Another reason I don't like lump

[Finster]

The small pieces fall through the grates. Briquettes may create more ash, but small burning lump pieces fall through the grate making the ash sweeps more difficult to operate..
First world problems I know, but have enough other of that type problem that I don't need to add this to the list..
Briquettes for the win

End rant..

[Donw]

Saw the title and what popped into my mind was the question what has he against lump crab meat! 🤔
Now knowing what you meant I have to agree with you as far as a kettle is concerned. A ceramic is a different story though.

[TripleB]

Lump is definitely hotter though. I used lump in my PK360 and the heat bent the metal vent cover. Briquettes much easier to use.....which I use 99% of the time.

[58limited]

With B&B lump I rarely have tiny pieces...my main complaint has been really big chunks that I have to break down.

[LA Pork Butt]

As 58limited says the brand of lump can make a difference and I would add the cooker and the open spaces in charcoal grate make a difference. While I haven’t tried it I am pretty sure briquettes in my Kamado would clog the air flow on a 12-14 hour cook and smother the fire.

[Purc]

Have you thought about adding /wiring on a second charcoal grate that is rotated 90 degrees to the original grate to create much smaller holes for the lump to sit on and thus the lump pieces will burn longer and be much smaller before falling through to the ash sweeps?

[Finster]

I do sometimes do that if I'm not using the SnS. I just didn't in this particular case.

[HawkerXP]

Well. Here is my reason I don't like lump.

[mnavarre]

What lump?

[Bkhuna]

mnavarre You beat me to it.

[Finster]

I thought that was a hump, not a lump 🤷♂️

[Spinaker]

What kinda lump?

[Finster]

Spinaker

Betterwood Products lump that I picked up at the local grocery store.

[Spinaker]

Ah, yeah those cheap brands are not the way to go when it comes to lump. Buying a higher quality lump makes a big difference. The cheaper brands are not handled well, or they sit for a long time and get beat up. That is really how you end up with small pieces. When I buy a bag of lump, I pick it up, gently turn it over and listen to how it sounds. You can tell if it is a bunch of tiny pieces that are all broken up. Try B&B, FOGO, Jealous Devil, Kamado Joe XL. They are more, but worth it.

[Finster]

Spinaker
Naked whiz actually had it rated as recommended, with size being rated above average.That's why I bought the one bag to try it.

[Spinaker]

Yeah, I would check his loyalty.......is he there for you or the sponsors?

[jfmorris]

I tend to stick with briquettes on my kettle, unless I am out, in which case I've used lump once or twice, and use lump in my kamado. Mostly for the reasons you state. I think on the kettle the briquettes burn more consistently. On the kamado its almost the opposite, in kamado mode anyway.

[Finster]

Yeah, I've been using briquettes exclusively for awhile. I just happened to see this in the store at a huge markdown, and it was rated above average on naked whiz, so figured I'd give it a try. It was good reminder of why I prefer briquettes

[Jerod Broussard]

Never got into lump. I remember using it on a turkey in the PBC circa 2016.

[DaveD]

Have never used lump at all, not that I have anything against it, just haven't tried it. Is higher temp the main selling point? Not sure how much hotter the fire needs to be than a raging bed of good briquettes... I keep KBB on hand for when I want a quick sear over fire (B&B exclusively for all low & slow cooking).

[Jerod Broussard]

Less ash.

[DaveD]

I guess that's not much of a concern for me, since I'm gonna clean out the kettle after every cook anyway...

[mrteddyprincess]

Didn't A.R. debunk the idea that lump burns hotter?

I am quite the opposite and I burn lump exclusively on the PK360. I can go ten or more cooks without having to clean out the ashes. I use a hardware cloth basket to burn the lump in, so small pieces are not a problem there. And I agree with Spinaker that a higher quality lump makes all the difference. I love Jealous Devil.

Brian

[jfmorris]

My experience is if grilling, I can get my grills a lot hotter with lump. I had a disaster with several dozen burgers one July 4th not knowing this, and having a raging inferno in my offset in grill mode, with burgers bursting into flame as soon as they touched the grate…. Went back to KBB next cook!

[Michael_in_TX]

I agree. I was careless one evening and 'forced' my Weber's One Touch system to push the small pieces into the ash basket and it bent the blades; I can no longer use my Kettle for smoking now. (Not a problem as I have a PBC and only using the Kettle for direct grilling.)

[Finster]

same. I only use the kettle for grilling because my ash sweeper is off kilter and doesn't close all the way.

[jfmorris]

Ouch! I've done that but it was just little tiny bits of charcoal, and they were small enough to fall through the vent holes without breaking the blades. Those blades are replaceable. I think $20 or so gets a set of them.

[Mosca]

I don’t use the One Touch system on mine. I have an old fireplace brush that I use to sweep the ash into the bucket. It’s more than “one touch” but it’s a hell of a lot easier, and faster too.

[ecowper]

I tried lump a few times in the SnS Kettle/Insert and I wasn’t a fan. In the Hasty-Bake is a whole different story. When I want really serious direct heat in the HB, I’m all over the lump charcoal.