vce12342000 Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 my rule of thumb has been to use lump when grilling & briquettes for long cooks. Wood depends on what flavor you prefer. When Im doing a real long cook like brisket. I start off with lump charcoal & wood chunks layered for the 1st 4 hours. Then switch to briquettes for the last 8 or 10 hours without any wood. As briquettes last longer for slow cooks vs the lump which is faster & hotter burning. As most significant smoke penetration doesnt occur after 3 hours. Imo the lump is cleaner burning. This is why I use it for the 1st 4 hours with wood chunks to get a cleaner smoke taste in the meat. pfa only Your guys opinion ? I live to fish. Not fish to live. I fish because things in my head tell me to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnightpass Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 Lump for everything for me... I used to use some coconut briquettes.. They had no filler or binder... Just burnt shells squished together... Very good, until they weren't.. Butch vce12342000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sbcbmx112 Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 I recently switched from using briquettes to lump and I don't think I'll go back. The cleanup convenience on a kamado style alone is worth a lot. I used to have to empty lots of ash in to the trash after every cook, and now I only have to scrape it out once every 4-5 cooks and it's compost safe. Less cleanup combined with the fact that home depot stopped the yearly 2-for-1 super deal on briquettes made them less appealing. vce12342000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vce12342000 Posted March 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 (edited) 3 hours ago, Midnightpass said: Lump for everything for me... I used to use some coconut briquettes.. They had no filler or binder... Just burnt shells squished together... Very good, until they weren't.. Butch that the only drawback from me using charcoal briquettes is the artificial binders they are made with. Imo thats what takes them longer to achieve that clean smoke Im looking for Edited March 22, 2022 by vce12342000 I live to fish. Not fish to live. I fish because things in my head tell me to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vce12342000 Posted March 22, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 2 hours ago, sbcbmx112 said: I recently switched from using briquettes to lump and I don't think I'll go back. The cleanup convenience on a kamado style alone is worth a lot. I used to have to empty lots of ash in to the trash after every cook, and now I only have to scrape it out once every 4-5 cooks and it's compost safe. Less cleanup combined with the fact that home depot stopped the yearly 2-for-1 super deal on briquettes made them less appealing. I agree. I do prefer the way lump burn vs briquette on certain cooking times. I live to fish. Not fish to live. I fish because things in my head tell me to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stripernut1 Posted March 22, 2022 Report Share Posted March 22, 2022 Lump for me, you can taste the difference every time... Midnightpass and vce12342000 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midnightpass Posted March 23, 2022 Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 4 hours ago, Stripernut1 said: Lump for me, you can taste the difference every time... You can certainly smell the difference.... Butch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vce12342000 Posted March 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 6 hours ago, Stripernut1 said: Lump for me, you can taste the difference every time... 2 hours ago, Midnightpass said: You can certainly smell the difference.... Butch Now Im gonna have to experiment for myself. Gonna have to do a full slow & low cook with just lump Midnightpass 1 I live to fish. Not fish to live. I fish because things in my head tell me to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjdbike Posted March 23, 2022 Report Share Posted March 23, 2022 So what several people here seem to be saying is that lump is cleaner , more natural and produces a cleaner smoke and flavor, w/ out the chemicals binders. That’s what I always thought and why I only use lump. JD vce12342000, Midnightpass and Stripernut1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kings over Queens Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 Only lump. vce12342000 1 #otterlivesmatter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
triumph Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 On 3/23/2022 at 2:54 AM, jjdbike said: So what several people here seem to be saying is that lump is cleaner , more natural and produces a cleaner smoke and flavor, w/ out the chemicals binders. That’s what I always thought and why I only use lump. JD I bought a bag of lump from lowes once that had charred hardwood flooring in it. I assume it was lumber mill reject and didn’t have floor finish on it but since then I always look out for square edges… vce12342000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimW Posted March 25, 2022 Report Share Posted March 25, 2022 I have no problem using either. Briquettes are reliable, some lump has been dodgy. Mill scraps are often used, no problems with that. I don’t like unburned anything in the lump but it happens. Last couple bags had a lot of bits and dust so probably 10%+ wasted through the grate. I don’t expect any smoke flavor from either unless it’s bad, add wood. Read somewhere, probably amazing ribs, that lump and briquettes are a little different in gases from combustion so lump gives less smoke ring. Big Biscuit and vce12342000 2 "I have ... put a lump of ice into an equal quantity of water ... if a little sea salt be added to the water we shall produce a fluid sensibly colder than the ice was in the beginning, which has appeared a curious and puzzling thing to those unacquainted with the general fact."- Joseph Black Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finster Posted March 26, 2022 Report Share Posted March 26, 2022 I've shifted to using briquettes more than lump. Briquettes are just more consistent and affordable... vce12342000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjdbike Posted March 27, 2022 Report Share Posted March 27, 2022 I just watched a very informative lecture on "Wood, smoke and the smoke ring" by Dr. Greg Blonder on Pitmaster club amazing ribs site. He and Meathead give a pretty interesting comparison between lump and briquettes. JD vce12342000 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Biscuit Posted March 28, 2022 Report Share Posted March 28, 2022 When I use the bullet smoker I like to use briquettes as the base. That way the smaller pieces of lump don't fall through the grate an end up on the bottom of the smoker. sbcbmx112 and vce12342000 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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