First time using Lump - what am I doing wrong?

[Broedy]

I've always cooked with charcoal on my kettle. Saw a bag of Cowboy Lump at Costco and decided to take the plunge, but am struggling to use it. I've used it for 2 cooks now and I can't seem to keep the fire going. Cooking on a 26" kettle. Process I used to light is basically the same for the charcoal.

1. Fill chimney to the top
2. Light with a fire starter
3. Wait until lit, dump in a single layer

The first time, I may have dumped a little too early, so it's possible that not all of the pieces were lit, but the temp started dropping like almost immediately. The 2nd time it was definitely hotter (I gave it a few extra minutes so that all pieces at the top were glowing), but again, after 15-20 minutes of cooking, the temp started dropping. After dumping the coals, I just placed the grate and covered. All vents wide open.

The only thing that immediately comes to mind, when watching other videos, is that people keep lump in more of a "pile" (like when moving all the coals to a side for 2 zone cooking). I had my coals more in a single layer, but still in a focused area, and not spread across the whole grate. Or maybe I need a 2nd chimney? What am I doing wrong?

 

[tarheelsmoker]

Is the fire going out or is it just a temp drop?

 

[Broedy]

While it's not out out, it feels like it's going out. Temp steadily dropping, initial temps at lie 400ish and then I struggled to keep it at 300. I just find it surprising because everything I've read says lump burns so much hotter...on my burn in I had a chimney of briquettes last an hour+ at 500+!

I should clarify too, I did cook with the lid on, but don't think that should matter with vents open.

 

[sudsandswine]

The bag of Cowboy lump I got from Costco is mostly made up of smaller pieces which I wasnt too happy about, not sure what you got with yours but maybe the small pieces are just burning out quickly? When I put a chimney full of lit lump in my 22.5" kettle i have trouble keeping the temps lower than about 400*. Generally, lump burns shorter for me than briquettes do, size of pieces aside.

 

[Broedy]

Definitely some smaller pieces, but I tried to make sure I had a good mix of larger pieces in there as well. How long did they burn for your sudsandswine? Now I'm just more confused...

 

[pjtexas1]

Are you dumping lit lump on unlit lump or just using 1 chimney of lit by itself? If only using the 1 chimney and it is fully lit it would make sense that it would not rise much in temp with no other fuel to ignite. Maybe I'm missing something?

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[IamMadMan]

I use cowboy lump in my kettle, burns hotter than briquettes. Make sure your bottom vent is wide open and not clogged. I also use two fire bricks to divide the kettle (half) into a two zone cooker, direct and indirect.

Also small pieces in the bag are a product of poor handling by the retailer. Lump is almost pure carbon and is very brittle. Any rough handling or bumping will result in breakage into smaller pieces.

 

[tarheelsmoker]

While it's not out out, it feels like it's going out. Temp steadily dropping, initial temps at lie 400ish and then I struggled to keep it at 300. I just find it surprising because everything I've read says lump burns so much hotter...on my burn in I had a chimney of briquettes last an hour+ at 500+!

I should clarify too, I did cook with the lid on, but don't think that should matter with vents open.

Lid on is the only way to build heat. Lump burns hotter because there is more surface area to burn since it is jagged and not smooth and round like briquettes. Also air moves through lump better because the way it stacks up. Both of these advantages go away as the jagged edges burn off and the coals become more round. But you still should not have a problem holding 500 for quite some time.

It almost sounds like you have a bad batch of lump. The way it is handles determines the amount of dust and small pieces a lot of the time.

 

[Joe Black]

I am a stick burner, but I use charcoal for starting and also to establish a coal bed. I put a chimney of RO lump in the charcoal basket and I light a 2/3 basket of RO briqs. When the briqs are very well involved, I spread them over the lump. When the lump is ignited fully, I will begin to cook if I’m using my kettle. If I’m going to switch over to wood in the smoker, I start adding pre-heated splits. The charcoal keeps a great coal bed while the wood takes over.

The only reason I can see for your problem is, are you rushing to begin your cook. Have enough fuel to get the cooker up to temp before you put the meat in. If you start to cook too quickly the cold meat will absorb all of your heat. Be sure the cooker is hot enough to cook in and anything you add is pre-heated.

Good luck and good smoking, Joe

 

[Broedy]

Are you dumping lit lump on unlit lump or just using 1 chimney of lit by itself? If only using the 1 chimney and it is fully lit it would make sense that it would not rise much in temp with no other fuel to ignite. Maybe I'm missing something?

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Hmmm we may be on to something. Not dumping onto unlit fuel, just using the one chimney. I thought that would be enough. Does lump need more fuel typically?

IAmMadMan, thanks. I triple checked my bottom vent was fully open. I’m pretty anal about cleaning it out, so there was no blockage.

 

[sudsandswine]

Well if you're fully lit you've probably hit the half life of the lump charcoal pieces and if they're small ones like mine, they were not long for this world to begin with. With good lump and medium to large pieces, I get a full chimney about 2/3 lit and could easily run for 90 to 120 minutes at 400*.

 

[m-fine]

Light the chimney full from the bottom. When it is mostly lit with flames coming out of the top, dump it into the Weber in a pile. Pour more charcoal on top and leave the lid open for a bit until the pile is well lit. THEN you can spread it out more and put the lid on.

The amount of extra charcoal you need to add depends on what you are cooking and how much you want to spread. You usually don’twant a single thin layer. The deeper the pile of charcoal the air has to pass up through, the hotter it will burn.

BTW, “lump” was called charcoal for hundreds of years before briquettes were invented. Lump is plain charcoal, briquettes are briquettes.

 

[mjpmap]

Skip the chimney. Pile the lump in a “pyramid” shape. Burrow a hole in the middle of the pile and use one of the many fire starters that are available. I prefer a firestarter from Diamond Match Co that’s available in Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, etc. Use a small piece and when it is flaming good, push the lump to the fill the hole over the firestarter. It will burn from the middle out and give a good fire. As always, use the dampers to control the heat.

 

[Hoss]

When using any charcoal,I never "spread it out" over the whole grate.Too many spots will be too hot and others not hot at all.It is just the nature of the fuel.Some spots burn out and others burn really hot.I usually use 1/3-1/2 of the charcoal grate to " bank" my coal.Add as needed,if it gets too hot,move to the cooler side.Hope this helps and yes,there is a learning curve when using lump instead of Briqs.

 

[Broedy]

Thanks everyone for the input, definitely have a few more things to try next time

Light the chimney full from the bottom. When it is mostly lit with flames coming out of the top, dump it into the Weber in a pile. Pour more charcoal on top and leave the lid open for a bit until the pile is well lit. THEN you can spread it out more and put the lid on.

The amount of extra charcoal you need to add depends on what you are cooking and how much you want to spread. You usually don’twant a single thin layer. The deeper the pile of charcoal the air has to pass up through, the hotter it will burn.

BTW, “lump” was called charcoal for hundreds of years before briquettes were invented. Lump is plain charcoal, briquettes are briquettes.

The more I’ve been thinking about it the more I was thinking about something like this. And apologies for the charcoal/briquettes interchanging - for years it’s all I ever knew, and it’ll be a tough habit to break.

 

[Broedy]

Well if you're fully lit you've probably hit the half life of the lump charcoal pieces and if they're small ones like mine, they were not long for this world to begin with. With good lump and medium to large pieces, I get a full chimney about 2/3 lit and could easily run for 90 to 120 minutes at 400*.

Got it. Thank you!

 

[Broedy]

Skip the chimney. Pile the lump in a “pyramid” shape. Burrow a hole in the middle of the pile and use one of the many fire starters that are available. I prefer a firestarter from Diamond Match Co that’s available in Ace Hardware, Lowe’s, etc. Use a small piece and when it is flaming good, push the lump to the fill the hole over the firestarter. It will burn from the middle out and give a good fire. As always, use the dampers to control the heat.

I like this idea too, thanks and will definitely try. I use a fire starter to light the chimney (name of brand escapes me) so I’m ready to go there.

Again, thanks everyone for your help!

 

[Monkey Uncle]

Keep in mind that briquettes are denser than lump, plus they fit together inside the chimney in a more compact manner than lump. So a chimney of lump is not as much fuel as a chimney of briquettes.

 

[firefighter4634]

There is also a big difference in brands of lump, I have not had much luck with Cowboy, usually use Royal Oak in the green bag. Naked Whiz web site has a great page on comparing different brands of lump, check it out.

 

[Sillius Sodus]

Naked Whiz web site has a great page on comparing different brands of lump, check it out.

For a purely historical look at lump charcoal in general, the NW website is a great resource. But for a look at current -meaning 2017/2018 - bags and reviews, that place offers zero help to the uninitiated. One would be much better served searching this website for reviews of current lump brands and what comes in their bags.