Adding wood.

KenfromMI · May 2015

When and how is your method of adding wood while doing an indirect L&S? I seem to have trouble burning off the VOC's at the low temperature and have to overshoot, choke down, add wood, plate setter, fire bricks, grate etc etc and then its a huge heat sink adding the cold pieces and meat. Do you just add the wood while burning off the VOC's with everything assembled? Do you add the wood in with some charcoal in a chimney? Looking for some tips and tricks.

Foghorn · May 2015

I think most of us just mix wood into our lump when we add lump.

gdenby · May 2015

Load the lump. Add whatever wood you like. Chunks are somewhat better than chips. Neither need to be soaked. Some people mix all thru the lump, I usually put it in a depression in the center.

Light. I start in 3 places, just enough to be sure the lump is glowing. Then I add the rest of the gear. Bottom vent wide open, daisy off. Wait about 10 min, and check the dome temp. When it reaches 200, I put the daisy on, holes no more than half open, bottom vent down to no more than 1/4". Wait for the smoke to become wispy.

Add food, check back in 45 min, and adjust vents as needed.

Grillin_beers · May 2015

I saw a diagram one time for adding wood for a low and slow. It might have been on @BigGreenCraig's blog. Basically you want to add the lump throughout and light how you normally would. I'm kind of lazy when it isn't a big occasion so I normally just throw in 4-5 fist sized chunks in and let it do its thing.

KenfromMI · May 2015

Ive tried several different lumps so far (currently using Rockwood) and it just seems to take forever to start smelling good at low temperatures before adding food. Ive been giving at an hour.

gdenby · May 2015

An hour is kind of long. If my Eggs have been sitting uncovered in a lot of rain, sometimes that slows down the process. All the moisture in the ceramic has to be driven off too.

How are you lighting the lump? I've settled on using a small weed burner w. propane or MAP Pro gas. My recollection is that it used to take much longer when I used starter cubes. Another plus of the burner is that if I'm pressed for time, and want to cook at higher heat, it only takes about 6 minutes to light the whole top of the lump.

Also, If you are adding a platesetter later, that changes the air flow some, and the fire can be partially damped.

KenfromMI · May 2015

Ive been using the BGE starters since they gave me a few boxes when I bought mine. I usually use 2 spaced apart. Yesterday was the first day I tried adding the plate setter part way through the process which I won't do again. I'm thinking of just switching to a charcoal chimney like I do with my WSM.

KenfromMI · May 2015

Are you saying you use a propane torch like for sweating pipes?

gdenby · May 2015

Not quite, although those work in a pinch if they can be held upside down. I use one like this. But mine is a Berzomatic that can use either propane or MAP. The long tube keeps my hands away from the heat, and the tip is broader for more coverage.

stlcharcoal · May 2015

What do you mean when you say you're trying to get it "to start smelling good"? Charcoal is always going to smell like charcoal no matter how long you let it burn.

As far as the white smoke, try a different method of lighting it. It sounds like the fire is slowly moving it's way around, lighting new charcoal as it goes. If you use less charcoal and light it evenly through the entire firebox, you're going to get rid of the smoke sooner. But if you're doing a low & slow, you're looking for smoke anyway right?? Unless you're doing fish or poultry, the little bit of smoke that can be produced by our charcoal is going to be barely noticeable--even then, it's oak, hickory, maple, cherry, etc. No walnut or anything else in there that's going to be distinct or bitter. I'll throw a chunk or two of apple on top, then let it do it's thing. Any smoke wood has the same "VOC's" in it.

Ladeback69 · May 2015

I light my XL with I believe the same starter sticks you are using. I first brake on in half then again and light the lump in 2 places. After 8 to 10 minutes coals are going, I add my wood I want to use and if I don't want to wait for it to get to temp on its own I use a hair dryer or or my leaf blower. It's faster and kind of fun to do. Just be careful where the sparks go. After about a few minutes of this I put the plate setter in for a low & slow and wait for it to stabilize. This all takes about 30 minutes or so, maybe a few more. When the smoke changes for the white to a light blue tint I put the meat on.

DaveRichardson · May 2015

I build my lump charcoal from the bottom up, mixing in smoke woods in the pile.

For Low and slows, I will only light in one place with EVOO soaked paper towels. Open lower vent and dome open for 10 minutes, then closed dome and no DFMT with slight cranking down on lower vent until getting close to cook temp. Then DFMT goes on and bottom vent is set to final setting. If you get some of the smoke wood that lights in the process, then you have go do the hand test. Hold your hand in the smoke coming out the top for a few seconds. Smell it, if it smells good, them its good. If its acrid still, let it run a bit longer.

Typical start-up time is about 30 minutes for most of my cooks using this method.

I'm a Rockwood (thanks @STLCharcoal) and new to Carbon Del Sur. Both are very neutral in my mind.

lkapigian · May 2015

Low And Slow I always start with a Clean Egg, Firebox removed and all--- load with fresh lump and wood chunks buried within- I use a chimney starter- and I am ready to rock and roll the overwhelming majority of the time in 30 minutes--I do start with a full chimney and leave a hole in the lump that's in the Egg and fill the hole with the lit chimney wood- stir slightly --IMHO that heat vaporizes the VOCS in the lump that is in the egg rather quick--never an issue "waiting for clean smoke"

stlcharcoal · May 2015

The other thing that could be causing a sour smoke is grease. If you haven't done a clean burn in a while, that grease is going to smolder for a while. I always clean burn mine at the end of a greasy cook, just so I'm setting my for an issue on the next cook. It only takes 5 minutes or so at 700F+ for it to burn clear smoke after making brats.

KenfromMI · May 2015

Stcharcoal, I know charcoal smells like charcoal. I'm just talking about the initial light up. I don't have that problem with the Kingsford Competition Briquettes I use in my WSM just when using lump. This Rockwood I have been using is better than the few ones I tried before it. Maybe I'm overthinking it. It was when I first bought the egg and did my first cook I didn't even know what VOC's were and I wrecked my shish kebabs, they tasted like chemicals. Now I'm probably being too paranoid the other way. LOL

EggHead_Bubba · May 2015

This whole thing about lighting fresh lump and waiting for it to smell good and burn off the VOCs just confuses me. Suppose I'm going to do a low & slow cook and I've loaded up the firebox to just even with the fire ring. I light it in one place and let it come up to 225°. Smoke seems to smell okay so I put the meat on. Question that comes to my mind is that the fire is moving away from the original lighting spot so isn't it burning VOCs until which time the entire load of lump is lit and has burned for a time? If that's the case then I'm burning VOCs for the first several hours of my cook.

Ladeback69 · May 2015

KenfromMI said:

Stcharcoal, I know charcoal smells like charcoal. I'm just talking about the initial light up. I don't have that problem with the Kingsford Competition Briquettes I use in my WSM just when using lump. This Rockwood I have been using is better than the few ones I tried before it. Maybe I'm overthinking it. It was when I first bought the egg and did my first cook I didn't even know what VOC's were and I wrecked my shish kebabs, they tasted like chemicals. Now I'm probably being too paranoid the other way. LOL

Chemical? You aren't using lighter fluid I hope. What is your temp you use to do low & slows. At 225 for 15 minutes it should burn up most of the VOC's. How long are you waiting after adding the wood for flavor? By adding the wood you want for flavor during the start up of getting the fire going may help with burning the VOC's off. Load it, add wood, light it and wait about 10 minutes. If it is going good and it should be smoking good by now, add the plate setter. I leave both my vents wide open tell it gets to about 180 to 200 then I start closing the vents down to about a 1/8" to 1/4" for low & slow. When it gets to 225 or the temp you want give it another 15 minutes and it should clear up. If it doesn't give it a few more minutes. The meat will drop the temp a little, but it should make it smoke by dropping the temp. Now if you don't have a dip pan and are doing pork putt or brisket the drippings are going to get in the lump and that will create some smoke too, but I like that and the taste doesn't bother me that much.

EggHead_Bubba · May 2015

@Ladeback69... lighting the lump and leaving the vents wide open until it hits 180° or so and then closing the vents down to slow the temp rise to hit the target kinda chokes off the fire a bit and produces smoke. The question in my mind has always been, is that dirty smoke or not? It seems to smell okay to me but maybe not.

Ladeback69 · May 2015

EggHead_Bubba said:

@Ladeback69... lighting the lump and leaving the vents wide open until it hits 180° or so and then closing the vents down to slow the temp rise to hit the target kinda chokes off the fire a bit and produces smoke. The question in my mind has always been, is that dirty smoke or not? It seems to smell okay to me but maybe not.

Not sure if it is dirty smoke, but I agree it smells ok to me when I do this. I have waited sometimes longer then 15 minutes, I was just giving it as a guide. Now some people's are more sensitive to the smoke taste, but I am not and have not had any trouble doing it this way. Now sometimes getting it to 225 has taken a little like what happened to me this Sunday when I was smoking some baked beans for a big dinner party we were having before I cooked sliders. The Egg was taking forever and it may have been because I dumped what was left in the bottom of the bag in. I went and got my leaf blower to get it going and it helped move it along. I set like I said above and it seemed to have cleared so I put the beans on a 215 or so. It finally settled at 250 for 5 hours. Beans had a nice light smoke flavor of maple and pecan.

KenfromMI · May 2015

I never use lighter fluid, maybe I'm overthinking it. LOL

stlcharcoal · May 2015

You're throwing me off when you're saying "bad smell" and "chemical". That shouldn't be coming from our charcoal (or anybody's charcoal for that matter).

Lump charcoal is just burned wood. These phantom VOC's everyone talks about are just the remaining wood burning off. Ours is just the r of oak, hickory, maple, etc. It's not mesquite or anything else strong. So if you burn them off, then throw a chunk of hickory on there, what's the point of burning them off????

Do a clean burn then see what happens. I can only imagine you have some grease or something else going on in there.

EggHead_Bubba · May 2015

@stlcharcoal... that's great to know. I used to not worry about waiting to put meat on until I'd hit the stable cook temp for 30-45 minutes since I was thinking I was burning off VOCs. With what you've said, I think I'll put the meat on when I reach a stable temp and not wait the extra time. I'm others will disagree but I believe you know what you're talking about.

Theophan · May 2015

stlcharcoal said:

... Lump charcoal is just burned wood. These phantom VOC's everyone talks about are just the remaining wood burning off.

If I load nothing but fresh Big Green Egg lump charcoal into my Eggs and light a fire, I'll get thick white smoke for a while, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, sometimes a little longer. NO wood in the Egg at all. After that time, at the same dome temperature, same lump, there's either no smoke or just barely perceptible blue smoke. If I don't use it all, and light it another day, no thick white smoke.

My experience matches what most people say about this, that there are volatile organic compounds in the fresh lump charcoal that burn off at relatively low temperatures, and then are gone until the next time fresh lump is added.

Maybe something is different for you, maybe your charcoal is different or something. But for me, anyway, my own experience matches what so many people say about VOCs, and I try to let the thick white smoke burn off before adding the meat.

Theo

KenfromMI · May 2015

@Theopan, thats exactly what I used when my egg was new since it was free from where I purchased it. That BGE charcoal smoked and smelled terrible for a while until it heated up. I then read all the articles about VOC's on here. I never worried about it in my WSM and always do the Minion method with no bad tastes using briquettes. I'll just throw my food on sooner next time with my Rockwood and see if it makes a difference or not.

Ladeback69 · May 2015

@Theopan and @KenfromMI, BGE lump is basically Royal Oak that you can usually get at Home Depot for about $13 to $15 for a 20 lb bag. If you like it, try Royal Oak. It's a lot cheaper. The Rockwood that @stlcharcoal sells doesn't seem to smoke as much and what does seems to burn off faster. I agree with him if you have done a long greasy cook like a pork butt you may have some fat in the lump and it will smoke more when you relight it. That doesn't seem to bother me much, because I am usually doing a hotter cook like up to 400 or more after it and it takes care of that. Give it a test and see what happens. I have put meat on when there is still a little white smoke and have had no complaints about the food tasting bad. No if doing pizza, make sure it is burning mostly clear before you put the pizza on and make sure the pizza stone is nice and hot.

stlcharcoal · May 2015

@Theopan @KenfromMI

I know exactly what you guys are talking about, and it's just the remaining wood in the charcoal.

The problem is that this forum has adopted the term "VOC" and it scares people into thinking it's some radioactive chemical or something that develops in all natural lump charcoal. There are "VOCs" in nearly EVERYTHING......plastics, paint, food, and of course, wood. If you burn raw wood, you're going to get a ton of them; seasoned wood, much less; and properly carbonized lump charcoal, the least. So this practice of burning off the wood just to add wood is kind of silly, at least when it comes to good charcoal made with the same woods you smoke with.

I'm not really a smoke guy, so I always wait until it burns clear before grilling......but I usually grill at 500F+, so they're gone by then anyway. When I do smoke, I throw the wood chunks on top on top of the lump and let it rip. The are not any "bad smells" or anything that's going to come out of a good lump.

Now I have experienced some bad smells coming from charcoal--and it's ones using woods that you wouldn't smoke with. Typically these are woods not native to the US and are from the walnut/cashew family.....bitter smoke. I've also experienced bad smells from good lump--but it's usually because there's grease all over the lump or egg, and that's what's burning.

Jeepster47 · May 2015

@stlcharcoal ... thanks for the comment on walnut giving off a less than desirable smoke. Others have hinted at the same thing. Then I found an online listing for black walnut smoking wood and questioned what I had heard.

stlcharcoal · May 2015

Jeepster47 said:

@stlcharcoal ... thanks for the comment on walnut giving off a less than desirable smoke. Others have hinted at the same thing. Then I found an online listing for black walnut smoking wood and questioned what I had heard.

Here's a good place to bookmark on smoke wood usage:

https://grillinfools.com/blog/2009/04/01/smoke-wood-what-kind-is-best-well-it-depends/

Ladeback69 · May 2015

Jeepster47 said:

@stlcharcoal ... thanks for the comment on walnut giving off a less than desirable smoke. Others have hinted at the same thing. Then I found an online listing for black walnut smoking wood and questioned what I had heard.

I've been told the only walnut you should use to smoke with is black walnut. Apparently it isn't as bitter. I don't care much for mesquite and I don't use much hickory either. Sometimes those 2 can overpower food to me.

Jeepster47 · May 2015

Hmmm ... well ... maybe I'll plan on taking down that dead branch from the neighbor's black walnut tree and giving it a try. Maybe I can talk @RRP into trying it out. That's probably the best idea.

RRP · May 2015

Jeepster47 said:

Hmmm ... well ... maybe I'll plan on taking down that dead branch from the neighbor's black walnut tree and giving it a try. Maybe I can talk @RRP into trying it out. That's probably the best idea.

cough cough cough - why am I being brought in to this? - it's your neighbor's tree and besides I don't climb trees anymore!

Adding wood.

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