Charcoal or Propane?

[TronCarter]

Lump Charcoal for me in my grill / smoker. I will go with briquettes if I am in a pinch. I have had propane in the past and it is easier and faster, but there is just something about charcoal that can't be beat. I am a master on my grill, with my charcoal, but if you were to switch either of them on me, I would be lost.

 

[JnJ]

Where are you guys finding lump charcoal?

 

[98EXL]

two words:

Cowboy Charcoal!

 

[Bernie Brewer]

Thanks guys you made my supper decision easy. I have a whole chicken thawed and couldn't decide if I should throw it in the oven or on the grill. The grill it is!!! Propane, BTW.

 

[98EXL]

beer can chicken

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Where are you guys finding lump charcoal?

Most any place that sells grills and accessories carry it. Walmart, Home Depot, OSH, even Smart & Final.

It can be tricky to work with, compared to briquettes. Quality and consistency also varies a lot. I hate opening a bag to find four giant chunks and a whole lot of tiny flakes and dust.

 

[the_bird]

Most any place that sells grills and accessories carry it. Walmart, Home Depot, OSH, even Smart & Final.

It can be tricky to work with, compared to briquettes. Quality and consistency also varies a lot. I hate opening a bag to find four giant chunks and a whole lot of tiny flakes and dust.

One of the bags I bought was full of old hardwood flooring (or hardwood flooring scraps). Still had the tongue and groove! I don't find it any easier or harder to work with; I use a chimney starter and it seems to work just as well as with the briquettes.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

Royal Oak is usaully very good. The fires usually burn very consistent. You gotta have that chimney starter, it makes life so much easier.

 

[JnJ]

Most any place that sells grills and accessories carry it. Walmart, Home Depot, OSH, even Smart & Final.

It can be tricky to work with, compared to briquettes. Quality and consistency also varies a lot. I hate opening a bag to find four giant chunks and a whole lot of tiny flakes and dust.

I've never seen it at Wal-mart, all I can get there is kingsford, which works fine for me.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I don't find it any easier or harder to work with; I use a chimney starter and it seems to work just as well as with the briquettes.

Most of the difficulties are the result of irregular size. It's hard to get an even burn going when some pieces are the size of your shoe and the rest are the size of your little toe. I always end up breaking up the huge chunks with my hatchet, which is a task worthy of Mike Rowe's "Dirty Jobs" program. I too use a chimney starter, and all the little coals end up falling out the bottom as I carry it to the grill.

I've also bought bags where every other chunk sporadically threw showers of sparks as it burned. Makes grilling in shorts a real adventure!

I still buy the stuff, but it does require more effort. Hey, most worthwhile things do require more effort...but as homebrewers, we're well aware of that!

 

[TronCarter]

Per pound, lump is more expensive than briquettes, but I still buy it.

Also, +1 on the chimney starter. No lighter fluid and then when they are ready you can pour the coals where you want them.

I too use a chimney starter, and all the little coals end up falling out the bottom as I carry it to the grill.

I have always used my chimney right on the coal rack in the grill. That way I don't have to worry about any of the red hots getting out and if they do, no big deal.

 

[Rhoobarb]

I've found the best deals on Cowboy brand lump charcoal at True Value Hardware stores! Trader Joe's carries the 10 lb. bags and I used to get them there until I saw the 20 lb. bags at True Value for just a couple bucks more!

 

[EdWort]

Ed, how do you manage the heat on one of those.

With my grill I have 4 ways.

1. Time after lighting the coal
2. Hight of the fire basket from the fixed grill (adjustable)
3. Distance from the coal. (Big grill so I can cook away from the fire)
4. Lid up or down.

1. Ten minutes for most cooks.

2. I have an adjustable grate. 4 inches to 9 inches from coals.
3. See # 2
4. Lid down. Vent below and above allows precise temp control. Egg turns into an oven.

I've been a GrillMeister for decades and the Egg is the best thing to cook on bar none!

 

[EdWort]

Per pound, lump is more expensive than briquettes, but I still buy it.

I get 20# for $9.99 every day for B&B lump. There is no comparison to kingsford or other briquetts.

Here is what I have heard is in their briquettes and what each ingredient is used for: wood char (heat source), mineral char (heat source), mineral carbon (heat source), limestone (uniform visual ashing), starch (binder), borax (press release), sodium nitrate (ignition aid), sawdust (ignition aid).

Lump charcoal has one ingredient. Charred Wood. That's it.

Nuff Said.

 

[EdWort]

I've found the best deals on Cowboy brand lump charcoal at True Value Hardware stores! Trader Joe's carries the 10 lb. bags and I used to get them there until I saw the 20 lb. bags at True Value for just a couple bucks more!

Cowboy lump basically sucks. It is nothing but charred flooring scraps. It burns fast and create a sh&t load of ash. There are better lumps on the market. They key test is to see how dense each piece is. If it is light as a feather like Cowboy, then you know it is flooring scraps and is junk.

Just my two cents.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

I use a decent propane grill on a fairly regular basis. I'm sure it doesn't hold a candle to Ed's expensive egg and fancy charcoal, but it makes a pretty darn good steak, chicken breast, or kabob a few times a week.

I read somewhere that as long as there's a searing hot place for the drippings to land (in my case, burner "tents"), you'll get reasonably good grilled flavor. It seems to hold true.

Anyway, I'm voting for convenience over gourmet, though I do admit a little twinge of jealousy when I see the tasty goodness coming from that green egg.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Here we go, everything you'd ever want to know about the various brands of lump charcoal. Complete with reviews, and pretty pictures. (Geeezz...what did we do before the internet?!?)

BTW, this site backs up EdWort's poor opinion of Cowboy Lump.

The Lump Charcoal Database

 

[TronCarter]

I use a decent propane grill on a fairly regular basis. I'm sure it doesn't hold a candle to Ed's expensive egg and fancy charcoal, but it makes a pretty darn good steak, chicken breast, or kabob a few times a week.

Hey, if you are happy with it, nothing else matters.

 

[McCall St. Brewer]

I use a propane grill 95% of the time. Biggest reasons: 1. the cost of charcoal 2. convenience. As far as I am concerned there is no reason to debate about flavor. Most meat grilled over charcoal tastes much, much better IMHO than meat done on a gas grill. Still, there are things you can do, such as using smoking chips, that will help somewhat. And, as others have said, grilling outside using gas still beats cooking inside by a mile.

One big recommendation: get a good grill. After years of using cheap gas grills I finally got a Weber and it made all the difference in the world.

Regarding chimneys for starting charcoal? I don't know why anyone ever messes with lighter fluid. Once you try a chimney, you'll never use lighter fluid again. They work amazinly well. They save money (lighter fluid is expensive these days) and using the chimney eliminates any chance of having lighter fluid flavor in your meat.

 

[Rhoobarb]

Cowboy lump basically sucks. It is nothing but charred flooring scraps. It burns fast and create a sh&t load of ash. There are better lumps on the market. They key test is to see how dense each piece is. If it is light as a feather like Cowboy, then you know it is flooring scraps and is junk.

Just my two cents.

Ed, I'd heard that before, but it is the only lump I can get around here. And it's still way better than Kingsford. So, it's what I use. I've been okay with it.

It just ain't the same here as it is in Texas (or Memphis or KC or the Carolinas), where they know good BBQ and can probably get a variety of lump charcoal. Here, people think places like Carson's and The Patio serve good ribs. Blandest. Ribs. Ever.

At least my smoker came from Uvalde!

There are some great reviews of lump charcoals here.

 

[LouT]

Pretty much the consensus among charcoal users is lump and to use a chimney starter. So is the chimney stainless or galvanized, or does it matter?
Where can you buy one? I like to see, touch, feel stuff like that before I buy.
Any testemonials for the "superior" chimney on the market, or one you have you really really like?

 

[Melana]

I found a nice one for my husband online - i think it was 9.99 plus delivery. nice thick steel...
if you buy one of the cheap ones they don't last too long (after regular use)

 

[Rhoobarb]

... Where can you buy one? ...

I got mine at True Value Hardware. Just a standard Weber galvanized. Works just fine. I keep it outdoors under the smoker year round. It's a chimney starter, for gosh sakes - it doesn't have to be pretty!

 

[Oakwoodforge]

+ 1 for the Lump Charcoal and + 1 for the chimney starter.

I use lump charcoal in my forge, and lump charcoal in my BBQ, I buy some ( royal oak & cowboy brand ) and I make it too , the best stuff I've made is from rock maple. Yummy


Jens

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Forgot about this thread, I guess the answer is my propane is good for my day-to-day grilling, but I need to get a nice smoker (or green egg) for the big grilling sessions.

 

[LouT]

Need to get one of those chimney starters for sure, will check out online and local hardware stores - clearance time of year now I'd guess BONUS!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

Need to get one of those chimney starters for sure, will check out online and local hardware stores - clearance time of year now I'd guess BONUS!

I was slow to catch on, but finally bought a chimney a few years ago. It's a cheap galvanized one and it looks like hell, but it still works just great. Now I feel stupid about all the bottles of charcoal lighter fluid I've bought during my lifetime...

If you're loading yours up with lump charcoal, be careful how you fill it. In particular, don't dump all the dust and small particles in the chimney, they will fill all the gaps and restrict airflow.

 

[ScubaSteve]

If you do long, slow cooks, lump isn't really the best choice. It burns way too hot, way too fast (If you've got an egg, that's a different story, because of the heat retention). If you have a bullet type smoker, you can cook for 24 hours (if you are so inclined) on briquets. The trick is to completely fill the charcoal chamber with briquets, then add approx 10 lit coals right in the center. Keeping your vents almost closed, you will have a slow controlled burn that will last forever. Just make sure you get a decent quality briquet.

 

[EdWort]

Ed, how do you manage the heat on one of those.

With my grill I have 4 ways.

1. Time after lighting the coal
2. Hight of the fire basket from the fixed grill (adjustable)
3. Distance from the coal. (Big grill so I can cook away from the fire)
4. Lid up or down.

1. About 10 minutes. I light mine with a MAPP torch. I wait longer with fresh lump if I'm cooking chicken as I want a cleaner fire.

2. & 3. I can adjust my grid height so I can cook in the dome part and take advantage of the reflected heat.

4. Lid down most of the time. With the lid down, I can control temp from 93 C. to 370 C. without a problem. It's all about the venting on top and bottom.

A load of lump charcoal will last 22 hours to smoke 30 lbs. of pork and still have enough left over to do steaks the next day.

Here's my babies.

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Dang, just went and priced some of those eggs. Those things are expensive!