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lump charcoal

g37
g37 Posts: 450
Hi, guys I'm a newbie from Hawaii. Great forum alot of useful information.

I got a quick question. Bought my large egg a month ago. That month I cooked twice a week on my egg for the entire month. I used the entire 20lbs bag of bge lump. Is that normal? I'm i using to much lump?
Ewa Beach, Hawaii

Comments

  • DaveRichardson
    DaveRichardson Posts: 2,324
    Depends on what you were cooking @g37.  Size of egg matters, too.  2x a week for 4 weeks, sounds pretty normal to me.  

    I've been cooking 2-3 times a week doing simple cooks like chicken breasts, burgers, hot dogs for my kids since school is out and I've about burned thru that much as well.

    LBGE since 2014

    Griffin, GA 

  • ChillyWillis
    ChillyWillis Posts: 893
    Nope, that sounds about right. Bear in mind that your egg will burn through lump much more quickly for high temp cooks. Anytime you're over 400 you'll be using a decent amount of lump. Also the better your lump is the longer it burns (usually). I've never used BGE lump but I've heard it's essentially the same thing as Royal Oak which burns very quickly in my experience.
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,528
    Lump use is based on temps and time, obviously. If you fire up the egg to sear steaks every night, you should buy lump by the pallet. If you are doing low and slows or reverse sears where the sear is done with a torch or CI pan on a side burner, your lump will last a long, long time. 

    First time I tried the wok on an egg, I used 1/2 of an 8 pound bag and it was pretty much gone after a 5 to 8 minute stir fry. The egg is not the best tool to stir fry with, unless you have a very cheap source for lump. 

    After a cook, let the egg get to at least 400º and hold it for 10 minutes or so, then snuff it. Very efficient use of fuel. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • DaveRichardson
    DaveRichardson Posts: 2,324
    +1 on RO burning quickly.... In 5 months of egging, I've burned thru about 8 bags, but that's cooking 3-4 times most weeks and a couple of low and slows in the process.

    LBGE since 2014

    Griffin, GA 

  • g37
    g37 Posts: 450
    Thanks, for all the great advice and great answers. I bought wicked good beginning of this month. I think I'm sticking with this brand. Bigger chunks of wood and less ash.
    Ewa Beach, Hawaii
  • ChillyWillis
    ChillyWillis Posts: 893
    Wicked good weekend warrior is my favorite brand of lump I've used so far, although I'm guessing that'll be changing soon with the lump delivery I got in this afternoon.

    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1169087/i-should-be-good-on-lump-for-a-while#latest
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,882
    @ChillyWillis-I would be interested in your comparison of Rockwood with WGWW-very similar burn characteristics to me-although WG usually has larger pieces.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
  • @lousubcap‌ after putting the Rockwood through its paces I agree with your thoughts above. It is very similar to WGWW and I'd even say that it burns cleaner than WGWW which I found shocking because up until I tried Rockwood WGWW was the cleanest flavor profile I'd tasted from lump. I'm cooking a boston butt with Rockwood tonight and I'm excited to see how it goes, WGWW was my go to lump for slow and lows.
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,882
    @ChillyWillis-thanks for the feedback-appreciate your insights.  Have a great BGE weekend!
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.