Lump Charcoal Reviews

[fuzzydaddy]

Those are some fine looking butts EazyE.

[EazyE]

I've never tried placing the coals, I just dump but I do use a BBQ. Guru. Truly set and forget lol. I've done briskest for 17 hours and have fuel left. Cooking on a large BGE btw.

[Breadhead]

Cool beans Fuzzy... Glad it worked for you. Now you will be able to sleep much better during long low and slow cooks. Being confident your fire is not going to go out is very comforting.

[(RibTips)]

Nice Find, some interesting information here, in particular what is real lump and what is not.

[fuzzydaddy]

Forgot to include photos.

[fuzzydaddy]

Breadhead - you da man! On my last cook I hand-placed my lump as you described, cooked for 16 hours at 225, then closed down my BGE vents and when the fire was out still had a lot of lump left. Thanks again!

[Breadhead]

Cd... Like I said before, I only do that for low and slow cooks. When I read that thread everything he said made sense to me. Ceramic cookers are totally dependent on airfow. Air/oxygen is their fuel. Creating an open airflow that is 100% dependent on your vents, gives you total, predictable control. If you add an element of restriction, clogged airflow... You are guessing. It's elementary my man.

[cdd315]

Ah Breadhead I found it above you mentioned a Large BGE and 25lbs. of pork butt I guess that answers my questions

[cdd315]

Breadhead I think I read the same article once because that sounds familiar. Curious though, what kind of meat would you be able to fit on your BGE that would require a long cook like that? Forgive me if you mentioned it (I can't see it above) but what size egg do you have? You should fill out your signature

I did a brisket this winter when it was something like -23C or so outside and ran out! Even though they have thick ceramic, the cold can still steal the heat. That was a normal load of charcoal, 225F for about 10 hrs. When the grate temperature started dropping on the Mav I knew what was happening and I pulled the brisket when it looked like it wouldn't stay above 195. I just finished it in the oven. It was already crutched and close to done anyway so I didn't mind. The next day when I went to refill it there were only a handful of pieces left in the chamber. Perhaps if I had tried the Naked Whiz method, I might have been able to finish it on the egg.

[Breadhead]

Fuzzy... If you do your next long low and slow cook the way you just described I bet you will be able to cook for 16 hours without any problem at all and you will probably still have unburned lump at the end. I usually start my pork butt cooks at midnight the day I want to serve them. I usually buy that 2 pack of butts/shoulders that Costco sells. I get as much space between the 2 pieces of meat as I can. I stablize the temp at 225/230 and go to bed about 1:00ish. When I wake up in the morning my temp has usually changed about 10 degrees one way or other. Don't worry about those variations it's really hard to mess up a pork butt cook. I make whatever adjustment necessary and go about my day. I've never wrapped a pork butt I've always just planned for the stall and waited it out. However I like Pit Bosses recommendation to power through the stall with higher heat 275/300. I'm going to try that next time. You reduce the heat back to 225 once you break the stall. I try to get my meat to 203 degrees by 3:00/4:00pm so I can wrap it and put it in the cambro for 2 or 3 hours. Dinner at 5 or 6pm. With your Mav 733 you are golden. I bet your next cook is easy peasy.

[fuzzydaddy]

My guess is that it could be operator error. I've only done a few long cooks so far, loading the charcoal around midnight when I'm sleepy, so maybe I did not optimally place the charcoal or I simply did not fill up the firebox. On my next long cook I'll pay better attention to loading the lump. I do clean out the ash between the firebox and outer shell, my firebox opening is aligned with the intake vent, I use a ChefAlarm probe for temp, and have noticed no smoke coming out around the seal. As I type this I'm wondering if my ChefAlarm unit or probe is bad and I'm actually cooking at a much higher temp. I just received my Maverick ET-733 so on the next cook I'll be using a new unit and probe.

[Breadhead]

I forget what thread I found it on at the Nekkid Whiz but some BGE expert wrote an article about the way to do a loooong... Low and slow cook of pork butts or briskest's on a ceramic oven. His contention was if you just dumped your lump from the bag... You have NO control over the airflow of your fire. If the small pieces and the dust went to the bottom... You would have much less airflow to your fire. His opinion was if you put big pieces at the bottom, medium pieces in the middle and small pieces and dust at the top that allows you maximum airflow. He said if... You do this you can cook on a BGE, at low temps for 24 hours every time and you will be able to sleep during a long cook without worrying about your fire is going to go out. Imagine that wide open infrastructure at the bottom VS a closed infrastructure at the bottom, less airflow. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt when I load my fire box that way before a long low and slow cook... I can rely on a 20 hour cook without having to stop the cook to add lump. So... At the end of the day, loading my fire box properly, allows me to sleep comfortably without worrying if my fire is going to go out. However... With fast cooks, steak, chicken and fish, I just dump lump into the firebox to the level I deem necessary.

[cdd315]

I have to agree with Breadhead and Mosca .. I've had long burns 12 hrs or more and still have lots of coal left over. I fill to the top of the firebox but do not arrange large pieces at the bottom. I let the coal fall as it may.

[Breadhead]

I fill to the top of the fire box. I've been racking my brain to figure out how you are possibly burning that much lump in 12 hours at 225/250 degrees. I thought maybe he hasn't cleaned out the ash that seeps out of the fire box and sits between the outer shell and the fire box, which will clog airflow? No... That would decrease lump burned. Then I thought maybe he doesn't have his fire box properly aligned, where the air has a direct entrance? That too would burn less lump. Then I thought maybe he is going by the temp gauge on the dome? But that too would burn less lump because it takes hours at 225/250 degrees for the actual temp to match what the dome temp gauge says it is. Then I was thinking maybe he has a bad seal on his lid/dome? But, that would increase your dome temperature, so that's out. Fuzzy my Man... After owning my BGE for 5 years... I am totally stumped!

[fuzzydaddy]

Do you fill up into the fire ring, or stop at the top of the firebox?