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how much lump for a 8-9 hour turkey smoke?

first time doing a thanksgiving bird on the bge.  wanted to know how much lump will i need, and how often i may need to replenish.  any help would be greatly appreciated.  thanks.

Comments

  • U_tarded
    U_tarded Posts: 2,041
    i'm guessing you are going low and slow, i ran 20 hours with it full to the top of the fire ring with enough lump left over to do steaks and burgers a few times afterwards.  
  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    what temp are you planning to cook your bird?  Direct or indirect?  Raised or normal grid level?
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • GK59
    GK59 Posts: 501
    From trial and error, any smoke generated will only permiate the meat of what ever kind only about a 1/4". Or until the skin starts to brown or a sear/barks forms. Low and slows are for tough cuts of meat. Turkey is not one of them. Plus adding to much smoke will make it taste acrid or bitter.

    Smitty's Kid's BBQ

    Bay City,MI

  • What size bird do you have? I'm pretty confidant that 1 load of lump will cook the turkey with plenty left over. Look around for times and temps compared to the size of your bird
    LBGE
    Go Dawgs! - Marietta, GA
  • boatbum
    boatbum Posts: 1,273

    Fill it all the way up.   When your done, shut off the vents, put the fire out.   You will have lump left over.

     

    Cookin in Texas
  • Zick
    Zick Posts: 190
    Don't worry about how much lump. Fill her up and you should be more then fine. Have gone for 20+ hours on a single load.
    When was the last time you did something for the first time? - Zick Boulder, CO
  • I have the same question and see a lot of responses are 'fill er up' So what exactly is 'filled up'
    The BGE site shows up to the top of the fire box ceramic bowl. Others indicated to the top of the fire ring, which I believe to be the 4 inch separate ring that rests on top of the fire box and is what the plate setter rests on top of. I have had my first two cooks that got cool and I think it was due to not enough lump.
  • Eggcelsior
    Eggcelsior Posts: 14,414
    rbierman said:
    I have the same question and see a lot of responses are 'fill er up' So what exactly is 'filled up'
    The BGE site shows up to the top of the fire box ceramic bowl. Others indicated to the top of the fire ring, which I believe to be the 4 inch separate ring that rests on top of the fire box and is what the plate setter rests on top of. I have had my first two cooks that got cool and I think it was due to not enough lump.
    Either works. If it makes you feel safer, go to the top of the fire ring. I do this on long high-heat burns like pizza cooks. What were you doing when the cook became "cool"? Low and slow? I had this happen twice due to ash build-up on the fire grate that blocked airflow. If this was the case, you can try to mitigate this by stacking your lump with the larger pieces on the bottom to allow for better airflow through the firebox to the lump on top. On the other hand, if you opened the dome and "not enough lump" meant you were out of coals, by all means, add more lump to the initial load.
  • Thanks! The first time I just ran out of coals, the second time the temp dropped from 250 to below about 225. I tried opening the top flu wide with not much result. Finally, after looking at the meat with the lid wide open for a couple of minutes, ( and the lower air intake wide open ) the temp rose back to 250 plus. Later I found that this time there had been plenty of lump left over as I used more on the second cook.
  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    9 hrs...shouldn't have a problem with a full firebox. I've done much longer than that with that....except with RO recently.
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
  • Hungry Joe
    Hungry Joe Posts: 1,566
    This question is impossible to answer with out knowing what temperature you plan to cook your turkey and how much it weighs. If in question just fill to the top of the fire ring.
  • Do you have a Thermapen? You need to take the turkey off when the breast reaches 160 or you'll just dry it out. Don't set everything on a 9 hour cook and then find your bird is cooked after 3 or 4 hours.
    LBGE
    Go Dawgs! - Marietta, GA
  • thanks for the help.  cooking two 18 lb birds on my xl bge.  the 8-9 hours was a high side estimation.  planning on indirect cooking around 225-250.  i've got a thermapen and another wireless probe, so i should be good there.  been smoking turkeys on my weber smoky mountain for years.  the bge is new so i wanted to give it a go.  appreciate the fast response!
  • I see a lot of folks refer the the 'Thermapen'  and recall this is about an $80 item. Is it THAT good?  I typically use a remote meat thermometer. Does this Thermapen for some reason just blow away a remote? 
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    edited November 2012
    @rbierman - the remote takes the temp at one spot on the cook, that is wherever you have it inserted. The thermapen provides a quick (<second) read any where you insert it. Great for small pieces like wings, chicken legs ('cause you test each one) burgers and steaks. If soing a whole bird, you can check it in many spots, the thigh joint the breast etc... Two different tools for two different jobs. At $80 the Thermapen is well worth it. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • @coachbdouble I like the avatar. Let's go beavs on Saturday!
    Large BGE & mini stepchild & a KJ Jr.
    The damp PNW 
  • MBJ
    MBJ Posts: 3

    I am confused too about the proper level to fill the Egg with charcoal.  The video on the BGE website shows only to the top of the piece that has the metal plate with the holes in the bottom.  I did this for my turkey today and it started to cool off before the turkey was done.  Checked and the coals were low.  Added some more that was started in the chimney type starter and finished the cooking without any other problems.  I was cooking at 325 for a 14 pound brined  bird calculating about 12 minutes a pound  in a medium BGE using BGE lump charcoal which was started in a chimney type starter.  I used the plate setter, the bird was in a pan filled with onions, garlic, celery, carrots, peppercorns, fresh herbs, chicken stock and apple peels. It was excellent. Does using the chimney type starter burn the charcoal too fast hence causing the coals to burn up more quickly? Someone mentioned sorting the charcoal into large and small pieces for different types of cooking. Is this a good general rule? From what I have read it is ok to fill the BGE more than the BGE website says to do. Yes, No? Thanks <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

  • cazzy
    cazzy Posts: 9,136
    edited November 2012
    When ever I build a fire, I fill up my lump to the top of the firebox.

    After cleaning my egg, I put bigger peices of lump for 3/4 of the box, then smaller pieces the last 1/4. As many do, I also layer in chips throughout the lump.

    Good luck!
    Just a hack that makes some $hitty BBQ....
  • I fill up to the top of the fire box (bottom of the 4 inch ring) and have never had a problem either on high burn like pizza, or low and slow, like a 12 hour pork butt roast. Just my two cents.
    LBGE