Lump Charcoal, am I doing something wrong?

[BeerdedTexan]

So I'm 4 smokes and a burn test into ownership of my new drum smoker. After some frustrating burnouts and temp swings with B&B lump I switched over to good ol cheap kingsford original, and what do you know I was able to run at 325 plus for a hot and fast pork shoulder, ended up burning the charcoal out to see what I got and it gave me about 12 hours at 300+ on 8 pounds of fuel. I can only imagine that 8 pounds would go well into the 16-18 hour range for a low and slow burn. I don't have a problem with kingsford as it's cheap and readily available, but I really wanted the lump to work out better. Is there a way to pack lump or light it that helps achieve a longer more even burn or is it just a matter of learning to use it with experience. Thanks all.

 

[Whumpa]

I am by no means an expert but I have found that lump burns hotter, and cleaner, but with more temp variations than plain old briquettes. I believe the temp variations stem in large part because of the different sizes and shapes of the individual lumps. I use a BBQ Guru in my WSM and that really helps greatly with the temp issue.

 

[charrederhead]

I run only lump in my WSM. When I load it, I tamp it down to try to reduce the air gaps. It's impossible to completely eliminate them, but I figure the less, the better.

I really think there's a learning curve you need to experience, so stop with the briquets and use the fuel God intended us to use. :bolt::behindsofa:

 

[Hawklaw]

Lump is great for searing a steak. But I have never cared for it when smoking or low/slow. Too hot and wild.

 

[El Ropo]

When I was doing a lot of cooks in my UDS, I liked the results I got by using half lump mixed in with half briqs. Less ash and slightly more consistent chunk size in the basket. I always mixed in my wood chunks within the basket at various depths. This basket build process took a bit of time, but was always well worth it for long cooks.

 

[Kaptain Kadian]

Use a good quality briquette in your uds and enjoy your cook.

 

[Big George's BBQ]

I only use Lump but I use a BGE

 

[smokeacholic]

If when loading with lump watch out for the fine stuff, too much of that will choke out the air and failure occurs. Mix with briquets.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

What caused this lump burn ? This was my 18 WSM Sunday. B&B Lump, three fist sized chunks of oak. There was very little to no wind. I put a Junior chimney of lump in the can in the center, then pulled the can.



Before

After

 

[Burn]

What caused this lump burn ? This was my 18 WSM Sunday. B&B Lump, three fist sized chunks of oak. There was very little to no wind. I put a Junior chimney of lump in the can in the center, then pulled the can.



Before

After

I’d guess the fire wasn’t hot enough when started and there seem to be a lot of gaps.

 

[katan]

I've never burned B&B lump before, but have burned Rockwood and RO. For some reason I also have had strange consistency issues with burning the B&B Oak lump. Extremely stubborn to work with - slow to light, and then doesn't want to keep going.

Not quite sure what to think myself. I have ran B&B Oak briquettes more than a few times and have really liked it.

For what's up in my case, I would lean towards my inability to manage the fire. But it sure seems like B&B lump is harder than normal to keep right.

 

[El Ropo]

Personally, I've never been a fan of using a can in center of basket to drop lit fuel in. I've always had way better luck spreading the lit coals out on top of a full basket of unlit. To me, it looks like the lit coals burned straight down, but didn't have enough energy to light all the fuel around the center. I'd venture to guess if you had spread the lit coals around a full basket of those huge chunks of lump, they would of caught and burned a lot more evenly. I also would of broken down some of those larger pieces so there is less air space between them.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

Personally, I've never been a fan of using a can in center of basket to drop lit fuel in. I've always had way better luck spreading the lit coals out on top of a full basket of unlit. To me, it looks like the lit coals burned straight down, but didn't have enough energy to light all the fuel around the center. I'd venture to guess if you had spread the lit coals around a full basket of those huge chunks of lump, they would of caught and burned a lot more evenly. I also would of broken down some of those larger pieces so there is less air space between them.

In 18 years of smoking on that WSM, this was the first time I've used lump.


And I agree, I think the lit coals spread over the top would've gotten a more even burn and I should've broken down those bigger pieces.


I also think I need to be selective in picking out the right size lump pieces. I'm thinking about mixing lump with used charcoal.


I'm not trying to hijack this thread, I think it applies to the question the OP is asking.

 

[charrederhead]

In 18 years of smoking on that WSM, this was the first time I've used lump.


And I agree, I think the lit coals spread over the top would've gotten a more even burn and I should've broken down those bigger pieces.


I also think I need to be selective in picking out the right size lump pieces. I'm thinking about mixing lump with used charcoal.


I'm not trying to hijack this thread, I think it applies to the question the OP is asking.

What was your target temp/duration, and what did that burn produce for you? What were the settings on the intake vents?

My first reaction to the before pic is that there are too many very large air gaps.

I start the coals with a Weber starter cube when my goal is classic LnS (225-250). If I'm going poultry HnF (330+), I'll pour a lit 1/2 chimney on it.

Of course, vent settings play a major role in temp control. :grin:

 

[Lynn Dollar]

It was a rib cook, one slab of whole spare rib. The purpose of the cook was to test this method of running the WSM. This is Harry Soo's method. As stated, I've never tried this before.


Target temp = 275


Vents were wide open till it hit 285 and then closed to 66% ( yes , I have dowel rods that give that exact measurement ) . When that did not drop the temp, I took the vents to 55% open and they stayed there for the rest of the cook.


Here's a chart of the temps

 

[Lynn Dollar]

BTW, here's my dowel rods and a link to the source of person who did the math



https://tvwbb.com/threads/vent-settings-demystified.26905/

 

[charrederhead]

Wow re: the dowels! Pretty cool.