Big pieces of lump

Thatgrimguy

I don't get the obsession. I find them annoying. It's definitely better than dust, but man some bags are getting out of hand with the huge logs.  Does anyone have a good method for breaking them up?

JohnInCarolina

Paging @RRP

danhoo

I smack them with my coal rake when I don't want huge pieces. 

loco_engr

break them in 1/2 or save the low & slows

RRP

Thatgrimguy said:

I don't get the obsession. I find them annoying. It's definitely better than dust, but man some bags are getting out of hand with the huge logs.  Does anyone have a good method for breaking them up?

I'm right there with YOU! I just DON'T get it either!




I keep a bag on the side to throw those huge pieces into. Then after the bag is sort of full I pour them on my Smaker Screen, hit them a few times and then the pointed end makes it easy to pour the reduced pieces back in the sack!

Oh...and BTW because of that one half inch square hardware cloth the dust from breaking falls through!

SGH

Thatgrimguy said:

 Does anyone have a good method for breaking them up?

A good ole ball and penis hammer is your friend. 

lousubcap

Echoing @SGH ,   the hammer does the trick every time and if you don't have one with a penis attachment, no worries the hammer still fully functions.  

Photo Egg

$5 welders hammer

RRP

 LOL guys! My point was about WHAT surface you will lay YOUR charcoal on to SMACK’it? and not what style hammer, club, or whatever! Smacked lump” whatever YOU want to lay it on will mean much-0 nasty hard coal dust…my simple clean soevtgarsiptSOURION

laTIHJY.

stlcharcoal

Thatgrimguy said:

I don't get the obsession. I find them annoying. It's definitely better than dust, but man some bags are getting out of hand with the huge logs.  Does anyone have a good method for breaking them up?

You *should* be be able to just break it apart by hand or tap it on the concrete to let it shatter........IF it's properly kilned and truly "charcoal".  If it's that big though, sounds like it's still "charred wood."  Something fibrous has to be in there to keep holding it together.

I've seen "charcoal logs" now advertised.  What a brilliant marketing.....underkiln so the wood is still heavy with water and wood fiber, then charge more for it because it's "big."

More ash, more smoke, less BTU's, and more tonnage per kiln--all while the consumer gets all horny because they have a black piece of firewood (not charcoal).   More profit$.  Man, you'd think after 10 yrs I would have figure this out.  Damn!

Corv

I have a good powerful bandsaw in my shop, close to where I grill. I just cut the chunk into smaller chunks. Takes seconds and except for a little sawdust, leaves no mess.

Canugghead

RRP said:

Thatgrimguy said:

I don't get the obsession. I find them annoying. It's definitely better than dust, but man some bags are getting out of hand with the huge logs.  Does anyone have a good method for breaking them up?

I'm right there with YOU! I just DON'T get it either!




I keep a bag on the side to throw those huge pieces into. Then after the bag is sort of full I pour them on my Smaker Screen, hit them a few times and then the pointed end makes it easy to pour the reduced pieces back in the sack!

Oh...and BTW because of that one half inch square hardware cloth the dust from breaking falls through!

Good candidate for Indiegogo 

Thatgrimguy

stlcharcoal said:

Thatgrimguy said:

I don't get the obsession. I find them annoying. It's definitely better than dust, but man some bags are getting out of hand with the huge logs.  Does anyone have a good method for breaking them up?

You *should* be be able to just break it apart by hand or tap it on the concrete to let it shatter........IF it's properly kilned and truly "charcoal".  If it's that big though, sounds like it's still "charred wood."  Something fibrous has to be in there to keep holding it together.

I've seen "charcoal logs" now advertised.  What a brilliant marketing.....underkiln so the wood is still heavy with water and wood fiber, then charge more for it because it's "big."

More ash, more smoke, less BTU's, and more tonnage per kiln--all while the consumer gets all horny because they have a black piece of firewood (not charcoal).   More profit$.  Man, you'd think after 10 yrs I would have figure this out.  Damn!

I miss rockwood!! You ready to send me a pallet yet?

Thatgrimguy

RRP said:

 LOL guys! My point was about WHAT surface you will lay YOUR charcoal on to SMACK’it? and not what style hammer, club, or whatever! Smacked lump” whatever YOU want to lay it on will mean much-0 nasty hard coal dust…my simple clean soevtgarsiptSOURION

laTIHJY.

I just break it on my santa Maria grill so it all goes to some use when I light up the bigger logs.

Langner91

I must be the luckiest guy in the world.  I pour the stuff out of the bag and light it.  Every three or four cooks, I scoop the ash out of the bottom and light it again.

When I finish a bag of Rockwood, I pick out all of the rocks and add them to my water feature.

RyanStl

danhoo said:

I smack them with my coal rake when I don't want huge pieces. 

This is exactly what I do.

AnothaStolenGenrator

I just give them to my wife.  She likes to put big things between her legs and squeeze.  

paqman

Just keep them to put at the bottom of the egg before a low and slow.  That way the fire grate doesn’t get clogged with smaller pieces and you have better airflow.

nolaegghead

AnothaStolenGenrator said:

I just give them to my wife.  She likes to put big things between her legs and squeeze.  

So you know this vicariously?

Thatgrimguy

I guess it wasn't an issue with an XL but with just a mini max and a mini I''m much more particular.

Langner91

Thatgrimguy said:

I guess it wasn't an issue with an XL but with just a mini max and a mini I''m much more particular.

I get that.  I fill my MiniMax with used lump from my Large.

What if you drop the full bag (before chewing/cutting/burning the string stitching off the top) on the concrete a few times?  I have bought plenty of bags where it appears someone has done just that.

SonVolt

I wanna know more about this ball and penis hammer. 

Thatgrimguy

Langner91 said:

Thatgrimguy said:

I guess it wasn't an issue with an XL but with just a mini max and a mini I''m much more particular.

I get that.  I fill my MiniMax with used lump from my Large.

What if you drop the full bag (before chewing/cutting/burning the string stitching off the top) on the concrete a few times?  I have bought plenty of bags where it appears someone has done just that.

I ordered one of those welding hammers. 

I'm absolutley in love with my new Mini. It's addicting. I lit it up and cooked some sausage and was closing it down in 30 minutes start to finish. Fast as a gas grill.

Buckwoody Egger

Large pieces of lump are no problem— when they are in the egg just use the ash tool as a either a pick axe or a wedge (in a crack / seam— insert and twist).

 FYI the coil handle on ash tools of yore is lame. When it’s weld eventually breaks just cut the end off and prepare a small hammer handle (shortened and hole drilled) to replace and possibly lengthen overall. 

https://youtu.be/4mJEF5emuXQ

Legume

“This lump is too big.  This lump is too small”

—@goldilocks

GrateEggspectations

“Big lump” was my nickname in high school. 

A related joke….

There is a guy on the beach with about 25 gorgeous women swarming all around him. Seeing this, a second man strolls on up to him and asks: “What’s your secret?”

The guy whispers: “All you have to do is stick a potato in your pants and the ladies will come running.”

In a flourish, the second man runs off and stuffs a potato in his pants. But when he returns to the shore, he soon discovers that every single girl that looks his way, runs off screaming in bloody terror.

Confused, he hurries over to the first guy and desperately asks: “Why are all the girls running away from me?”

The first guy looks up and replies: “I meant put it down the front of your pants…”

Langner91

Big lump reminds me of a joke that I used a lot in my younger years.

When people noticed my very large feet and asked "what size are they?" I would reply "They are size 13, but the old saying about foot size is not true, unfortunately.  If it were true, I would have size 18 feet."

I will be here all week!