How long of burns are you getting with one load of charcoal in green egg?

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kylersk

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Granted it got down to about zero last night, but I couldnt get 12 hours on one load. Woke up this morning and the temp was about 190 and I couldnt get it back up. Checked an all the coal is basically gone. Finishing the Butt in the oven.
This is the second time I tried an overnight cook and failed, both times it was cold out though.
 
cold temps have an effect, but it should not matter that much...certainly not to the point of not being able to finish an overnight but..what kind of charcoal are you using?
 
I've noticed I'm using a bit more coal than I was expected to believe with my new egg. I used a 10 lb bag of lump in 4 cooks.

By the end of my last cook yesterday, there wasn't much left in the egg.

I'm in SoCal, so it's not the temperature here. I do notice that I have my vents open a bit more than some of the photos I've seen, so maybe that is part of it (vents open more, more burning?). I don't appear to have any air leaks, gasket seems to be tight all around the egg.

Sorry I can't help, but I was wondering the same thing as you.

(On edit- I noticed you are using Cowboy Lump- I'm using the Royal Oak brand from Walmart, which is supposed to be the same thing as the BGE brand charcoal).
 
If you are using lump you should break up the big pieces and make sure its fairly tight. This is really important for an UDS. For the guys that are new- when adding lump its better to move your lit coals to one side and put the new in beside the lit. When you dump it on top you can end up with a temp spike that is hard to control.
 
What size egg and what temp were you cooking at? I have an XL and can usually do a 12 hour cook and have about 1/3 of the charcoal left(cooking at 250). I did notice on Friday night that I burned a little more lump than normal but still had more than a 1/4 left.
 
for me, cowboy does not last as long as RO (I have a primo oval xl). I did a 9 hour cook yesterday in 17 degree weather with blowing snow (with a cyberqii) and I have about 50% of my lump left. How are you lighting your lump? For low and slows, I light a few pieces on top and then let it go and I have been having good success putting the meat on the cooker as soon as I light it (more time in the smoke ring temps...ie under 140 degrees internal meat temp). If you are lighting the entire lump pile (deep fire), that will make it go quicker...How are your vent settings?
 
Thanks for the replies. This past summer, I used Royal Oak in my UDS, but the local hardware store doesnt carry it in the winter. So I tried Cowboy.

Finished in oven and here's my lunch.

f95cbbf0.jpg
 
I'm starting the fire by filling box with charcoal. Then I take a piece of paper towel and pour some oil on it. Bunch it up and stick in center of charcoal, on top with a couple pieces of charcoal over it. Then I light it and let it burn untill I see some red coals, then close lid and wait for temp to rise.
 
kylersk said:
I'm starting the fire by filling box with charcoal. Then I take a piece of paper towel and pour some oil on it. Bunch it up and stick in center of charcoal, on top with a couple pieces of charcoal over it. Then I light it and let it burn untill I see some red coals, then close lid and wait for temp to rise.
Click to expand...

that is how I light mine for grilling (gets up to grilling temps in about 10 minutes). Perhaps you are getting too many coals lit at once? I would try the minion method and see if that helps
 
what is the minion method again? put some lit coals over unlit coals?
 
Its not a BGE but my KomodoKamado recently went 16hrs in 10F weather with a stiff wind. There was still quite a bit of unburned lump when I shut it down. I use Royal Oak lump if it matters and cooked at 250F.
 
kylersk said:
I'm starting the fire by filling box with charcoal. Then I take a piece of paper towel and pour some oil on it. Bunch it up and stick in center of charcoal, on top with a couple pieces of charcoal over it. Then I light it and let it burn untill I see some red coals, then close lid and wait for temp to rise.
Click to expand...
I light mine the same way and got a 20 hour burn with fuel to spare over the summer -
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64555
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=64689&highlight=hour

Perhaps it's the cold - I had some challenges getting the Egg up to temp for pizzas a few weeks ago.
 
I use Wicked Good "Weekend Warrior" lump and can get 12-16 hours in a low-n-slow (225-250) with lump to spare. I use a weed burner and fire the top of the coals for a few minutes. :cool:
 
Cold weather will use more fuel, but i think the Cowboy lump is the culprit. I would almost not cook than use cowboy (I did say almost :-D). Even with cold weather if I fill my large to the top of the fire ring (not just to the top of the firebox) with Royal Oak lump I can go 20+ hours and still have fuel left over. I light mine with a MAPP gas in the middle for low and slow, similar to they way you are lighting with the napkin. You shouldn't have to do a true Minion method in an Egg.
 
I've gotten 20 hr cooks @ 230-250* in my large BGE with both Cowboy and Royal Oak and still had lump left over, both winter and summer. Now that I have a good supply source for Royal Oak, I won't use Cowboy anymore, but you should be getting more than 12 hours.

I use the DigiQ to control my temps and have the adjustable rig so I'm limited by the amount of lump I can get into it.

fred
 
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