Organic Lump Charcoal

[DATsBBQ]

Well it had to happen. I thought all lump was "organic" by definition. Guess I am wrong. I just came across this company: http://www.naturesgrillingproducts.com/ that just so happens to be located in the town that I'm living in.

Be nice, as I've asked them to be a Throw Down Sponsor

[Big Mike]

I understand that briquettes are not organic but lump and wood chunks. I wonder what makes lump and wood chunks non-organic.

[OSD]

Sounds like a clever advertising angle to me aimed at the so-called do gooders. But, hey, if it works for them. Why not. Some people will buy anything if it says it's all-natural or 100% organic without thinking about it.

[DATsBBQ]

As I understand it, the regular ol bricketts are full of fillers and binders, very little saw dust. Perhaps these folks are using organic binders? Lump is just hardwood heated with the absence of fire so then lump must be organic unless it gets sprayed with something during packaging. The naked whiz has a page on it.

FWIW, the Mrs switched the cat liter over to an organic liter that's made from corn. I'm told it's the best liter yet for clumping and the cats like it too. And it lasts longer pound for pound than the traditional stuff.

Back to lump. When I acquired Einstein the salesman told me to use lump instead of bricketts. Bought a bag. Haven't used regular brickets since Probably cost too much to run an offset with, but the stuff is a perfect match for a ceramic.

[OSD]

I agree, I use lump in my Spicewine. Lump is good in the insulated uprights also

[Big Mike]

I use lump in my Stumps as well. Do you know how much their stuff runs

[DATsBBQ]

I use lump in my Stumps as well. Do you know how much their stuff runs

If I remember, the suggested retail is about $5 for a 8 lb bag

[antaean7]

guys I am still a little lost here. Been reading the naked whiz page, and now understand what lump charcoal is. but where does the coal that is black and is normally used in smaller pits like old smokies or the little upright pits. Is it that no one uses that type of coal? Is it not a good idea to use? I know it would not have the same flavor as wood. Smoking is the smoke from wood. but, my question is, is that type of charcoal, so to speak forbitten? Would it not be a good idea to use in a smoker? I am asking since I am about to burn in my new pit and have a few questions on this process. I have read many pages and of course everyone has a different opinion.

[Gator]

antaean7

i will take stab at this.

First off - I think the best fuel for your cooker will depend a lot on the type of somker you have. That being said...

Regular charcoal brickettes - fine for cooking burgers, steak chicken...ect (IE fast cooking, direct heat grilling). Charcoal is used along with chunks of wood for smoke flavor when smoking Briskets, ribs,.etc. (IE - low and slow, indirect heat - long cooks).

Lump - is wood chunks that have been pre-burned. Lots of folks use lump - I do not have any experience here - lets see what others say about lump.

Wood - Is used alone or with other sources. By the way, I feel (Gator's opinion) that wood fires are the hardest to tend/predict..lots of factors and you need to build up experience on your smoker to be consistant with wood only for fuel. Just my 2 cents.

I suppose all of these can be intermixed depending on your style. I use a base of charcoal then burn wood on my pit.

Using charcoal + wood chunks may be a good start. What type of smoker did you buy?

[antaean7]

well long story short, My mother was sneaky, she called one night when I was doing research on pitts, and we went out of town for my birthday. Came home and my parents bought me a smoker and left it in my garage. THAT was a surprise to come home to. BUT, to answer the question it is a Lyfe Tyme. It is a single lid, with vertical smoker. I am going to burn it in this evening. on that note. Tell me what you think about this process. For my heat source I was first going to use just black charcoal to heat it to 275-300 for 4 hours. Then come back tomorrow night rub olive oil inside all over (besides the firebox) and for the heat source burn Pecan wood only to season the pit. How does that sound to you guys? Any better suggestions?

[Gator]

Lyfe Tyme smokers are good offset smokers indeed.

I recommend rubbing it down before your first burn...at least thats what I have been doing. As for Pecan wood, go for it. Everyone has their favorites.

I pulled this off your manufacturers web site, seems like good advice to me:

Build a small fire, using charcoal or wood, then add wood that has been soaked in water. Create all the smoke you can, keeping it going for about four to five hours. This will season the inside of your pit and "tighten" the paint. We recommend the use of dry, well seasoned wood only. Using wood that is not properly seasoned will cause a residue to build up on the inside of the grill and drip onto your food.

Hope this helps.

[SteerCrazy]

Lump charcoal is good, it does burn HOTTER than regular briquettes and can tend to be less ashy. Once you get the hang of charcoal, pick up some lump and give it a shot with a regular cook like burgers or chicken on the grill to see the temp difference and burn time.
Pecan wood is one of my fav's to use. I like to blend it with apple or cherry if I'm smoking ribs or shoulders. Pecan and Hickory are good for briskets, stay away from the mesquite stuff

Oh I forgot to mention, tell your mom I'm leaving out of town tomorrow and won't be home until Sunday I'll give her the garage code if she needs it!

Enjoy the new smoker and ask away with any questions

[OSD]

One other thing about seasoning your new smoker. I would use an oil that has a higher smoke point than Olive oil. Better choice would be Peanut oil or Canola oil. They can take a higher heat than Olive oil. You want to use an oil that would be good for deep frying. Even lard could be used.

[bowhnter]

FWIW, I like to use a combo of charcoal and lump, about 50/50.

I use wood chunks to start with, but I think I can use less of them due to having the lump in there, and am not creating too much smoky smoke but a nice light smoke.

smoky smoke ?

[antaean7]

Thank you guys for the responses, GATOR I did read that on Lyfe Tymes web site. But I thought that it would be better to burn out the pitt first to remove the impurites, then turn around and coat it with oil and burn in the oil. Thank you on the olive oil temp thing, you are right, I did not think of the temp levels they can handle. That could be a mess couldnt it?
but I have a hard time with the soaked wood thing. Unless when people speak of "dry" wood they are refering to wood that has been cut for a year or so. So the sap and liquids can have time to remove themselves. I mean people talk about dry wood, and speak of the wood staying in a dry area and not out in the weather, but only to turn around and soak it in water? Whats the difference? if it gets wet from rain, or wet from you soaking it?