Western Lump Charcoal at Walmart

[The Czar]

Typically lump burns hotter and faster vs briquette which burns slow and steady...

Arguments are that lump is better but cost more to run and more labor input...

Where as briquette produces a consistent product with less cost and labor...


Sorry I corrected my thoughts!!!

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[Pete Mazz]

Typically lump burns hotter and faster vs lump which burns slow and steady...

Arguments are that lump is better but cost more to run and more labor input...

Where as lump produces a consistent product with less cost and labor...


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[ajfoxy]

[JKalchik]

Actually.... I'd agree with most of The Czar's comments, except possibly the "less cost & labor." Lump seems to command premium pricing over briquette. I've used briquette for seasoning runs in my gravity fed, but not for food.

Lump produces about a third of the ash that briquette does, at least in my meager experience. I haven't burned briquette in my grill in decades so I'm not going to address temp, but I can get a grille over a chimney starter of lump charcoal start to glow red (makes for a nice sear on a sous vide steak.)

The folks over at TVWBB seem to have had some mixed experiences with this stuff. Major problems with ripped bags, sparking, and some issues with off flavors. Not sure I'm interested in trying it, even at the bargain rate.

[The Czar]

I edited my post...I overlooked my own wisdom


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[Mo Smoke]

Since Lump is made from wood, wouldn’t it make since that it produces more of a Smokey flavor.?
Sounds like a combination of the two would produce the best burn overall tho. Gotta try that.


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[JKalchik]

Charcoal is all made from wood. Search Youtube for the How It's Made segment on briquette manufacturing. The dirty little secret is that briquettes are lump charcoal that's ground up, mixed with a binder (cornstarch,) then pressed into a mold for uniform shape and burn characteristics.

[Mo Smoke]

Got it. So the extra smokey flavor prob came from just throwing a split of oak on the fire and grilling the meat directly over it.


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[temurf]

Its true that briquets and lump are both made from hardwood. Lump produces a different flavor than briquets.
Not all lump is created equal.
Some just says its made from "hardwood". Some will say specifically what kind of wood is used.
I have been using one made from hickory and oak and I really like the flavor. I think it is smokier than briquets.

[Mo Smoke]

Man this chimney thing takes forever. Who has time for this ?!

On another note, this western Lump sure does kick out a lot of sparks and embers. It’s like a small fireworks show. Better not cook under a tent if ur using this stuff.


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[Dirtytires]

I’ve lit hundreds of chimineys. Mine are ready to go in 15 minutes.

Did you set the chimney on a solid surface? I made the mistake once of setting it on a grate once and walked away. The air just stirred underneath and never drafted the flame up.

Jumping charcoal is a no-go in my book. It is super dry here in the desert forests and I can’t risk fire running away from me. With that said, the charcoal could be the problem of the slow light.

[Stewart]

I buy royal brand hardwood lump at Walmart here in northern ny. It is way hotter than the briquettes. I like to use a bag to make a bed of coals first thing in the morning. It does spark something awful tho when first lighting the fires.

[Mo Smoke]

I sat the chimney on top of my firebox so yeah it was on a solid surface. Just seemed like it wouldn’t fire up. Gonna try the wax cube next time. May even throw in a few charcoal briquettes at the bottom of the chimney to help it start faster.

Those sparks seemed a lil dangerous to me. A few times they landed on my clothes. I like to cook meat... I don’t want to be the meat.


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[JKalchik]

I have a sheet of stainless expanded grating in the bottom of my charcoal grill where my chimney usually sits, and the lit charcoal goes. No problems with the chimney drawing on it. 15 minutes or so for a full chimney of lump charcoal, and if I set a grate of 1/4" 304 SS over it, it's starting to glow cherry red in the middle (IR thermometer goes off scale at the top of the chimney, and over 900 degrees F less than 2" down from the top.)

I avoid charcoal that sparks & sputters as a rule. Not interested in having it spark on what I'm eating, or all over my lawn. I had a bag of Wicked Good that had a fountain of sparks 4' tall going out of the chimney a few years back, won't ever buy it again, I just don't need the fire risk.

[Mo Smoke]

Do u use the wax cubes to start it or just balled up newspaper?


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[JKalchik]

Newspaper. I have been using a squirt of vegetable oil on it, but at the suggestion of this thread, just lighting it off the last couple of times, pretty successfully.

One thing about chimneys... Get the Weber chimneys, with the wire bottoms. Skip the chimneys with the stamped sheet bottoms, those just don't have enough airflow.

[Mo Smoke]

Ok sounds good.


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[Mo Smoke]

Smoked a couple of turkeys for Christmas along with a nice sized Ham. Target temp was 275.. started out around 300 then dropped to 275 after a while. Maintained that temp for a while. Later temp dropped to around 235 and I could not get it any hotter by adding wood. I remembered how hot this lump charcoal burned. Decided to toss a few handfuls into the firebox.. 15 minutes later temp was back up to 300... had those birds cooking ! Be careful if you try this though... it felt like I might get hit by a hot spark while adding it to the fire. Sounded like gun shots going off in there!


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[towtruck]

I did a long smoke the weekend before Christmas and was lighting a chimney every hour and dumping it on my fire.......public safety announcement- do not work with lump charcoal, in a chimney, wearing flip flops. Ask me how I know

[mp4]

I frequently use charcoal to supplement my coal bed when my wood quality isn't up to par...which in my case is often.