Uber Noob Charcoal Grilling questions

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San_Diego_Matt

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So, I normally cook food outside on my Weber propane grill, but have recently had the desire to cook over charcoal.

Instead of going all in and spending big $ on a charcoal kettle, I borrowed my parent's never used Weber Smokey Joe.

So, I've been poking around on line for fuel for this thing. Everything from Match Lite/Kingsford to big bags of mesquite charcoal.

I have a chimney starter thing, but am clueless as where to go from here.

Can someone with more experience recommend a charcoal for me and give me some suggestions on where the best place to buy this sort of stuff is?

Thanks

Matt
 
I love natural lump charcoal, but be sure to close the dampers a bit when you burn it, or it will burn really fast. You don't need any lighter fluid, just use the chimney starter per the instructions.

You can buy it at any good grocery store or a grill/bbq specialty store. Avoid Kingsford and Cowboy lump charcoal. Big Green Egg brand is expensive but usually very good. Here's a link that includes some pretty thorough reviews.
 
+1 to the lump charcoal. It works really well. I light it with sawdust/wax mixture blocks made in old egg crates. Or a #10 can as a chimney starter.

I love cooking on a weber kettle grill. I converted a gas grill given to me into a charcoal smoker. I fire it with lumps of hardwood and hardwood charcoal.

I do not like the briquettes... they burn fast and leave ALOT of ash. I load my grill, cook, then close the dampers and the coals go out and are ready for next time. I use at least 50% less lump charcoal than briquettes.
 
With a chimney you will want to use briquettes. Lump has many small bits that fall through a chimney.

You do not need or want the match light type.

Other than that it's up to you. The Little Smokey is a fine grill.
 
I love natural lump charcoal, but be sure to close the dampers a bit when you burn it, or it will burn really fast. You don't need any lighter fluid, just use the chimney starter per the instructions.

You can buy it at any good grocery store or a grill/bbq specialty store. Avoid Kingsford and Cowboy lump charcoal. Big Green Egg brand is expensive but usually very good. Here's a link that includes some pretty thorough reviews.

According to the site you linked, the BGE brand is the same as Royal Oak, which is cheaper and widely available. In my part of the country, it is also sold as "Best Choice" which is the regional generic brand.

I agree with disliking Cowboy. It is all scrap from manufacturing, which is environmentally friendly and all and it has been kilned so there is no wood flavor.
 
I use Royal Oak Lump, with a weber chimney starter. Pick the Royal Oak up at Walmart really cheap.

For grilling, Lump is great because you can get the hot temp needed to really sear the juices in.
 
I am not in the lump camp when it comes to grilling. It's all the rage now, but so was John Tesh.

Briquettes are easier and more consistent. The only time I use lump is for smoking, where the meat will be subjected to the smoke for several hours.

Of course there are binders in briquette that are not in lump. But for grilling, where cooking time is less than an hour, the incredibly small amount of residue from these non-toxic and mostly odorless, flavorless binders that adhere to the meat is insignificant. Maybe it can be detected by lab instruments but not your nose or taste buds.

It is soooooo much easier to control temps with briquettes. Each briquette emits the same amount of BTUs and burns for the same length of time. With a given volume of briquette you know how long it is going to burn and at what temperature.

Because of the wide size range of the lump, from pebbles to honkers, there is absolutely no way way to tell how a given volume will burn. A given volume with a high bulk density (smaller pieces) will burn hot and fast. that same volume with a lower bunk density (larger pieces)will burn cooler and longer. It is always a crapshoot.

If you want a very hot fire for searing, start with a bed of briquettes and dump a ****load of smaller lump particles on top.

Lump is great for smoking but not for grilling. That's my two cents.
 
I don't mind Briquettes when they are charcoal and starch binder. It is when they start including limestone, sodium nitrate and borax that gets my shorts in a wad.

Never mind the "matchlight" ones. No thanks, if I wanted gas fumes and ash in my food I'd cook over the flame of my salamander heater.
 
I love natural lump charcoal, but be sure to close the dampers a bit when you burn it, or it will burn really fast. You don't need any lighter fluid, just use the chimney starter per the instructions.

You can buy it at any good grocery store or a grill/bbq specialty store. Avoid Kingsford and Cowboy lump charcoal. Big Green Egg brand is expensive but usually very good. Here's a link that includes some pretty thorough reviews.

Whats wrong with Cowboy?
 
I agree with disliking Cowboy. It is all scrap from manufacturing, which is environmentally friendly and all and it has been kilned so there is no wood flavor.

it is often long thin pieces from trim work, IIRC.

it works fine, it just is not prefered by many, for the above.
 
These things work great with a chimney. No more smelly, messy newspaper. I think they're about $10-15.

electricstarter.jpg
 
I actually picked up some CRAP lump charcoal today.
New product from 'Hot Wood' a California Brand.

Never again. Hard to light, pretty much all dust and little pieces in the bag.
When it did light, it burned out really quick. It was a big waste of time.

I tossed the remainder of the bag in the dumpster as I went down the street for Royal Oak at WallyWorld.

My fault, as I chose to use the Weber versus my Gas Smoker today.
 
According to the site you linked, the BGE brand is the same as Royal Oak, which is cheaper and widely available. In my part of the country, it is also sold as "Best Choice" which is the regional generic brand.

I agree with disliking Cowboy. It is all scrap from manufacturing, which is environmentally friendly and all and it has been kilned so there is no wood flavor.

Yeah, we bought 2 bags of Cowboy hardwood coal and it was all wood trim. What is with that? Did they like pull that stuff out of a burning house or something?? :(
 
Yeah, we bought 2 bags of Cowboy hardwood coal and it was all wood trim. What is with that? Did they like pull that stuff out of a burning house or something?? :(

The particle size is always a crapshoot with lump. Probably has as much to do with transport and stocking as with anything at the production point.
 
I always use a hardwood lump charcoal. I comes in huge bags, that cost about 1/3 of a way smaller Kingsford bag. I think the stuff I get is a local brand...

It lasts longer, and I feel I get better temp control.

All you need for great temperature control is to pretty much fully cover the bottom in lumps, not piled, just covered. Then when the heat is roaring (these get WAY hotter than regular Kingsford stuff), pop the lid on and use the dampers to get your desired temp.

It works perfect. You get more for your money. There are no binders. The coals are easier to save. I see no down side. I understand the consistency thing, but for how I grill (and I am no master at all) the lump is better and easier.

I also think it tastes better, but that could be mental. :)
 
I completely agree with BK. I don't think the uniform size and consistency of briquettes actually makes any difference in my ability to control the fire.
 
I love natural lump charcoal, but be sure to close the dampers a bit when you burn it, or it will burn really fast. You don't need any lighter fluid, just use the chimney starter per the instructions.

You can buy it at any good grocery store or a grill/bbq specialty store. Avoid Kingsford and Cowboy lump charcoal. Big Green Egg brand is expensive but usually very good. Here's a link that includes some pretty thorough reviews.
Thanks for the link, Yuri. After using all the brands that have had bad reviews (I think Kingsford lump was the worst...it was all tiny chips) I sent my wife to WalMart last night to get a bag of Royal Oak. It was cheaper than Kroger, Cowboy, some mesquite crap from Mexico, and Kingsford. It got hotter than HELL! I am going to stock up on this stuff as it gets hard to find in fall and winter in Utah. I don't think I'll need to try another brand again. Royal Oak kicks ass!
 
+1 on lump. I avoid the small peices and dust by going to the bagging facility here in town. Since every Mexican market here has a grill out front of the store it is easy to purchase it by bulk. The side benefit I have found from lump is that it can be left out in the weather(next to the grill) and it still lights easy and burns well. Briquettes seem to smolder and die unless kept completely dry.
 
I usually grill out on this little Weber charcoal. Some Kingsford coals, some bourbon barrel wood chips, perhaps some green onions on the grill (under the meat), and of course some New York Strip steaks marinated in olive oil, Montreal Steak seasoning, and soy sauce.

IMG_7172.jpg
 
I also am in the lump camp. My usual choice is my supermarket's store brand ~ never get any trim pieces like with Cowboy and it is less expensive.

I light mine in a chimney but I have recently put a twist on it: propane! Several years ago, I saw a program about the Weber restaurant where they cook over gigantic kettle grills. Off to the side there is a gas burner that the chimney sits on to fire the charcoal. That got me thinking about doing that myself. I have been planning on building an outdoor kitchen centered around a custom built-in Charcoal grill. We intend to build a new house on a 3 acre lot my folks have out in the country which is where the outdoor man-kitchen will be... I plan to include a gas chimney lighter.

While I was cleaning out the garage, I came across a propane dual burner cooktop from Harbor Freight that I bought for camping but never really used. So I hooked it up to my propane tank(that up until now I only owned for brewing...) and put the chimney on it. I ran the burner for about a minute and then shut it off and a couple minutes later, the charcoal was ready to dump. No newspaper!
 
there was a grill for sale in the grocery store here that was charcoal on one side, gas on the other, with a side burner that was designed to light the chimney starter. just fit right over it. i thought it was brilliant for a generic grill...

i thought it was a great idea... easy enough if the components are shielded from the heat. plumb one of these with metal?
 
Whats wrong with Cowboy?

There have been issues with "stuff" other than charcoal being found in bags...

Read here...


I have personally pulled out a rock or two and a few odd pieces of "wood"... I stopped using it a while ago...

The Royal Oak from Wally World is good... I found some Wicked Good Charcoal here locally a while back and it was nice as well...

:mug:
 
I like Royal Oak for steak, because it burns hotter, but Kingsford for chicken or pork, because it burns longer. Forget the Kingsford with Mesquite. The original blue bag is best. I like to use soaked wood chips instead. I use oak for beef and cherry and apple wood for pork and chicken.
 
I'll toss a late 2 cents in on lump vs briquettes. For the record, I only use charcoal for smoking, not for grilling.

I prefer lump for shorter smokes...6 hours or less. That'd be things like baby back ribs or whole chickens. But I use regular Kingsford briquettes for longer smokes (like brisket or pork butts) that need to cook for 12 to 16 hours. I find that briquettes are much easier to control over such a long period, where natural lump tends to burn hot for a shorter time then burns out...meaning that you constantly need to keep replenishing the smoker leading to temp swings over time. I can load a Weber Smokey Mountain with Kingsford (using the minion method) and get 12-16 hours of consistent temps. I can't do that with lump.

For grilling (which I don't do with charcoal) I do think lump would be best.
 
I think that I can imagine situations where Cowboy would be desirable. Say you want to get your grill really hot (requiring lump) or you otherwise want to use lump and you don't want to add any or much wood flavor, Cowboy would be a good bet.

I think the reason they use the scrap pieces is because they can claim (truthfully, IMO) that it is a more environmentally friendly choice. It is just that I think it is marginally more environmentally friendly and you are sacrificing one of the primary reasons you would be using lump charcoal rather than briquettes or gas in the first place.

The horror stories of weird pieces seem to be few and far between, but I guess keep an eye on what is going in your cooker. I have gotten a rock or two in Royal Oak, FWIW, and I still recommend that brand heavily.
 
There have been issues with "stuff" other than charcoal being found in bags...

Read here...


I have personally pulled out a rock or two and a few odd pieces of "wood"... I stopped using it a while ago...

The Royal Oak from Wally World is good... I found some Wicked Good Charcoal here locally a while back and it was nice as well...

:mug:


That stuff is crazy. I use Whole Foods brand lump charcoal, and I have never really had a problem with it. After reading up on that I find out that they are made from the same company. So, I grill up some swordfish steaks last night and I decide to pay attention to the brand new bag I have. First of all, I read the package, and of course it says something to the extent of "no trees were cut down for this product, our charcoal is made from mill scraps" or something like that. Personally I don't have a real problem with that unless there are nothing but small pieces of wood. However, initial inspection of the bag shows several what I call large pieces, so no problem there. However, I decided to dump the charcoal into my chimney just a few at a time and inspect for funny pieces and filler and whatnot. Sure as ****, I pull out a rock about the size of a racquetball! Unbelievable!! So, I guess I will use up the rest of this bag, but I am definitely switching brands.
 
Is there a reason not to use lighter fluid? I don't have a chimney, but maybe I should???

I never even knew about this lump coal stuff before I saw it in the store... weird. I am not very good at BBQ though and don't do it that often. I just think the lump stuff is easier to use, plus mine is locally produced, which is always nice.
 
It is just one of those things really. If you properly cook off the fluid, you will be fine. Some say they can taste residue, but I don't. For me it is just a matter of keeping as many chemicals away from my food as I can.
 
The horror stories of weird pieces seem to be few and far between, but I guess keep an eye on what is going in your cooker. I have gotten a rock or two in Royal Oak, FWIW, and I still recommend that brand heavily.

I found a black soot-covered piece of steel wool in a bag of royal oak a couple weeks ago. It's still my favorite (cheap and it's at walmart).
 
I have had great luck with using a paper grocery bag to light the chimney starter. The instructions recommend newspaper, but I have had it burn too fast and not light the charcoal.

Eric
 
cardboard egg cartons rolled up and stomped flat work well also... they burn hot enough to light a log if you have enough.

Of course I order eggs in cases of 360, 8 at a time. I always have several laying around...
 
I have had great luck with using a paper grocery bag to light the chimney starter. The instructions recommend newspaper, but I have had it burn too fast and not light the charcoal.

Eric

A little squirt of canola oil (or some other cheap vegetable oil) will allow the paper to burn longer.
 
I've been using the Royal Oak lump exclusively for 2-3 years now and I've been very happy with it. I do all my normal grilling on it, burgers, dogs, steak, brats, chicken breasts, etc., and I do all my longer grilling with it as well. I should point out that when I say "longer" I mean 5-6 hours tops. My grill is a Weber kettle, the 22" variety, so I'm not trying to do any Boston butts or anything along those lines. But I can get 5-6 hours at 200-300 without too much tinkering and without adding charcoal.

One trick I've learned, and I think this would apply to any lump charcoal, is to sort it. I buy at least 4 bags at a time, take them home and one by one I dump them into my wheelbarrow. I sort through each bag and put all the big pieces that would be good for long cooks in one bag and all the smaller stuff in another. This way you're not wasting the big stuff on burgers and it's easier to find it when you need it.
 
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