Another Rockwood problem?

tfhanson · January 2016

I thought I would start a new thread, so my issue would not get trapped in the other thread. I thought my gasket was shot, but now, after reading that other thread and what I am observing today with a low and slow, this is a lump issue.

I bought a new bag of Rockwood this Monday at my local Ace. I did a couple of Spatchcock birds. About a one hour cook. Thursday, I went out to cook a roast, opened my egg and found all my lump from Monday's cook gone. My first thought was "Oh Crap, I need a new gasket." So I cooked my roast. After the roast was done, I closed down my egg and using a flashlight searched for smoke leaks around the gasket. Nothing. Cool I thought.

Today, Sunday, I decided to do a low and slow pork shoulder. Went out at 1:00 pm to get the egg going. Opened the egg and found that my lump from Thursday cook was all burnt down. Once again, "Crap I do have a gasket problem after all. Guess I will be ordering a Rutland next week".

Well, I filled up my fire ring up to the top today for my low and slow and fired the egg up. Four hours into the cook, I went out to check my temp and found the egg down around 200 degrees. Mind you it never got over 280 today. I go out and check every 30 minutes. Opened the egg and looked past my plate setter and found only a small pile of coals left.

I've gone through a whole bag of Rockwood in three cooks. I am a big fan of Rockwood and will continue to use it, but I suspect this was a bad batch. I also now realize that I don't have a gasket problem.

pgprescott · January 2016

It's you. You are doing something wrong. I can't tell you what, but I can assure you it's not the lump. You could use the worst lump on the market and get better results. Check your thermo first. Then check your close down components, lower vent and upper vent. Are you using ceramic top to snuff? How many hours did you have the coals lighted for each cook?

Chubbs · January 2016

No way it is the lump. Sorry. First, have you cooks gone as planned? In other words are they going faster than normal. If so, you may be cooking a whole lot hotter than you think. Check you some thermometer. Second, are you using the ceramic lid to snuff out fire or the daisy wheel? If daisy wheel, there is another issue.

HeavyG · January 2016

Yeah, your problem has NOTHING to do with Rockwood or any other lump you might use.

Your egg is just not sealing tight enough to snuff the embers.

pgprescott · January 2016

HeavyG said:

Yeah, your problem has NOTHING to do with Rockwood or any other lump you might use.

Your egg is just not sealing tight enough to snuff the embers.

This is what I suspect. Hard to tell without some close observation.

tfhanson · January 2016

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, I'm not a noob. Apparently y'all don't know how to read (or did not read the whole post). I had a full fire ring burn down in less than four hours today at 280 degrees. I have both the BGE thermometer and an iDevice ambient probe both telling me the egg was in the 280 range.

stlcharcoal · January 2016

While I would be the first to take responsibility if I thought it was the lump, I don't see how it's possible in this case.

The only you would burn through a whole firebox full lump in that short of time at 250F is if it was softwood (less dense). And if it was softwood you would have known the second you picked up the bag (would have weighed much less). The machines that fill the bags would have been overflowing the bags and the weights on pallets have been way off with our shipper.

Nothing has changed here and there's no such thing as a "bad batch". It's mathematically possible for the occasional bad bag full of undercarbonized wood, ones with foreign material, or one that's been crushed by someone after it left our warehouse. But there's nothing in the process that would ever cause it to burn faster at the same temp. Anything that would have reduced the amount of burnable fuel, would have increased the volume--and that much volume would not have fit in that bag.

Did you have a water pan?
What was the last time you calibrated the dome temp?
Was is big piece of meat that the dome temp could have pierced?? (Happens to me with a big turkey.)
Where you using anything else to monitor the temp?

Something is up, and I'd like to help you find out what that is.

henapple · January 2016

@tfhanson... Dont take it personally. It's just tough to understand. Reach out to @stlcharcoal. It's definitely a mystery.

pgprescott · January 2016

tfhanson said:

Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence, I'm not a noob. Apparently y'all don't know how to read (or did not read the whole post). I had a full fire ring burn down in less than four hours today at 280 degrees. I have both the BGE thermometer and an iDevice ambient probe both telling me the egg was in the 280 range.

I would have to see that to believe it. Sorry. I know that will offend you, but I just feel there is something else at play. I'm not sure that is possible. Sorry again, it's not my intention to tic you off. Maybe others have better advice.

tfhanson · January 2016

What is tic-ing me off is my wife asking if the damn this is done yet and the babies are hungry. Ok, the baby is 17, but you get the point.

As I said, I am a huge fan of Rockwood and will continue to use Rockwood. Nothing has changed in my process. All things are the same except a brand new bag of lump. That is the ONLY thing that has changed.

As I said, I was more then willing to blame my gasket until today when a whole load of lump burned down to nothing in four hours at 280 degrees.

I do need to now buy a new bag of lump now. I will not be buying a bag of Rockwood next. I will try a different brand this one time. If I open the egg the next day and it is all gone, then I am more then willing to say the problem is with my egg. This is strange. Also, if you read the other thread that is going right now about Rockwood, you will see the same exact problem.

Chubbs · January 2016

I don't think anyone is trying to be rude. I certainly am not. Just no way it is the lump. Have you checked to see if you have a crack in your base?

HeavyG · January 2016

I was really just responding to your statement regarding this:

"I bought a new bag of Rockwood this Monday at my local Ace. I did a couple of Spatchcock birds. About a one hour cook. Thursday, I went out to cook a roast, opened my egg and found all my lump from Monday's cook gone."

If your egg cannot snuff out the fire COMPLETELY you will find nothing but ash remaining the next day.

As to your other problem...well, there are a lot of variables. When you say you filled it up was it literally packed full or was it "full" of mostly larger pieces which would allow a lot of gaps thus not actually having as much charcoal by weight? How do you start your fires and how long do you burn before you place food and start cooking?

Rockwood is not my main lump (Royal Oak is) but I've used a few bags and they all seem pretty consistent. I guess you could have gotten a "bad batch" but I don't really know how that would translate into the behavior you describe.

tfhanson · January 2016

HeavyG, I understand what you are saying about snuffing out the fire and I intially thought that could be my problem, but today when I had the problem during an active cook, that ruled out the snuffing out problem.

Chubbs, I know you are not being rude and trying to help. Yes, today, when I opened up the egg and found my lump all gone before the cook, I checked my egg out to make sure there were not cracks.

Also, just want to let you all know what a class act @stlcharcoal is, he just offered to buy me a new bag. I told him that was ok, I want to verify nothing is wrong with my egg.

Chubbs · January 2016

Nice gesture for sure. If you want to remove the gasket from being a possible issue send Ron a note and get a Rutland.

I have a bad underbite and egg leaks like hell when it cooks and it still sniffs out very easily.

RRP · January 2016

This is perplexing! The previous cooks leaving you with just ash did point to leakage whether it be the gasket, lower vent sicilicone shot, cracked base or all. But the rapid burn today is the most perplexing. I think several ideas offered here are spot on and especially in combination with each other, but can we get some. More information? When you cooked today what type of top did you use? Daisey, SmokeWare, or nothing? Was it windy today? Does your egg stay stationary or do you move it around? What kind of lump grate are you using? Original grate, or some after market like a Kick Ash Basket?

lousubcap · January 2016

Not attempting to beat a horse (dead or not) but fuel consumption in the BGE is directly related to air-flow. All calibrated thermo(s) mean that once the lump is lit that's the major consumption factor independent of lump. Rockwood has always been quite a consistent burn-rate for me, regardless of piece size. I would look for air leaks but beyond that I don't have anything more to offer.

stlcharcoal · January 2016

I don't know about air leaks though......a leaky gasket or a crack in the egg is going to introduce more oxygen which is going to cause the temp to go up.

In the other thread, the OP mentioned he had to open the vents more to maintain temp--this thread says everything was the same.

Like I said, nothing has changed at the plant.....same kilns, same wood, same baggers, same people, same scales. It just doesn't make sense how that bag could be filled to the top @ 20# and burn faster. It it's charcoal, it's nothing but carbon and some residual wood.

It's not like briquettes where they put a metric sh!t-ton of lime in the slurry to make it weigh more (they say it so when you know when it's hot since it turns gray.)

rmr62 · January 2016

my gasket has been fried for a while, and I need to replace, but have just been lazy and not done so. Even so, when I shut it down, the fire goes out almost as fast as when the gasket was good. Seems like a strange situation for sure

The Cen-Tex Smoker · January 2016

I haven't used anything but rockwood for the past 2 years. I use 100lbs a month most months. I can cook a brisket for 20 hrs on half a firebox load or less and it's about the same with any lump I've ever used. I use it for low and slow, hot and fast, pizza, whatever. In probably 2000lbs used, I've never seen what you are seeing.

Ozzie_Isaac · January 2016

I had that happen a few times. Now I use a snuffer when shutting down my egg.

I've had a few times things seemed to burn faster than normal, but usually when I have a lot of lump from a previous cook in the firebox.

Never had a full load burn at the rate you experienced unless I'm over 350.

RRP · January 2016

I'm tossing out a weird - I mean WEIRD - question here. Is there the chance of a practical joker under roof, next door, buddy, brother-in-law or wife even who might have dumped out the contents of that Rockwood bag and poured back in some Cowboy brand lump which is known to burn faster?

Mikee · January 2016

Of course it can't be the ROCKWOOD lump.

lousubcap · January 2016

@Mikee- No one is saying it can't be Rockwood-but many here have never had a similar circumstance. Thus the questions about the variables outside of the lump brand that may be a factor.

Photo Egg · January 2016

tfhanson said:

If I open the egg the next day and it is all gone, then I am more then willing to say the problem is with my egg. This is strange. Also, if you read the other thread that is going right now about Rockwood, you will see the same exact problem.

Don't wait for the next day to check how much lump you have after a cook...
Check right after your cook as well. It's a sure fire way to know if your burning the lump during your cook or after your shut down.

Mattman3969 · January 2016

Try a different lump, maybe something like Royal Oak to see how it compares. I suggest RO because of its availability not because I use it.

henapple · January 2016

Anyone watching the Democratic debates?

Mattman3969 · January 2016

@henapple - not a chance when I can read about lump

lousubcap · January 2016

@henapple- would that be where the snake gets hot air time??

RRP · January 2016

lousubcap said:

@Mikee- No one is saying it can't be Rockwood-but many here have never had a similar circumstance.

Guess you didn't read my question above...I did question if there was a chance of a jokester in the midst! Swapping out a level and slow burning Rockwood with a fast burner like Cowboy lump isn't that far fetched of a practical joke against a serious minded proud egger like this fellow might be!

Years ago I had a boss who was a practical joker who would slip next door to siphon a couple gallons of gas every night to mess with his neighbor's pride with his new car.

Some people get their kicks in a strange way!

lousubcap · January 2016

@RRP- the odds of two lump professionals living in that close proximity are a bit remote but with family ties it could happen. And there are other long odds out there as well. And I did read your post...FWIW-

SloppyJoe · January 2016

Sounds like a made up story. Any normal person would have the decency of trying another bag/experiencing the problem more than once before attacking a reputable company.

Another Rockwood problem?

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