Everything you wanted to know and more about Lump Charcoal
- Thread starter Trollhole
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Damn thats alot of charcoal.
What an inflammatory post.
What an inflammatory post.
Wow, great site. Too bad most of the charcoal I can get easily is made by Cowboy. Gotta find something decent. . . .
Good stuff there. One of our local Big-Box-o-Food stores is carrying a 40 lb bag of mesquite for 12.99 right now. It does all right but the mix leans toward HUGE chunks . . . good for long burns but hard to keep the temp up in the Weber. I think I'll get three more bags and sort the chunks by size into containers so I can build the kind of fire I want for what I'm cooking since the price is right, and it sure tastes better than the briquettes. I won't be going back to those.
ed97fzj80 said:
Geek!
Beats getting black to the elbows trying to dig the stuff out of the bag!
- Thread starter
- #7
good reading
Which is better, lump or briquettes? -- Well, this FAQ is about lump charcoal, so we aren't going to wax eloquent about briquettes. But admit it. You really want to know what is in Kingsford briquettes, don't you? Well, according to Kingsford, here is what 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). If you hang out on any of the barbecue forums on the internet, you will find lots of folks complaining about the borax and coal and limestone. You don't often hear of people complaining about the mineral char. What is mineral char? "A soft, brownish-black coal in which the alteration of vegetable matter has proceeded further than in peat but not as far as in bituminous coal. Also called brown coal. Has empyreumatic smell." What is an empyreumatic smell? "The peculiar smell and taste arising from products of decomposition of animal or vegetable substances when burnt in close vessels." Nuff said?
But back to the question at hand. Should you use lump or briquettes? There is no one answer for everyone. If you are using a ceramic cooker, the low ash production of lump charcoal is very important. Ceramic cookers have a fire bowl holding the charcoal. As the charcoal burns, the ash falls down into the bottom of the bowl. There isn't room for a whole lot of ash.
Lump charcoal burns hotter and faster than briquettes, if given an unlimited air supply. If you can control the air flow through your cooker, lump will burn at whatever rate and temperature that you allow it to. If you can't control the air flow in your cooker, then you may need to use the slower-burning briquettes in order to keep temperature under control.
Another consideration is that briquettes tend to be cheaper than lump charcoal.
Which is better, lump or briquettes? -- Well, this FAQ is about lump charcoal, so we aren't going to wax eloquent about briquettes. But admit it. You really want to know what is in Kingsford briquettes, don't you? Well, according to Kingsford, here is what 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). If you hang out on any of the barbecue forums on the internet, you will find lots of folks complaining about the borax and coal and limestone. You don't often hear of people complaining about the mineral char. What is mineral char? "A soft, brownish-black coal in which the alteration of vegetable matter has proceeded further than in peat but not as far as in bituminous coal. Also called brown coal. Has empyreumatic smell." What is an empyreumatic smell? "The peculiar smell and taste arising from products of decomposition of animal or vegetable substances when burnt in close vessels." Nuff said?
But back to the question at hand. Should you use lump or briquettes? There is no one answer for everyone. If you are using a ceramic cooker, the low ash production of lump charcoal is very important. Ceramic cookers have a fire bowl holding the charcoal. As the charcoal burns, the ash falls down into the bottom of the bowl. There isn't room for a whole lot of ash.
Lump charcoal burns hotter and faster than briquettes, if given an unlimited air supply. If you can control the air flow through your cooker, lump will burn at whatever rate and temperature that you allow it to. If you can't control the air flow in your cooker, then you may need to use the slower-burning briquettes in order to keep temperature under control.
Another consideration is that briquettes tend to be cheaper than lump charcoal.
ed97fzj80 said:
You're talking about those big silver/grey Lazzari's bags?
I always leave one lying on its side, slice it open, and keep a work glove and old hammer sitting there. Then just pound those big suckers! Very therapeutic...
Curtis
This thread is soooo hot! (Watch out, cheerleader)
CJF said:
I don't remember the brand, so I'll have to go look at the bag when I get home. There were two pallets, one with a silvery bag like you describe and the other in a plain heavy paper type of bag. I bought the paper one; "Smart and Final" is the name of the store.
- Thread starter
- #13
CJF said:
yeah thats was cool.
