot like a snake). When you spread it over the unlit give it a few minutes with the lid off to get to just under your desired temp and allow the fire to run to the unlit a little.
If lump charcoal is allowed to ash over in the chimney about 30% of it is wasted.
All that will take longer to make happen but the quality of the food will be better than what youll get from any briquette.
[emoji106] [emoji106] [emoji106]
Sent from my SM-G955U using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
-
Thanks for the info, I think I'll grab some of the weber briquettes and give them a shot.
I also used the cowboy lump and not sure if I like that brand much? The pieces are very small and most fall through into the ash pan. Is there a brand worth spending the extra cash on to get bigger chunks?
Sent from my SM-G955U using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
-
I've used royal oak lump but I'm not a fan of the inconsistency of the size. Some are obviously a 2x4 end maybe 4 inches long while some is small enough to fall through the grates. As far as the smell, i think the weber briquettes smell more similar to the lump than kbb does.
Sent from my SM-G930V using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
-
I prefer lump for winter time cooking strictly because I like the sparks and watching the chimney glow. It's dark early so something to entertain myself in the winter.
I prefer lump for everything but have switched back to briqs for consistent size. Just seems to be a more efficient and cheaper fuel than lump.
Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (https://siteowners.tapatalk.com/byo/displayAndDownloadByoApp?rid=91018)
-
The nature of lump is 100% random. To get the most out of it youll have to break it down to somewhat consistently size pieces. Burn everything but the dust, that dont burn well because of the lack of air flow it creates. Double crossing your fire grates will help keep the bits up where they'll burn and reduce waste, a piece of expanded metal will work too.
Hang out here for a while and pay attention to the pics of how some of the grillfellas manage their fires.
-
I've been a >95% lump guy for the last 3 years or so. I don't do rings of fire much at all and see little advantage to using briqs. All briqs smoke and stink more than lump, imo. It's the nature of the beast.
I'll take any lump over any briq any day of the week.
That said, I grabbed 11 bags of the discounted Weber briqs.
Been dabbling in the lump charcoals this summer. I don't like the way it just throws out the red Sparks and ash when I have the chimney full and burning before they get all ashy. Kinda of crazy sometimes. Forget the name, cowboy maybe?
Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk
Yeah, that's sounds like Cowboy! As HK said, Cowboy is fun in the dark- cool sparks display. Feels patriotic. ;D
HFG's post pretty much nails it. There are a few things that can be done to make lump "better".
In terms of economics- briqs leave so much more ash than lump that I wonder how much cheaper it really is, especially if lump can be had on sale. When I first saw how much less ash lump leaves, I was sold because I want to pay for fuel, not ash, and I don't like to clean. ;)
For me, lump is easier. I usually have leftover usable coal after a cook. For the next cook I pour a partial lit chimney on it and it's good to go.
In the WSM, be sure to pack lump tightly. I lightly stomp on it to minimize air pockets.
Hardwood briqs I guess try to find a happy medium and that's why I bought the Weber. I still prefer lump. I grabbed some CharBroil center cut lump but haven't used it yet.
-
Ive used lump for about 18 years. I like Cowboy or Royal Oak. I teach bbq classes. Briquettes have what they call binders in them. Its the shiny specks that you see. Thats also adhesive. Thats part of the distinct smell that they have. Cheap lump charcoal like the stuff from Sams does spark and pop alot. The lump from out of the United States like from Argentina stinks and sparks alot kinda smells like a tire burning. There is no need to buy Big Green Egg or Primo charcoal for $27 a bag because its Royal Oak or Cowboy charcoal just depends on who gets the bid.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
-
Primary is Stubbs and I have some Weber briquettes I haven't used yet. I didn't like Lump for the inconsistent size pieces and all the popping and sparking. I usually also had uncarbonized pieces that would impart bad flavor. I don't have any of those problems with briquettes.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
-
Ive used lump for about 18 years. I like Cowboy or Royal Oak. I teach bbq classes. Briquettes have what they call binders in them. Its the shiny specks that you see. Thats also adhesive. Thats part of the distinct smell that they have. Cheap lump charcoal like the stuff from Sams does spark and pop alot. The lump from out of the United States like from Argentina stinks and sparks alot kinda smells like a tire burning. There is no need to buy Big Green Egg or Primo charcoal for $27 a bag because its Royal Oak or Cowboy charcoal just depends on who gets the bid.
Sent from my SM-G935T using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (http://r.tapatalk.com/byo?rid=91018)
I've tried royal oak and the junk sams club sells. Royal oak is much better. It will snap and crackle a little but the sams club stuff is ridiculous. I also found pieces of red brick in the sams club stuff. I will gladly stock up on royal oak lump when it's on sale. It's my favorite in the wsm.
Sent from my iPhone using Weber Kettle Club mobile app (https://siteowners.tapatalk.com/byo/displayAndDownloadByoApp?rid=91018)
-
I really like lump, no particular brand. It starts easily and is ready for grilling quickly. I light about half a chimney and dump on unlit as mentioned above, works fine. I am trying out the Weber stuff now, takes a little longer starting up but I am guessing will last longer.
Funny, I like the smell of lump in the winter months as it reminds me of the wood stove growing up.
-
http://www.kwtx.com/content/news/-Bags-of-charcoal-shipped-to-area-grocery-stores-were-filled-with-potot-437955403.html
-
Romancing the Stone: "I think I'm going to throw another key on the fire."
-
I like lump for meats that I finish with a sear, like steaks and tri-tip, standing rib roasts, etc. For low & slow I tend to prefer briquettes because they burn more consistently.
IMO, Royal Oak and Cowboy are both decent quality lump products. I try to select bags that don't appear to have been too badly handled by the shippers and stock boys because lump is fragile and a lot of those guys just don't think about it.
If you ever see Wicked Good Charcoal (out of Maine) do yourself a favor and buy it at just about any price. IMO, the best lump charcoal you can buy. I've burned through several bags of their Weekend Warrior blend and love it, but haven't ever been fortunate enough to use their competition blends. I do not care for Lazzari Mesquite lump at all. It's too bad because I can get 40# for $13 all year round at a local restaurant supply chain, but it just isn't a good product, IMO.
All that having been said, I bought about 120# of RO briquettes at Lowe's in July because they were dirt cheap along with 50# of Stubb's and I just bought 400# of Weber briquettes from Target, so I think I'm going to be doing a lot more cooking with briquettes for the foreseeable future.
-
@cbpeck
In your opinion what makes Lazzari a bad product?
-
@cbpeck
In your opinion what makes Lazzari a bad product?
Mesquite, in wood form, has a distinct scent and flavor that many find to be overwhelming and generally inferior to the other popular bbq woods. It's ridiculously easy to come by in Mexico, where I believe Lazzari sources the wood for their charcoal, and it's probably dirt cheap.
I've purchased and used several 40# bags in the past, and my experience was always pretty much the same. The lump size distribution was all over the board with a lot of dust and chips all the way up to knotty branches 5" around and nearly a foot long. The biggest problem is that the large pieces were never fully carbonized, so when cooking they put off a ton of billowy white mesquite smoke that, like I said before, is overwhelming and quite unpleasant. Because these big pieces are basically solid, knotty wood on the inside they are also pretty difficult to break up without resorting to using a hammer or hatchet and making a big mess.
I have had some good results with Lazzari, but that was generally on my second cook with leftover lump that had already burned thoroughly for an hour or more during the previous cook.
Using Lazzari reminds me of the guys who cook with offset smokers and burn seasoned wood for a while until they have a base of coals before putting any meat on the smoker. If you do that with Lazzari you'll be better off, but it wastes all the small pieces in the meantime and is generally a hassle.
Lazzari sells smaller bags too, and I don't know if the size distribution is more consistent in them or not. If so, that alone may result in a better experience.
I hope that helps.