Differences in climate and charcoal performance (or lack thereof)
Hi! Have any of you moved from a relatively dry climate to a humid climate? I've been charcoal grilling for many decades and have relocated from dry California to muggy south Louisiana. Now, it's like I'm learning about charcoal all over again! In CA, the charcoal lit in a snap using most any method and got really hot FAST. Here, it's certainly not easy to light and the fire stays one or two notches hotter than a smolder. I even store my charcoal in a climate controlled room. It's a real challenge and not a fun one. Just thought I'd throw this out there for any comments. Happy Weekend!!
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I use a chimney and a tumbleweed and haven't had an issue with charcoal or lump, it's not AS consistently muggy here as LA or FL but definitely more than west coast dry heat. What brand charcoal are you running into this with? I store mine in the garage which isn't climate controlled by any means.-
Thanks for the feedback! I know your area and I gotta say, if you're making a trip from CA to S. LA through E. NC, then your area would be about the ½ way mark on the humidity chart compared to S.LA lol. We have humidity that many times clings to your very body and soul, night and day. Worse than Florida, even. Maybe I'll go buy some new charcoal and try that. I use the same coal as in CA, Royal Oak briquettes and lump and Kingsford briquettes.Last edited by garyterr; October 14, 2022, 10:28 AM. -
I've had better luck with Kingsford blue bag, Royal Oak seemed to burnout quick. Jealous Devil lump has worked really well for me. I know we only have maybe 2 weeks a year total as bad as y'all but we do get it from time to time. 90-100F with 100% humidity sucks
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Relatedly, I know that many of us with PBC's will use the same charcoal, the same amount of charcoal, the same lighting method and have wildly different experiences. There is some suspicion altitude also comes into play, at least a little bit, more than we'd initially suspect.Comment
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I am in a pretty darned humid area here in Alabama, and while not as bad as where you are on the coast, its humid most of the year. I store charcoal in an outdoor shed, and also in the charcoal bin under the table of my Weber Performer, and have no issues. However, most of the time I am lighting it with a chimney and either the gas ignitor on the Performer, or a starter cube or tumbleweed. On my kamado, I light the lump directly in the kamado using one or more starter cubes.
I will say that some brands of lump or briquette take longer to get going than others, but I don't think outdoor humidity plays much of a factor for me, as I've lit fires at 90% and at 30% humidity, and think my start times and vent settings were similar.
How are you lighting it, and what type of charcoal are you using?Comment
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Interesting and more people than not say they don't have issues with humidity. I use the little squares which work great, & firewood & wax cubes too. I get a nice fire going, lots of air pockets for oxygen, etc etc and when the starter product goes out the coals sorta die down and get sluggish. I LOVE the idea of your self-lighting Performer! Maybe Santa will show his graces on me. In CA, I threw a handful of coals and a lighter cube in my small green egg and got a blazing hot grill in no time.
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I have always cooked in centraal VA, so I can't help, but welcome to The Pit.Comment
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Nebraska is known for corn and cattle, not nice weather! Hot and humid 8 months of the year and rain or snow the rest. No issues like that for me. Newspaper in a chimney as got my grills going for 40 + years. I buy my Kingsford 2 pallets at a time and it sits in my non-climate controlled shed for a year…so I am no help but Welcome to the PIT!
Jfrosty27
Home Depot. They put it on sale every Memorial Day and Labor Day. Prices used to be much better then this year. In the past it was 2-20 lb bags fro $9.99 or 25 cents a lb!
This year it was up to $17.98 for the 2-20 packs. 18 to a pallet and they will load it for you. 2 pallets fit nicely in a F150!​
Last edited by CHNeal; October 15, 2022, 06:13 AM.Comment
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I don't have humidity problems here, but I have noticed a huge difference in elevation. I'm about 1100' here at home. Last summer we rented a cabin at about 7000'. It took me about an hour to get my kettle up to 225. I lit the KBB in the corner of my SNS as per usual to reverse sear some steaks. Normally it takes about 15-20 minutes to get the starter coals going and less than 30 minutes to get the kettle to temp. At home I always give myself an additional 15-30 minutes head start in case something unpredictable happens. Next time at 7000' I'll give myself an hour and a half.Comment
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I'm on the Gulf Coast of Florida. When lighting my PBCjr I always refer to stickied Light My Fire thread over in the PBC forum and my light and cook times are the same as everyone else. I store my charcoal in a Kingsford Kaddys so maybe that's the key?
I light the PBCjr and WSJ using a chimney and a starter cube.
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