Basic Noob Question: Lump vs. Briquette?

Good question, Tish.

A good resource is a website of charcoal/lump database and reviews.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

Trying not to make sound too complicated...

Charcoal briquettes are char bits (pre-burnt wood chips) shaped and formed... with some preservatives/fillers added.
Normally burns cooler and longer, a more reliable burn. Side effect - more ash left.

Lump is large natural chunks of pre-burnt wood
Known to burn hotter and faster. Less ash and no fillers involved.

A stickburner is just as described... burning wood logs/splits - designed for a natural wood-burning fire which is a hotter fire requiring tending once/twice an hour.

However... I had a few stickburners running on charcoal... for a longer burn between loads - 3 to 4 hours burn times.

Each fuel has its own pro's and con's to consider.
Some folks even try to seek alternate solutions.

Lump vs. briquettes on this forum is a perpetual battle. Some swear by one, while others will only use the other.

I use briquettes, but would probably use lump if I could buy bags of it for a reasonable price, that wasn't 20 to 30 percent tiny bits that fall though the grates, mixed with 20 percent pieces the size of a softball.

CD

I'm a Noob but here is my 2 cents worth... built a UDS and was using KF blue, on long cooks was ashing over for me. so swapped to WG weekend warrior lump for a try. Was very happy with results less ash, more heat per usage. But this was in my extreme environment. I highly recommend testing each and seeing what works for you

pwa

I only use lump if it's not wood in my stick burner. Just keep in mind that like anything else there are different quality lumps. Hardwood lump will always be better. But it all depends on the price! I get about 75 lbs bags for $6 so it works out for me.

Cheers

Most of the time it's Kingsford Blue in my WSM because I know how it's going to work 99.9% of the time and know exactly how long I can count on steady heat before it drops off. On the rare occasions I need high heat (>300*F) in my WSM I'll use lump.

Always use lump for grilling because it burns hotter and seems to light faster in a chimney.

Briquettes for me. Either Stubb's or Kingsford Comp (I will pay the premium over the blue) with wood chunks for smoke. I haven't found decent lump in my area.

a good lump burns hotter, cleaner, and longer than most briquettes

i use lump or coconut briquettes for grilling. I can't deal with all the ash of kingsford. I grill everyday.

I only use kingsford or stubbs in my smoker. It produces a ton of ash, but like others said - it's totally predicable and consistent.

I have gone back and forth with the two, but settled on Kingsford as it is consistant. They even have a self lighting version!

I use kingford mostly because its on sale, but if there's a good deal on lump I use that has a little more flavor added to the meat.

I like natural lump. Either Royal Oak or Humphreys. Humphreys I can get at Pottstown Roller Mills - have been known to buy 400 pounds at a shot.
For the Egg we use lump with wood chunks.
For the Klose it's lump and splits, bit truthfully we haven't fired up the Klose in about a year....

Myrdhyn said:

Most of the time it's Kingsford Blue in my WSM because I know how it's going to work 99.9% of the time and know exactly how long I can count on steady heat before it drops off. On the rare occasions I need high heat (>300*F) in my WSM I'll use lump.

Always use lump for grilling because it burns hotter and seems to light faster in a chimney.

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Pretty much my EXACT take on this issue. I buy both lump and briq's, but buy both when and where I can get them for the least $.

My goto is K-Blue because I get it for cheap. I also know exactly what to expect. I really like Royal Oak lump as well, but I've had some (more) inconsistent results with it and it burns away quicker typically.

Personally, I have ZERO issue with having to dump out ash once in a while from the UDS and I have no real airflow problem the way my charcoal basket is designed, so for me ash is not a real issue either way.

I will ALWAYS grill with lump as long as I have some because it's hot and clean and lights a lot faster.

SO....all in all, I'm a briquette guy, but don't at all disagree that lump has it's advantages as well. I'm also a farkin cheap bastige.....:roll:


I LOVE my stick burner as well. It's probably my favorite smoker to cook on, but not the one I used most often. It takes a LOT more babysitting than my UDS or ECB. On long, overnight cooks, I'll always go to my UDS with charcoal because it's like a farkin oven....set it and forget it. The stick burner does have a lot more capacity, though, so rather than firing up multiple smokers, sometimes I just get it rollin with charcoal (read: 4 hour burn time between refuels) and suffer the loss of sleep.



All in all....it's a personal preference thing. There's really no right or wrong to BBQ. It's all about what works for YOU. If you're happy with the results you're getting, don't let anyone tell you you should change a thing. If you're not, adapt, experiment and LEARN. THAT is what I love about BBQ.....it's always a learning experience!

My dogs definitely prefer the lump ashes over the briquets, if that helps at all.

wampus said:

all in all....it's a personal preference thing. There's really no right or wrong to bbq. It's all about what works for you. If you're happy with the results you're getting, don't let anyone tell you you should change a thing. If you're not, adapt, experiment and learn. That is what i love about bbq.....it's always a learning experience!

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bingo!!!!!

I burned with lump last night on the grill for the first time ever. definitely a different experience than KB.

I liked it, will be grilling again a few times this holiday weekend, so will be gaining more experience with it as a whole.

Another thing I do is sometimes I'll use lump for the lit coals in the minion method even though I'm using K-Blue for the main charcoal. Since they burn hotter and cleaner, I've noticed I get up to temp and sweet blue smoke faster then I have the steady, predictable results from the K-Blue for the rest of the smoke. Just another benefit for having both on hand at all times.

Another nifty trick is, if you know you've got a LONG smoke coming up, save all the small tiny bits of lump and sprinkle them in/around the K-Blue as your stacking it in your charcoal basket to fill in the extra space and pack in more fuel.

caseydog said:

Lump vs. briquettes on this forum is a perpetual battle. Some swear by one, while others will only use the other.

I use briquettes, but would probably use lump if I could buy bags of it for a reasonable price, that wasn't 20 to 30 percent tiny bits that fall though the grates, mixed with 20 percent pieces the size of a softball.

CD

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Smaller lump bits dropping through always seemed so wasteful. Maybe this idea has been posted before or maybe it’s not a good idea at all. I bought an extra bottom grate for my OTP, laid one of top of the other and placed them perpendicular to each other. It’s saved quite a bit of the smaller stuff from ending up in the ash catcher.