Lump Charcoal Smoke Falvor

[TBoneJack]

I'm a smoker (Weber WSM and PBC), and a griller (Weber Kettle, Kamado Joe). I've used Royal Oak Chef's Select briquettes for a long time. But I'm wanting to try lump charcoal.

Not trying to get a brand war started - I just wanted to ask if you lump charcoal users supplement with smoke chunks/chips, or do you find that the lump charcoal provides enough smoke flavor in and of itself?

Thanks.

[Mosca]

I do. My experience is, the better the lump, the less it smokes. More heat.

[tmaan235]

For what it's worth, I've only used lump for the last 20 years.
Always found that as long as the drippings hit the coals, smoke flavor is the same.
BUT, the cool thing about lump is the indirect heat potential You can always add a few wood chips for smoke at any time.
Beware, it burns a lot hotter and shorter than briquettes.
The grill is your playground! Try it for awhile. I'm confident you will come over to the dark side
Enjoy!!

[Grapefarmer]

I have used lump charcoal for smoking for years. I add chunks of the wood I want to use as smoke but am careful not to over smoke. With my offset smoker I can fill the charcoal holder and it will last 10 to 12 hours as I use a controlled fan to keep the temp. Been using Fogo Premium as the chunks are larger and their lump charcoal doesn't give off any off flavor. A little expensive but I feel it is worth the price.

[holehogg]

I only use charcoal and do add wood chunks. The amount of wood added is dependant on what I'm smoking and the length of the cook.
I find the briquettes we get impart what I call a chemical taste and some brands more than others so I stick to using only lump.

[Alphonse]

My view is that most briquettes are cheap and full of fillers. Just take a look at the ash they produce. There are some good ones out there but . . . .

I use a lot of lump - lots of choices out there, so go for it and find the one you like. No harm in starting with whatever and yes, add a few small chunks of wood. You can overdo the wood so start with just a few. Wood in lump can smoulder producing a lot of creosote and a nasty taste if you get too much.

[Attjack]

I like briquettes in the kettle and lump in the kamado or anytime I'm looking for higher heat. I use wood for smoke either way if I'm looking for smoke.

[Spinaker]

It depends on what I am doing.......

For smoking......I add some cherry or oak splits to the mix.

For grilling, I just let the lump do its thing. I might add a few chips if I wanna add some smoke, but that depends on the rub I am using. If it is a coffee based rub or something, I will add some wood in, but only a few chips at the start of the cook. Then flip continuously.

[jfmorris]

I never used lump until about a year ago, and I've been using it in my Weber kettle (with and without the Slow 'N Sear) the same way I would use briquettes. If you leave the vents wide open at the start, it can get out of control and burn hotter much quicker than briquettes, but for the most part, its working similar to the briquettes I've used.

You will want to use wood chunks for smoke flavor just like you do with briquettes. All charcoal burns fairly cleanly once ignited.

[Oak Smoke]

Lump is all I've used for some time. I like Kamado Joe big block or Rockwood both do an excellent job. I use a few wood chunks on things I'm smoking. I learned early on that you can use too much wood. I used enough pecan to keep the smoke going for the entire cook on a rack of St. Louis ribs. They were terrible, that much smoke made them bitter. So about 3 good chunks of oak, pecan, or apple and I'm happy.

[Dewesq55]

I like the KJ big block, but it's hard to find around here. Lowes sometimes carries it, but often they don't have any. Recently I've been buying the 30lb bags of Royal Oak lump at Wally World.

[Oak Smoke]

I order mine at our local Ace hardware. It's no more expensive than the Rockwood they keep in stock. If I order before noon on Monday I get it Thursday.

[Santamarina]

Briquettes have a lot of fillers, but burn fairly consistent. Lump is natural, but because the sizes vary so does the consistency of heat.

As for smoke...you need wood to get smoke. Charcoal (briquettes or lump) already have the smoke producing parts of wood removed. I smoke only with wood.

[klflowers]

I used lump the last time I ran my wsm. I ran it without the fan control and it ran a little hot, but I couldn't taste any differences from just using Kingsford Blue. Lots less ash though. I am on the fence still.

[Dewesq55]

I gave up on briquettes the first time I tried a real low and slow cook with KBB and the space between the charcoal grated and the bottom of the firebox completely clogged up with ash to the point that I couldn't get enough oxygen to the fire. It was ugly. Lump has way less ash to deal with.

[klflowers]

Dewesq55, I have had lots of ash in the bottom of the wsm, but not so much that it impedes air flow. I haven't tried the kettle/sns for long cooks, the longest being ribs, but I would think the ash would cause a problem in the sns coal basket.

[Dewesq55]

I always use chunks with my lump for smoking (not grilling as noted above). If the lump is any good, all/most of the flavor compounds have been cooked out of it when it's made. IMHO, charcoal smoke doesn't have that wood flavor I associate with BBQ

[klflowers]

Gotta have some wood. I hadn't even heard of post oak before you guys; now that is all I use for beef.

[Dewesq55]

@klfkowers - Me too (oak for beef)!

[TBoneJack]

Thanks all. I think I'm gonna try Fogo Premium. A little expensive on Amazon, probably due to shipping. Gonna try to find it locally at Lowes or Ace. Thanks again.

[Uncle Bob]

Go directly to the Fogo site, they regularly have promo deals that work out better than Amazon. Also, if you have an Ace Hardware convenient some carry Fogo in the store. A small benefit to buying on the Fogo site is they give "points" per dollar purchase that can be used to reduce the price of future purchases should you become a "frequent flyer".

[tmaan235]

Also one other thing to try is the local hardware store and see what they can do with ordering it in for you. Generally the hardware stores i deal with are more than happy to order things in if you are buying, just a thought.

[Grapefarmer]

I buy mu Fogo direct and it is just as the same price if not cheaper than Amazon.