BGE Lump

billex

Is it true that the BGE lump charcole smells and smokes like hickory, if so, does that mean you don't need to add hickory wood to the fire unless you want a LOT of smoke??????

The Naked Whiz

billex,
Fresh lump of any brand will add some smokiness to the flavor. Lump left over from previous fires will have less smokiness. You should try cooking with fresh lump and then try with adding some wood chunks/chips to see how you like it. The amount of smoke flavor that various people like is definitely variable.[p]TNW

jwitheld

billex,
BGE lump is made from "hicory and other hardwoods". I doubt that each bag is the same in the mix. Ive noticed in my most recent bag the lump is larger than my previous 2 bags, this one is all fist or larger.
The lump does impart some smoke flavor (fresh lump),reused lump does not impart as much.
Generaly when smoking i add 3 or four fist sized chunks (dry) into the lump at the point where the lump has been ignited.[/b]

Unknown

billex, I too am curious about this and never asked. [p]If the lump I am using is made out of hickory or oak or whatever, why should I have to add wood chips of the same source wood to it? Seems to be defeating the purpose...[p]And on a similar note, can anyone actually taste a difference in smoking chips that were made from oaken kegs? I ask because I have gone through the stages of using generic oak chips to Jack Daniel’s chips to Tabasco oak chips and then back to generic. The smell of the Tabasco oak chips was simply incredible but I couldn’t taste a difference. Has anyone else experienced this? Am i better off buying generic oak?[p]And lastly, I too attended Egg-Fest this last weekend. It wasn’t that big one that everyone else on the board went to back East, it was just me and a select few members of my immediate family (my two kids) in the back yard. Needless to say, a great time was had by all. Already plans are in the works for next year and we are expecting an even greater turn out. This years would have been even larger if the wife hadn’t been glued to the set watching music videos...[p]Matt.

The Naked Whiz

South O,
You won't get nearly the amount of smoke flavor from the lump, and of course, you won't get the kind of smoke you want. For example, Alder goes great with fish. I've yet to find Alder lump. [p]TNW

The Naked Whiz

South O,
I guess I'd also add the comment that we see posted here so often, "try it"! Try cooking something with the smoking chunks. A bag will only cost you $5. See if you like it better with or without the use of smoking woods. That's one of the fun things about all of this. We get to experiment and share results.[p]TNW

JR

billex,[p]The type of wood (hickory, sugar maple, mesquite, oak, etc) that the lump is made from does not impart any particular "flavor"---just pure heat. During the charcoal making process, the "smoke flavor" is cooked off and you are left with a hot burning, neutral smoking coal. With that said, the different woods have different properties and densities which make the cooking experience different. So- yes you should add chips, chunks or sawdust to your lump for wood smoke flavor![p]Rambling Man signing off...