FIRE STARTING AND LUMP CONSUMPTION?

CANMAN1976

Hello...so i've only had my egg for a few weeks now and love it but I have a few questions. Seems like I use alot of lump per cook.For example on a 400 direct cook for and hour (more like 2 hours including burn in and shut down) I'm burning about half to three quarters a firebox of lump.I have been lighting in 3 places with a torch.Could I get to and maintan a 400 degree cook by lighting in one spot and would this save lump? (probably take longer)

I am using maple leaf lump (brown bag) and there is very little ash produced but there are alot of small pieces.Roughtly how many cooks should someone get on a large 17.5lb bag of lump.

I have been cooking daily since I got my egg and my gasket and seal seem good.

Thanks.

 

 

boatbum

Any answer would need to be specific to the brand of Lump.

Personally, I think the choice of lump matched to the type of cooking is critical in some cooks - specifically whether you are trying to cook for a long period of time ( greater than 10 hours).

 

rsmith193

Part of the consumption is caused by the small pieces. Lighting in one place probably won't help with that. I would try a different brand. When you shut it down, are you closing the bottom vent and using the snuffer cap, or just using the daisy wheel?

CANMAN1976

Snuffer is eramic cap for shut down.I figure the smaller lump pieces have alot to do with it.

Figure ill get 6 or 7 cooks on this 17.5 bag of lump.

Skiddymarker

CANMAN1976 said:

Snuffer is eramic cap for shut down.I figure the smaller lump pieces have alot to do with it.

Figure ill get 6 or 7 cooks on this 17.5 bag of lump.

seems right to me, if all are +400º cooks. I get about 10 with my MBGE, you have a LBGE as I recall. First time, fill to maybe half way up the fire ring. 

When you light the second or third time, without adding any new lump, the "burn in" is much faster as most of the VOCs are gone. I think it was Mickey who did a complete cook, start to finish in 15 minutes using second time lump. 

Little Steven

Maple Leaf has some birch in it which burns faster than sugar maple. The small pieces are due to handling. IMHO you get so many btu per pound and that is what you get regardless of the size of the pieces. If you go to a more dense lump like wicked good it will last longer but you will get spitting and lose the sweet flavour of ML

CANMAN1976

Skiddymarker said:

CANMAN1976 said:

Snuffer is eramic cap for shut down.I figure the smaller lump pieces have alot to do with it.

Figure ill get 6 or 7 cooks on this 17.5 bag of lump.

seems right to me, if all are +400º cooks. I get about 10 with my MBGE, you have a LBGE as I recall. First time, fill to maybe half way up the fire ring. 

When you light the second or third time, without adding any new lump, the "burn in" is much faster as most of the VOCs are gone. I think it was Mickey who did a complete cook, start to finish in 15 minutes using second time lump. 

Never thought of this will try just half a firebox next reload see if that helps for a shorter start-up time.

Little stephen I love the sweetness of ML, I guess living "way out in the boonies" aka middle of nowhere really takes its toll with the shipping and handling, hense the smller pieces.