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    Leftover lump usage

    Posts: 119
    in EggHead Forum
    Mornin all,

    i like to start my cooks with a vacuumed egg and new lump.....so I have lump left over of various sizes.......I generally give the hi-q grate a good shake to remove as much ash as possible.....then I take the pieces not through the grate and state them in a trash bag for future use for quick cooks not requiring a full firebox for extended cooking.....I was wondering how others handled unused lump?

    on another level, I just opened my next to last bag of OO......made me kinda sad.......have  1 bag of Fogo (which I have used before) and 4-5 bags of  Rockwood which I have never used before....so I guess I'm good for awhile, but will have to start the search for a good backup lump for the Rockwood.......any ideas?

    thanks guys...
    Berlin, Maryland
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    Comments

    • Posts: 1,691
      I clean out the XL every couple of cooks, but leave the used lump in it- just add fresh. I have no issue with RO. Use it all the time.
      XLBGE, Small BGE, Homebrew and Guitars
      Rochester, NY
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    • Posts: 456
      I always mix new into old, and I've never had any issues. About once a month I do a burn off and start fresh.
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    • Posts: 1,750
      rsterman said:
      Mornin all,

      i like to start my cooks with a vacuumed egg and new lump.....

      Why?  I mix new with old. 
      Dave - Austin, TX
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    • Posts: 212
      Mix old and new.
      Danville, Il
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    • Posts: 2,657
      Stir to shake the ash, dump more lump if needed, light the thing, and scoop oit ash if needed from the lower vent

      i never vac it clean, especially not every time. Maybe once a season i'll pull the guys out and clean the piles behind the holes in the firebox
      [social media disclaimer: irony and sarcasm may be used in some or all of user's posts; emoticon usage is intended to indicate moderately jocular social interaction; the comments toward users, their usernames, and the real people (living or dead) that they refer to are not intended to be adversarial in nature; those replying to this user are entering into a tacit agreement that they are real-life or social-media acquaintances and/or have agreed to or tacitly agreed to perpetrate occasional good-natured ribbing between and among themselves and others]

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    • Posts: 1,648
      I am not a fan of the new grates as the holes seem pretty big meaning that the small pieces would fall through before they are done.  I have a 2010 XL and the grate holes are about 3/8-1/2inch. I did burgers last night and just piled up what was already in there on top of a single paper towel soaked in bacon grease from the BLT's we had for lunch.   Then I added just a bit more for good measure and had some WONDERFUL burgers - FYI, yesterday was National Hamburger Day (didn't know that until this morning)...

      My wife had been fixing the burgers with some seasoning and a bit of EVOO. I just used my favorite pepper blend and a bit of ... you guessed it ... BACON GREASE.   They were Great burgers!!! (unfortunately we used the last of the bacon at lunch). 
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    • Posts: 3,567
      Mix old and new. Occasionally when I get too many small pieces preventing airflow, I'll clean them out and start fresh. 

      You might be wasting a lot of good lump with your practice. 

      Reading the posts of those that use a KAB, it seems they get maximum usage from old lump. 
      Steven
      Mini Max with Woo stone combo, LBGE, iGrill 2, Plate Setter, 
      two cotton pot holders to handle PS
      Banner, Wyoming
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    • Posts: 14,831
      Darby_Crenshaw said:
      Stir to shake the ash, dump more lump if needed, light the thing, and scoop oit ash if needed from the lower vent

      i never vac it clean, especially not every time. Maybe once a season i'll pull the guys out and clean the piles behind the holes in the firebox
      This. Except once a season is too much. :)

      rsterman, you're making way too much work for yourself.

      I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

      Michael 
      Central Connecticut 

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    • Posts: 501
      I stir, dump the new on top of the old, and throw some of the smaller pieces that fell through the high que back on top. 
      Augusta, GA
      #BGETEAMGREEN member
      MiniMax, Large, XL BGE
      Featured on Man Fire Food Season 7
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    • Posts: 34,670
      Don't know your BGE size but here's a great way to "recycle" lump:  I have a LBGE and SBGE-I always restock the SBGE with left-over lump from a LBGE cook then restock the LBGE.  
      Prior to the second BGE buy, I would save the small pieces and use them to top off the lump load for a cook.  It all burns and given you have a High-Que grate then don't worry about any air-flow issues.  Fire and forget...
      Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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    • Posts: 18,459
      Those pieces that fall thru will burn in the bottom. Just look thru the bottom vent when you've been cooking a while. Trashing them is a waste. 
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    • Posts: 4,232
      I burn it the next cook.
      New Albany, Ohio 

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    • Posts: 1,835
      I used to do a lot of cleaning and preparation before every cook.  Now I do very little.  A few quick stirs, every few cooks I remove some ash from the bottom, then dump new lump on top and light the fire. I have a Hi-Q grate and don't worry about the pieces that fall through since they burn just as well down there.

      I want to spend more time cooking and less time in preparation.
      Large BGE
      Barry, Lancaster, PA
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    • Posts: 4,716
      Shiff said:
      I used to do a lot of cleaning and preparation before every cook.  Now I do very little.  A few quick stirs, every few cooks I remove some ash from the bottom, then dump new lump on top and light the fire. I have a Hi-Q grate and don't worry about the pieces that fall through since they burn just as well down there.

      I want to spend more time cooking and less time in preparation.

      Same here.......when the ash gets really filled up then I scoop out several big handfuls into a paper grocery bag.  A couple cups of ash in the tray is not going to inhibit the air flow, so why spend 10 minutes cleaning it all out--make a hole and get cooking.  I equate it to detailing your car when you live on a gravel road.  It's going to be perfectly clean for about 30 seconds, so why waste the extra time if you're going to be using it? 
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    • Posts: 2,814
      Keep adding new to whatever is left from previous cooks.  If the level gets low enough, I will pick up and shake the KAB to get ash to fall. Clean out the ash when it builds up enough that it may start to block air flow.  
      Southeast Florida - LBGE
      In cooking, often we implement steps for which we have no explanations other than ‘that’s what everybody else does’ or ‘that’s what I have been told.’  Dare to think for yourself.
       
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    • Posts: 1,570
      edited September 2015
      I mix old and new.  Empty through the draft door as needed.  My medium needs a decent clean out after a bag or two of charcoal if there are a lot of small pieces.  My XL is fully cleaned out maybe once a year.  

      Charcoal pieces that fall through the grate still burn on hotter cooks. Don't worry about having big holes on the grate; they work well on my XL.
      Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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    • Posts: 1,570
      This thread inspired me to clean out the medium since I decided to retry RO charcoal and wanted the egg clean for the test.
      Cooking on an XL and Medium in Bethesda, MD.
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    • Posts: 558
      I normally just use the ash tool to clean out the ashes, then add some new charcoal and mix with the old.  Every fourth or fifth cook, I will take the remains of the charcoal, put it in the lid of a metal trashcan, and sort out the really small stuff for disposal.  Reload with some big pieces of new lump on the bottom and add what remains of the old.  You want to reuse as much of the old charcoal as you can.  One of the real benefits of the BGE is fuel efficiency  You use higher priced lump charcoal, but get savings on recycling the old charcoal.
      Weber Kettle, Weber Genesis Silver B, Medium Egg, KJ Classic (Black)
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    • Posts: 2,319
      I stir the old lump and add new. I clean out the ashes with the tool when needed - about every third cook. 
      Living the good life smoking and joking
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    • Posts: 33,765
      i have not had the firebox out of the eggs in years, i level the ash out with a stick thru the lower vent and have a broken spatula to reach in and remove some ash when i see it blocking the holes on the grate from below. its pretty much beyond me to think i need to have a super clean egg for any cook =)
      fukahwee maine

      you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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    • Posts: 2,600
      I just stir it with a 4 ft broomhandle until the ash falls through. I always add fresh lump to the existing fire after the food comes off. When the smoke clears I shut it down. I never wait for fresh lump that way. I don't clean it until I can't see through the door. Even then I will poke around and create enough of a hole to get a couple more cooks. 
      Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.
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    • Posts: 4,483
      stlcharcoal said:
      show previous quotes

      Same here.......when the ash gets really filled up then I scoop out several big handfuls into a paper grocery bag.  A couple cups of ash in the tray is not going to inhibit the air flow, so why spend 10 minutes cleaning it all out--make a hole and get cooking.  I equate it to detailing your car when you live on a gravel road.  It's going to be perfectly clean for about 30 seconds, so why waste the extra time if you're going to be using it? 
      I know what you mean.  When I first got my XL I cleaned it out a lot, now I just open it up pull what I can into a bucket and light the egg.  Takes about a minute to do.  Now if I am doing a log L&S I clean it out good.  Just something I like to do.
      XL, WSM, Coleman Road Trip Gas Grill

      Kansas City, Mo.
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    • Posts: 8,173
      My advice for the OP, a resident of Berlin, is to ease up on the teutonic efficiency.  Crack a beer and relax.  All will be well.  Use your ash tool to stir your old lump before use and top it off with new lump as needed.  Crack a beer.  Also use the ash tool to scrape the ash out every couple of cooks and you'll be fine.  Crack a beer.  Your current cleaning regimen is something I do once a year right before winter.  Now go crack a beer. 
      Flint, Michigan
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    • Posts: 1,900
      I shake the KAB, add new lump, maybe stir the new with the old a little and then light it up. Any smaller pieces that come out with the ash get tossed back on top.
      Aledo, Texas
      Large BGE
      KJ Jr.

      Exodus 12:9 KJV
      Eat not of it raw, nor sodden at all with water, but roast with fire; his head with his legs, and with the purtenance thereof.

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