Anybody find Publix Greenwise lump to be stinky?
 

Hi Folks,
Is it my technique on an unfamiliar grill or just stinky lump?

I ran out of Royal Oak lump when I picked up my Char-Griller kamado so I switched to Publix Greenwise lump. I was impressed by the consistent size of the chunks but this stuff smells nasty for the first 90 minutes. I mean nasty like there's some asphalt paving going on inside my cooker. I never noticed this odor in dozens of smokes on my old ECB, even when adding lump mid-cook but I was using RO then.

I ruined some veggies on the Akorn last night (tasted like railroad ties smell) so I did a test burn today without food. I lit 8-10 pcs of lump in the chimney using 2 pcs of newspaper. It stunk for 15 minutes until it got good and hot. I dumped it on top of some leftover lump in the Akorn, closed the lid and opened both vents. After 5 mins I started closing the vents down and by 15 mins I'd closed the vents to my normal 245F position. The grill maintained 250F but exhaust stunk like tar the whole time. Bottom vent was open 1/8" and top damper halfway to "position 1".

I left the bottom at 1/8" open and using only the top vent ran the temp up to 415F then back down to 250F over the course of 5 hours. Burned nice and clean. After an hour at 250 I added two pcs of fresh lump to the fire and within 60 seconds it stunk again and lasted for an hour.

It burns cleanly once it's going but stinks when it's first lit. Some pieces of lump are noticeably heavier than the same size pcs of RO that I'm used to and I've wondered if maybe the lump wasn't cooked all the way before it was bagged. My experience with lump was limited to one brand on one smoker so I'm not sure what's going on here. Should I chalk this up to the charcoal itself or change my technique? As soon as it's in stock again, I'll go back to RO lump to eliminate that variable on this new cooker.

For the record, I was going to give up on RO lump because the last several bags had so many small pcs, rocks and most recently, two handfuls of fiberglas insulation in it.

Advice from the Brethren? I'd appreciate it. Thanks, Brian

I've used the Greenwise lump on many occasions and have never noticed a funky odor. In fact, I prefer it over many other lumps. (Perhaps due to my Publix being convenient.)

Me either, I use it pretty much exclusively in my BGE. I really like it compared to others.

I used 2 bags of Publix and thought it was pretty good. It did seem to spark like crazy though when first lighting up. I think all brands of charcoal (lump and briquettes) you might eventually get a bag that has something "off" about it. Seen a lot of posts where people say they didn't like bag brand "x" because (like my example) it sparks a lot, or it didn't burn as hot, or had size consistency issue. I have personally seen all of these things sporadically across the board.

It also can go the other way, like I have heard about a lot of small chunks and dust in cowboy lump and I bought a bag in a pinch and it worked great with no size issues, but I only got it that one time. You said you ventured away from RO and that is primarily what I use in my egg and have never had a bad bag, so go figure.

So really I think I am no help :-P, other than to say I normally give something a 2nd chance if the first encounter is not as expected, especially I see others that have used it and liked it a lot.

I too have used it many times and never noticed any odor. I like it because its always available here year round. Sometimes hard to find lump in the winter.

Hi there, for what it's worth I've quit using the Publix Greenwise lump; I've never had it smell bad, BUT I have had problems with trash in the lump. In one bag I found the plastic remains of a small garage door opener or maybe a remote keyless entry for a vehicle. Thankfully I saw it while I was loading my charcoal basket! I've also found pieces of metal and other debris.

When I was using it, I also noticed it sparked a lot compared to RO. I now use just RO. The problem I've run into is that sometimes Walmart runs out so when buy I typically get 8-10 bags at once.

Andy

ps. Long time lurker, very seldom poster.

Never a problem here. I've use 30+ bags with no problems.

OK, I'm glad to hear good things about Publix lump as it's very convenient for us. I'll try a different bag. Thanks, Brian

I just used my first bag yesterday, didnt notice any funny/stinky smells. I did like the more consistent sized pieces in it. I was told that Royal oak makes Publix greenwise and even the green egg stuff. Green egg is the 1st choice pieces, publix greenwise is like seconds, and royal oak the rest of it. Not sure if true or not. I like both RO and the greenwise so far

I've used Greenwise but prefer not too.

Also found trash in it. So of that debris burning may have been the source of the bad aroma....

Wicked Good Weekend Warrior blend is my favorite now.