lump charcoal vs briquets

Unknown

I'm sure this sounds inane, but I am new (in fact, my new egg is still on the way to me)----I live out here in Hawaii where lump is hard to find----will briquets suffice? If not, why not? Thanks,[p]Tim

JimW

tim,
Briquets will do if and only if you absolutely can't get hold of some lump. They tend to leave a lot of ash and they are impregnated with a lot of chemicals and other junk to make them hold their shape. There is another EGGER out in Hawaii, can't remember his name, but I think he has found a source of lump.
JimW

sprinter

tim,[p]First of all, welcome to the world of the BGE, hope your egg gets to you soon. You'll love the food that gets cooked on it and this group of people here in the forum will help answer ANY questions that you have. Learn from the Pros here, the collective Qing experience here will amaze you. Unfortunately, this answer may not.[p]I've had my BGE since Christmas but have used it a TON since then, however, I've never used anything other than lump in it. So, let me preface everything here by saying that there are others who KNOW about this topic, my input is merely second hand knowledge.[p]One of the biggest things is that the briquettes will not get as hot as the lump, nor will it last as long during cooking, and the briquettes produce a lot more ash. Briquettes also are processed or manufactured with a petroleum based binder to hold ash together. (I think petroleum based). Anyway, for as much as the BGE concentrates the smoke, this may add off flavors to the food. [p]As I've said, this is just what I've heard, nothing here is from experience. So why did I post this if I didn't know for sure? Cause I'm bored at work and saw this post on the forum and took the time. heheheh[p]Good luck and let us know how things turn out.[p]Troy

Nature Boy

tim,
A hardy welcome! You have a lot of great suprises in store once you get cooking. As far as briquets go, keep looking for lump. Use briquets only in an emergency. Sprinter, and Jim have explained it well.[p]Stop back anytime with more questions. We'll have you Qin in no time.[p]NB

King-O-Coals

tim, I'd be more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs if I had a new EGG coming and couldn't score natural charcoal. The guys have told you right. You can use briquettes in an emergency,, but it will be like kissing your sister compaired to real natural lump.. Welcome to the cult. We're very glad to have you. Check around and see if a local hardware has the ability to order it. Good luck and keep us posted..

Dave T-berry

tim,[p] Briquettes will work fine. Just make sure that they are
burned to a grey ash before you put on the food. Everyone
is right about them though, the are made of charcoal made
from sawdust, then binders (typically clay or corn products)
are added to hold them together. This is what produces
so much ash (not really ash in a true sense). Also most
brands, including Kingsford, add other stuff to help get
them started, typically coal. These are the reasons you
need to make sure that they are grey before you put your food on. DON'T add unburned briquettes to your fire.[p] If you can get it, lump is the best. I have a ready
source of it so it is all I use. It burns clean and you
can add it to your fire without pre-burning it.[p] Dave T-berry[p]

Unknown

Dave----thanks---and thank you all, for your help----and this leads me to a question

---

could one burn wood in a fire pit and then put it in the egg, shut down and make charcoal? Or is this just another case of picking fleas out of camel dung?[p]Tim

Grumpa

tim,[p]Don't see why that wouldn't work although it would be a lot of trouble for such small amounts. [p]Might be easier to throw dirt on the fire while it's in the pit then dig it out after it has cooled. Come to think of it, you could use the camel dung in place of the dirt which should produce the same results :~)

Teslamania

Dave T-berry,[p]I have never tried briquettes in the Egg, but I do have about 60lbs in my garage, left over from the days that I used the weber kettle. When one reads the posts over at Ray's Forum, in the water smokers, they use briquettes and unburned ones at that (Minion and modified Minion). Granted some prefer Nature Glow (what ever that is) but others use the "K" brand briquettes with great sucess. I have plenty of lump, so do get worried that I would put it in my Egg. I still have it around if and when I need to fire up that old Weber again!

Unknown

tim,[p]There's a frequent contributor to the various forums who uses the handle, "Mark from Hawaii." If I recall correctly, he uses a lot of kiawe (whatever that is) lump. Surely he could help you. Check the whois list and drop him a line. If you don't find him, search for him in the archives or on the other forums.[p]Gerard

db

tim, ccy@inix.com This is Mark's email in Hawaii. I've used Kingsford in my egg and it'll work if you burn a small hot fire. Keep it on the low side of the temperature range
you want to cook in so you won't have to close the vents down to lower your temp.
db[p]

J Appledog

Gerard,
Guava Wood is another Hawaii resident who may be able to help Tim. JCA

Unknown

J Appledog,[p]That name crossed my mind as well but I didn't think there had been a Guava Wood sighting in many many months. In fact, I think I recall folks bemoaning their inability to reach him via email. Hopefully I'm wrong.[p]BTW: Many months ago I asked for suggestions for must-have books. You recommended the "The Barbecue Bible." I never thanked you for the suggestion. It's a heluva book. I have yet to make a single recipe from it but it's definitely a work of love and makes for great bedtime (and bathroom) reading![p]Gerard

DS

Gerard,
check this out?
[ul][li]Guava wood[/ul]

Unknown

DS,[p]I sure missed that. Thanks for the link. I've only got about 20lbs of guava left![p]Gerard