Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Newbie ???.......do you sort your charcoal.........

GenesGrill
GenesGrill Posts: 308
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
before putting it in the firebox??? For my first few cooks I have just dumped the lump directly out of the bag into the firebox. However, I wind up with several smaller pieces which help clog up my grate/fire box holes then or later when they burn a little. What is an easy way (or is there one/) to presort the lump before putting it in???? Thanks for any advice!!

Comments

  • BlueSmoke
    BlueSmoke Posts: 1,678
    GenesGrill,
    I keep my lump in a Rubbermaid (or similar) container. I fill the firebox by grabbing handsful of the biggest lump and putting it in first, then pouring the smaller lumps in to bring it up to about the level of the top of the firebox.[p]Ken

  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    GenesGrill,
    I certainly don`t sort my lump...FWIW[p]Wess

  • GenesGrill,
    I just dump except for (1) a low and slow and (2) when I get close to the bottom of the bag.
    Paul

  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    GenesGrill,
    i stir and pour some in, stir and then fill. occassionally i will burn it all out with a final cook and start over. i dont sort lump

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • GenesGrill
    GenesGrill Posts: 308
    BlueSmoke,
    I remember seeing somewhere (on this site I believe) where the guy had a large rubbermaid type contained with a raised floor in it which had holes which allow the small pieces/dust fall throughto the bottom to help sort the charcoal....

  • Dos Huevos
    Dos Huevos Posts: 368
    WessB,[p]Sort it? Only if you call cutting the top off of an 11 pound bag and dumping it in sorting. [p]I sort a little once that load cooks a couple of times just to shake out the air chokers, but that's really it. [p]HTH
  • GenesGrill
    GenesGrill Posts: 308
    Dos Huevos,
    Todd....you probably already know this, but there is actually a city named Two Egg is the panhandle of Florida....been through it...very small...close to Marianna, FL.......

  • egret
    egret Posts: 4,168
    GenesGrill,
    I echo what Paul said below. The only time I don't pour, or grab handfuls out of the bag, is on a long cook where you want to be more careful about 'building' the charcoal so your grate and firebox holes are not blocked. And, don't pour near the end of the bag or you'll get a lot of dust in your cooker which creates quite a fireworks display.......

  • GenesGrill
    GenesGrill Posts: 308
    egret,
    John....forgot to tell you earlier, but I bought my prime rib from a meat market down in your neck of the woods this past weekend.....Bitter Creek meat market between Blairsville and Young Harris (closer to Young Harris). There are a little pricey, but nice meats!!!

  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    Essex County,
    ditto here.[p]the only other thing i do is double check the small pieces when i'm stirring the ash from a previous cook.

    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Clay Q
    Clay Q Posts: 4,486
    GenesGrill,
    I make an effort to sort. I haven't had any problems with long low-n-slow cooks with large, medium then small lump building in the firebox. On Tuesday I did a 10 hour cook for pulled beef and the egg locked in with temp all the way because I had a good fire with good air flow using good lump. Taking the short time to build a good fire can make a big difference in how your fire will burn for extended low temp cooks. I'm going to take some pic's of my fire building and post them here in the near future.
    Clay Cooker

  • WooDoggies
    WooDoggies Posts: 2,390
    GenesGrill,[p]I just dump and light for all cooks.... except when I get to the bottom of the bag where I will seperate the lump from the dust. The dust goes in the compost pile.[p]john

  • Pick
    Pick Posts: 36
    GenesGrill,
    I just dump the lump, however for the last few weeks I've been planning my College Grad. Party, I'm going to do 4 butts on a low and slow so I have been pulling out the large and longer pieces and setting it aside in prep. of having good size lump for a 16 hour cook, I do like the rubbermaid storage idea someone was talking about, Later Jason

  • Dimple's Mom
    Dimple's Mom Posts: 1,740
    WooDoggies,[p]What do you guys consider too small to use? My most recent bag of BGE seems to have a rather high percentage of very small pieces and almost the entire bottom third of the bag looks useless to me. [p]Gwen
  • MasterMason
    MasterMason Posts: 243
    Pick,[p]I have 3 big tubs, the large one holds about 40 lbs of Lump, and the 2 smaller ones hold my smoking woods and things like gloves and other small needed items. Works great for me. Every 100 lbs or so, I pour the dust out of the lump bucket.[p]Some posted some nice lids for 5 gallon buckets here not that long ago as well that would work great.
  • WooDoggies
    WooDoggies Posts: 2,390
    dimplesmom,[p]That's a good question... when I have a lot of small stuff I will set it aside in a separate container and add a little at a time on top of the regular lump inside the firebox. That way hardly any is wasted.
    Too small would be nickel-sized or smaller... hope that helps[p]john

  • randomegger
    randomegger Posts: 194
    GenesGrill,[p]Yes, alphabetically.[p]RE