Pork tenderloin and a defense of Royal Oak

Cookinbob

Sunday night, I butterflied a pork tenderloin ( not real pretty), dusted with DP Raging river, grilled direct on the CI Grill. 3-4 minutes on each side, then I went to raised direct and basted with an Asian BBQ sauce.  Sliced across the grain and served with some grape sized potatoes and a salad.  Came out really good and tender.

Now for the Royal Oak stuff,  I have read and participated in some of the discussions on lump and the virtues of one over another.  I cook mostly on Royal Oak, though I have also used Rockwood, and Frontier.  Royal Oak is my standard now.  I experience none of the problems others claim, and just for grins, I timed myself on this one.

I usually light with a Weber chimney.  For this cook, I put about 3" of lump in the chimney, and started it at 6:52 with 2 sheets of newspaper.  At 6:58, it was fully lit, so I dumped into the small egg and topped with the CI grate. The smoke was clear.  3 minutes later, I started cooking. (the dome temp was over 400 though I know the ceramics weren't heated, etc.)  No white smoke.

9 minutes from lighting to cooking.  Granted I was grilling, not stabilizing for a low and slow, but I don't think you can get much faster regardless of what lump you use, even with a gasser.  When I start my fire this way, there is virtually no white smoke.  I have experimented with a lot of lighting methods (starter cubes, oil/paper towels, alcohol/paper towels, MAP torch) and find the chimney works best for me.

With all that said, if I have smoking wood in the grill, it is a whole different story, but that is the wood, not the lump - I have been watching closely with all the banter here.  

Just my 2 cents worth

Legume

What is a newspaper?