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View Full Version : Help me for i fear the LUMP


DevineSwine
03-01-2012, 04:18 AM
I really think its a mind over matter kinda thing. Ive never used it and i am thinking about doing a brisket this weekend but i fear i wont get the burn time i get with charcoal. I also fear i will have a hard time mainting temp, i will be using it in a UDS what do you guys think? I currently have in my area Cowboy brand and Mali.

frohe
03-01-2012, 04:36 AM
I really think its a mind over matter kinda thing. Ive never used it and i am thinking about doing a brisket this weekend but i fear i wont get the burn time i get with charcoal. I also fear i will have a hard time mainting temp, i will be using it in a UDS what do you guys think? I currently have in my area Cowboy brand and Mali.

Don't fear the lump, dude. Treat it like you would any other heat source and make your air valve adjustments to steady your barrel temp. Lump tends to burn a bit hotter than charcoal so adding more during the cook shouldn't be a problem. If you have a chimney starter, just get the extra started in there and add bits at a time til you get the temp you want.

If you have an Academy Sports in your area, you can get B&B Lump. Tis what I use. It's good stuff and the flavor is excellent.

WvSmoke
03-01-2012, 06:15 AM
I don't know about others experience, but to me the Cowboy brand kinda sucks. Our local Lowes carries Stubbs which IMHO is much better. Lump does tend to burn a bit hotter, but as frohe said, you will control that with your air intakes. Depending on the size of your fire basket, you may not have to add any extra at all. If you do have to add some, I would only light a small amount and mix it with unlit to avoid a wild temp swing or spike in the UDS.
You might want to try some lump in a regular grill just to get a feel for how it burns before you commit a full briskey.

BigBellyBBQ
03-01-2012, 07:34 AM
yep Cowboy stay away...its likethe 4th of July when it burns, I think stubs is made by cowboy, however it has burned pretty good for me..I only use lump and wood..once you find the balance of your intakes you will be allright and also of note every brand of charcoal burns at a different rate, heat and time...ran into more problems with briqs than lump..

Q-Dat
03-01-2012, 08:04 AM
I say go for it. Lump runs out faster because the pieces are irregular, and you just can't fit as much of it in the same space as you can briquettes. Take a couple of minutes to arrange the pieces as neatly as you can, and you will increase the burn time significantly.

If you can't find an Academy for the B&B which is my favorite, you should be able to get Royal Oak lump at Wal Mart.

Stoke&Smoke
03-01-2012, 08:05 AM
See if there is a GFS (Gordon Foods Service) near you, in the Detroit area, there shoould be plenty. Get either their house brand or Royal Oak, they usually carry both, and at a reasonable price.

+1 to what everyone else said about Cowboy

AWFUL Chit!

Warthog
03-01-2012, 08:15 AM
Royal Oak, tested and proven quality. Lump will give you better flavor too.

Big George's BBQ
03-01-2012, 08:15 AM
Cowboy is junk. Royal oak, humohreys, and whicked good are great lump brands. I believe stumps is a hard wood briket I only uase lump in my egg and I never have had a problem with burn times for eith 6-9lb butts or a full packer

mtbchip
03-01-2012, 08:23 AM
Cowboy is not the standard for lump, so don't form your opinion based on it. Here in San Diego CA, limited access to lump, I have found Frontier Lump has been o.k. to use. I tried Cowboy.... the whole 10 pound bag burnt up in minutes.... WOOOSH (well, it seemed that way).

donohuer
03-01-2012, 08:23 AM
Thanks for the info everyone, I've been a little leery of lump as well

Hozman
03-01-2012, 08:47 AM
Was in a cooking class this past weekend and the first 15-20 minutes was lump vs. briquette. The 1 main thing I got out of it was never ever use cowboy. Has laminate flooring scrap and all other kinds of bad stuff.

Now from a personal point I have much better temp control in my UDS with charcoal vs. lump.

mr dirts bbq
03-01-2012, 09:06 AM
cowboy junk is garbage! i use wicked or royal lump

Saiko
03-01-2012, 09:41 AM
I say go for it. Lump runs out faster because the pieces are irregular, and you just can't fit as much of it in the same space as you can briquettes. Take a couple of minutes to arrange the pieces as neatly as you can, and you will increase the burn time significantly.

This is good advice. I have been using nothing but lump in my WSM for years with no issues (personally I use Royal Oak).

If you take a little bit of time stacking the lump it helps maintain a longer, even burn. I arrange one layer of large pieces on the bottom layer to act as a base and keep the smaller pieces from falling through (probably not an issue with UDS).
I don't just pour charcoal into the basket, I grab a couple of handfulls from the bag at a time and make sure it is all snug. I also break up any extra large pieces. The process sounds like a pain but it takes like 4 minutes.

tnjimbob
03-01-2012, 10:21 AM
Stubb's is produced and distributed by Cowboy under license, so they have to make Stubb's as it was made originally.

Also +1 on Cowboy lump comments above. I've seen 4th of July sparklers give off less sparks than Cowboy lump, and you will find lots more random (read non-charcoal) stuff in their charcoal than other brands I've tried.

DevineSwine
03-01-2012, 01:55 PM
Thanks fellas i am gonna try it......I have left over coals in the basket now should i be ok to mix it or should i just go straight lump and i checked the Mali brand and it got good review in the lump data base. I do have a GFS by me maybe i will try there stuff to......Thanks everyone for taking time out to answer.

AustinKnight
03-01-2012, 02:38 PM
When I use lump I put briquets on the bottom of basket to keep from falling through, a nice good layer of briquets and for lump I would use a oak type of lump like B&B oak or royal oak I prefer B&B oak Burma long.

Sent from my SGH-T959 using Tapatalk

Ole Man Dan
03-01-2012, 09:55 PM
I don't know about others experience, but to me the Cowboy brand kinda sucks. Our local Lowes carries Stubbs which IMHO is much better. Lump does tend to burn a bit hotter, but as frohe said, you will control that with your air intakes. Depending on the size of your fire basket, you may not have to add any extra at all. If you do have to add some, I would only light a small amount and mix it with unlit to avoid a wild temp swing or spike in the UDS.
You might want to try some lump in a regular grill just to get a feel for how it burns before you commit a full briskey.

I'm partial to 'Lump'. I like Stubbs,& Royal Oak, and they are easy to get.

I'm not a fan of 'Cowboy'... The bags I've tried had too many things that were not charcoal lump. (Nails, concrete ect...)

I built my UDS basket 1' high and 15" across. I don't have to add charcoal.
I did make a jiggle rod to shake the ashes out if the temp starts to drop after 12-15 hours.
I like to run my UDS at 250° to 300°. Using Lump I get a hot wet environment for smoking... Lump works great.

martyleach
03-01-2012, 10:33 PM
I have never used lump in my UDS and I have done a 16lb brisket in it for 14 hours without a re-load. I have been concerned about lump because it tends to burn hotter and I worry if the temp goes up because I opened the lid, I will never get it down..

Cliff H.
03-01-2012, 10:48 PM
I just load my basket with Ozark Oak, put on a glove and press it down. It breaks down pretty easy.

Q-Dat
03-01-2012, 10:55 PM
I just load my basket with Ozark Oak, put on a glove and press it down. It breaks down pretty easy.

I REALLY like this idea.

LoneStar Smoke Rangers
03-01-2012, 11:00 PM
I use lump in my stick burner when I need to get Temp up in a hurry.

DevineSwine
03-05-2012, 05:48 AM
Well i used lump on my brisket this weekend and i love it i am a changed man. I bought a 20lb bag from GFS for 12.00 bucks only complaint i have is i didnt use it earlier.

DevineSwine
03-05-2012, 05:50 AM
I have never used lump in my UDS and I have done a 16lb brisket in it for 14 hours without a re-load. I have been concerned about lump because it tends to burn hotter and I worry if the temp goes up because I opened the lid, I will never get it down..
My concern was that if it got to hot it would burn out to fast.

frohe
03-05-2012, 09:32 AM
My concern was that if it got to hot it would burn out to fast.

Does your UDS have air intake valves? If so, close those puppies down after the lump is going to regulate your temp.

If no, I recommmend you take the opportunity to install a couple.

Cloudsmoker
03-05-2012, 09:38 AM
That's the locally accessible brand I buy here in Dallas. Easier than briquettes IMO.