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First Time I've Run Out of Lump in the Large (questiosn at the end)

a stick
a stick Posts: 69
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I smoked two briskets for a family gathering on the 24th. Briskets were both 13 lbs untrimmed, 11 lbs a piece after I trimmed off some fat.[p]I removed my firebox and scooped/vacuumed all ashes. Filled the egg with Cowboy lump and a mix of soaked oak, hickory and apple chunks. It was -2 degrees in KC at 11 pm on 12/23 when I lit the egg. 15 minutes later, expecting a temp of 250, egg was at +700. Immediately closed the dampers. Cracked dampers when egg was at 230 ten minutes later. Briskets on a midnight, temp 230. [p]At 7 am, temp was 230. At 9am, egg temp was 180, outside temp was around 2 above zero. Removed the two briskets and plate setter - nothing but ash dust in the firebox. So I filled a charcoal chimney with lump and lit it, dumped in some lump, and put the contents back in the egg to stay warm. 15 minutes later I removed everything again when the lump was lit and dumped it in on top of unlit lump.[p]I had to do this all again at 3pm, brisket off at 4:30 when internal temp reached 180. Daytime temp in my part of Kansas City was never above 15 degrees. Meat turned out great, moist with great smoke flavor.[p]Now - why did I run out of charcoal? I've done longer cooks (up to 24 hours) and never refilled. Was it due to 1) the initial spike up to 700 degrees (but does not explain need to refill a 2nd time), 2) cold outside temperature, or 3) just one of those things eventually bound to happen?[p]astick

Comments

  • astick,
    Is this the first overnighter in sub-zero weather? Outside temp does make a difference, even in the egg.
    TNW

    The Naked Whiz
  • The Naked Whiz,[p]Nahh...I've done plenty of overnighters in sub-zero temps..sometimes I wonder what the heck I'm doing living up here...(hmmm...somewhere in my past ..dooo..dooo..dooo..dooo..doooo.doo...dooo.dooo Stump..goes dizzy and pale..his giant cranium swaying back and forth..his eyes gloss over...<the sound of Captain and Teneils Muskrat Love song starts playing in the background> slowly..ever so lightly above the music.. a fuzzy little young missus stump is heard saying..."oh I love the seasons in new england. isn't it sooo beutiful?"..Stump hears hisself replying.."Yes...yes..it is hunny..it sure is!" .at this point..the record player is bumped..the record screams out as the needle scratches its way across the surface of the record...Stumps giant cranium shakes...the color in his face returns..his glossy eyes are gone...he shudders...a thought comes running through his mind..."Oh it's beautiful alright..like a pair of blue wrinkled turtle heads stuck somewhere tween your insides and your outsides.[p]Does she shovel Stump?
    No poppa..but she can sing from her diaphram.
    Git yourself a shovel Stump..git yourself a shovel.[p]
    Personally...I think your problem is Cowboy Lump...but remember...I'm a Stump...[p]
    Ahh..the life of a Stump....[p]StumpBaby[p]

  • burntimebyvolume.gif
    <p />StumpBaby,
    Dang, I missed the Cowboy part. I modify my question to read, "Is this the first sub-zero over nighter with Cowboy?" Cowboy is most un-dense. As you can see, it is the worst for burn time per unit volume of charcoal.[p]TNW

    The Naked Whiz
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,664
    astick,
    i agree w/ stumpbaby, its that cowboy lump. i just did a 2 butt cook for 20 hours at 230 and then threw some beans on for an additionl 8 hours at about 275 and there was still some lump left. granted it was wicked good lump which burns a long time,but i dont see much of a difference in burn times

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • MickeyT
    MickeyT Posts: 607
    Hey Whiz,[p]Are you telling me that Kinsford "Charcoal" cooks longer per unit than Comboy?????[p]My day is ruined.[p]MT
  • StumpBaby, "pair of blue wrinkled turtle heads...", you beat all Stump, you just beat all, you know that!

  • MickeyT,
    Yep, sorry. But heck like I say, Cowboy is most un-dense. Kingsford is semi-dense. Compare it to Kamado coconut, though. That's because coconut is all burnable, and Kingsford is probably only 50% burnable? When I ran that test, I started out burning 6 pounds of whatever. Then I tried to fit 6 pounds of Cowboy into a small Egg and it couldn't be done. I had to add the rest halfway through the burn.
    TNW

    The Naked Whiz
  • Sundown
    Sundown Posts: 2,980
    astick,[p]I would question two things: Cowboy Lump - already been addressed. Using the chimmney to start the lump. I've always been led to believe you start along slow cook by starting your fire with a start cube or two smack in the middle on top of the lump (I dig a little hole) The fire then has to 'work' to burn downward. It will creep outward slowly too. Maybe too much too quick? MHO
  • wdan
    wdan Posts: 261
    astick,
    I also concur with the Cowboy foibles via personal experience. But I also did a little quick cipherin' and unless I did something wrong, it looks like heat should transfer out of the Egg about 44% faster in zero degree weather than when it's 70. So you can also help solve your problem by moving further south!