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Lump consumption

Deviledegger
Deviledegger Posts: 271
in Forum Feedback
I know there are endless variables to this question but on an average cook how much lump do you think you use? I'm tying to figure out if I am using more lump than I should/need.
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Comments

  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    What egg, what temp, how long?

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    LBGE- let's say a few burgers *500 for starters.
    Then 60ish minutes for a spatcocked chic at*350ish
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    Separate cooks on that.
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  • Philly35
    Philly35 Posts: 859
    You should get longer burn time than that. What brand are you using?
    NW IOWA
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    edited February 2015
    I have an XL so little different but in a similar cook I would use probably 3 lbs or so.

    I also usually let it burn for an hour before I cook. The high temp burns really eat the lump.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • henapple
    henapple Posts: 16,025
    Depends on the brand....
    Green egg, dead animal and alcohol. The "Boro".. TN 
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    A better way to ask this question might be
    do most people add lump close to the top of the firebox and reuse what's not burned. Or do you usually just add a minimal amount of lump for your specific cook?
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    I refill everytime. I knock the lump around to get all the ash and small chunks out, scrap out the ash and then top off.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    If your temps are what you want then you are using the lump you need.

    Only way to conserve is don't do long clean burns and use the snuffer cap right away when you are done.

    It will take what it takes. If your gasket isn't leaking a lot and your temps don't over shoot you don't have anything to worry about.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • Jeepster47
    Jeepster47 Posts: 3,827
    edited February 2015
    That's a different question than what I thought you were asking.

    I like consistency.  So, for low-n-slows, the lump is piled just short of the bottom of the plate setter.  Can't run out that way.  For other cooks the egg gets filled to the fire bowl-to-fire ring seam.  All left over lump, that doesn't fall through the fire grate, is used as a part of the next fill.

    Washington, IL  >  Queen Creek, AZ ... Two large eggs and an adopted Mini Max

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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    Pretty much what I thought. I just wanted to check in on that one. Sometimes I feel like I'm burning through the lump other times I feel like I'm being pretty conservative. I know I've gone over thirty hours on lowand slow. The last 3 hours I just opened the vents and it stayed up around*300 for a bit.
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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 21,672
    I always fill to the bottom of my Woo. I have never filled only to the seam. In the XL the seam feels like almost empty.

    I would rather light a candle than curse your darkness.

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  • SaskNortherner
    SaskNortherner Posts: 96
    I know in the winter I use a lot more lump. Right now it is - 30 C here with 75% humidity. I did a batch of ribs yesterday, fired the egg at 7 a.m. to let it warm up and then cooked my ribs for 5 hours. By the time I took them off I had used almost all the lump( about three ice cream pails ). My dampers were open about twice as far as they needed to be. In the summer I would have been able to cook a second time as well. At these temps and humidity it makes it harder to light as well. I opened a beer when I foiled my ribs and set it beside my Egg, when I went back 1/2 an hour later to drink the rest it had frozen.
    LBGE,Mini Max,Stoker Meadow Lake Sask.
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    @SaskNortherner this is a good point. I'm in Vermont and it's been really pretty cold for about a month or more. It could be why I feel I'm using more lump right now. I did a simple quick cook the other day and used must if a 8# bag.
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  • Fred19Flintstone
    Fred19Flintstone Posts: 8,174
    I know some guys like to have everything calculated out, but IMHO, if I was worried about lump consumption, then I shouldn't have bought an egg. If you can afford an egg, you can afford the lump, the accessories (toys), the meat....etc. It's like buying a Porsche and worrying about the gas mileage. My advice is to sit back, crack a cold one and enjoy the ride.
    Flint, Michigan
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  • theyolksonyou
    theyolksonyou Posts: 18,459
    Fred19Flintstone said:

    My advice is to sit back, crack a cold one and enjoy the ride.

    This. Sometimes we get caught up in analytics, me included. Filler up and cook, filler up again.
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    Done and done!
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,583
    if you want to burn less then opt for more direct cooking. platesetters and indirect setups reflect more heat down into the base and just burn more lump. its incredible how little lump gets burned on a raised grid low and slow direct rib or butt cook
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • jcaspary
    jcaspary Posts: 1,479
    Fred19Flintstone said:

    I know some guys like to have everything calculated out, but IMHO, if I was worried about lump consumption, then I shouldn't have bought an egg. If you can afford an egg, you can afford the lump, the accessories (toys), the meat....etc. It's like buying a Porsche and worrying about the gas mileage. My advice is to sit back, crack a cold one and enjoy the ride.

    Agreed...if I need to buy a little extra lump to put smiles on peoples' faces then a little extra lump it is.  When I buy anything big I factor in the cost of maintenance, upkeep, and use.  If I buy it I know going into it what it would take to own it.  No point in complaining about a couple extra bucks a month when I'm putting good food on the table that everyone enjoys.
    XL BGE, LG BGE, and a hunger to grill everything in sight!!!
    Joe- Strongsville, OH
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    I have no problem burning or buying lump. I'm not trying too be cheap. Just feel like I've burned a lot in some small cooks lately. I have gone 30+ hrs. On one load of lump. That impressed me. It's all in what your cooking out sounds.
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  • jaydub58
    jaydub58 Posts: 2,167
    Speaking of lump in general, I am impressed by all the eggers who say Rockwood is the big dog.
    I'm getting very low on Royal Oak so I called Firecraft and ordered 100 lbs.
    Cool, free shipping all the way out here.
    Sounds great.
    John in the Willamette Valley of Oregon
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  • Ladeback69
    Ladeback69 Posts: 4,484
    jaydub58 said:

    Speaking of lump in general, I am impressed by all the eggers who say Rockwood is the big dog.

    I'm getting very low on Royal Oak so I called Firecraft and ordered 100 lbs.
    Cool, free shipping all the way out here.
    Sounds great.

    Rockwood is all I use now, but I can get it form my dealer who is on 3 miles away from me.  Just like any other cooking vessel, if its cold and wet outside its going to take more fuel to keep it going.  I don't really worry about how much I use, I always have an extra bag or so on hand.  When I get down to a half bag I buy another one or two.  High long cooks of course like pizza will eat it up too.  I like lump better then propane,  because I can see how much is left before I run out.  I don't miss that stuff at all. 

    XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

    Kansas City, Mo.
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  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    10% of a full load.
    Dave - Austin, TX
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  • Deviledegger
    Deviledegger Posts: 271
    @Terrebandit - i like how you answered that. That is exactly what I was looking for. I fill mine up around 75% every time and I think I could do less. Of course I do have leftover lump. I probably load it up that much because I know how it's going to burn.
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