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Rockwood Lump - How much wood?

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NJEgger
NJEgger Posts: 9
edited January 2017 in EggHead Forum
Based on many threads on this forum, I tried Rockwood lump for the first time this weekend.  Wow!  What a difference!  I had been using BGE brand or Royal Oak for the past three months.  As my nose got used to the smell of good/bad smoke I started noticing a bit of a stink coming off the BGE lump about 2-3 hours into a cook, which prompted my switch to Rockwood.  The Rockwood lit faster, came up to temp faster and cleared of VOCs faster (the smoke was so blue I couldn't believe it).  It also removed the background "flavor" the BGE and RO lump was giving to all of my food.  My 3 1/2 year old daughter, wise beyond her years, noticed this background flavor by always telling me, "this tastes like the Egg."  Without the background flavor, the food and wood really were allowed to shine through.

So, now I have to re-learn how much wood to use without having to compensate for the large amount of bad flavor being added from the BGE and RO lump.  I did a 4.5lb pork butt this weekend with 3 large chunks of cherry and the smoke flavor was much less than I was expecting.  I know it's a matter of personal preference, but how much wood do folks use when cooking with a clean-burning lump like Rockwood if I'm trying to get a good solid smoke flavor?
XL Egg hatched November 2016
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Comments

  • etherdome
    etherdome Posts: 471
    edited January 2017
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    I just fill it up every time. Lump can be re-used. Trying to figure out an appropriate amount of wood is too much work. I also use rockwood and top it off / burn leftovers on every cook  unless I'm going for 12 hours or more in which case I fill it up with all fresh 
    Upstate SC
    Large BGE,  Blackstone, Weber genesis , Weber charcoal classic
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  • EggMcMic
    EggMcMic Posts: 340
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    I too fill it up every time and re-use what remains at the end. 
    EggMcMcc
    Central Illinois
    First L BGE July 2016, RecTec, Traeger, Weber, Campchef
    Second BGE, a MMX, February 2017
    Third BGE, another large, May, 2017
    Added another griddle (BassPro) December 2017
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  • coomdaddy
    coomdaddy Posts: 128
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    I feel like your point is being missed.  3-4 chunks
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  • EggMcMic
    EggMcMic Posts: 340
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    Oh. I read that as lump, not wood chunks. Sorry. I usually go 4-6 chunks, depending on the size, scattered throughout.
    EggMcMcc
    Central Illinois
    First L BGE July 2016, RecTec, Traeger, Weber, Campchef
    Second BGE, a MMX, February 2017
    Third BGE, another large, May, 2017
    Added another griddle (BassPro) December 2017
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    You should layer your smoke wood throughput your lump on long pork butt smokes 5-6 chunks (more if you like) or several handfuls of chips.  The type of wood can matter as well with fruit woods being milder.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • etherdome
    etherdome Posts: 471
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    Yes, we missed it but the only correct answer here is whatever works for you. Trial and error. We don't all like the same thing. 
    Upstate SC
    Large BGE,  Blackstone, Weber genesis , Weber charcoal classic
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,029
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    It depends what type of food you're trying to smoke. Each will be different. Even the wood chunks will be a different ratio depending on the type. The best method is to play around and see what works best for you. Rockwood might even burn longer compared to Royal Oak. I'd suggest maybe keeping the chunks towards the top of the lump. The fire might not even reach the bottom half of the lump. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
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    bgebrent and weberwho nailed it on the head.  5-6 chunks for fruit wood layered up from the middle of the pile to the top.
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

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  • NJEgger
    NJEgger Posts: 9
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    Great, thanks for the feedback!
    XL Egg hatched November 2016
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  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,181
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    Depends on the egg size too. 5-6 chunks in a medium would be overkill
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    DoubleEgger said:
    Depends on the egg size too. 5-6 chunks in a medium would be overkill
    I agree.  Was referring to a L or XL which I should've mentioned and only a butt cook.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • SaintJohnsEgger
    SaintJohnsEgger Posts: 1,826
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    I too noticed a huge difference in the two cooks I did last week with Rockwood.

    Got a butt I'm doing in the next day or two once it has thawed. Going to go with 4 or 5 chunks of wood and add some chips as needed.
    Marshall in Beautiful Fruit Cove, FL.
    MiniMax 04/17
    Unofficial BGE MiniMax Evangelist
    Facebook Big Green Egg MiniMax Owners Group


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  • xfire_ATX
    xfire_ATX Posts: 1,115
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    Still working on my first bag of Rockwood I picked up when I visited the CGS.  Like the lump itself I am neutral on it- I dont love it, dont hate it.  I do like the size (in #) of the bag- less need to buy another.

    I will likely go back to RO and/ or the HEB mesquite lump.
    XLBGE, LBGE, Charbroil Gas Grill, Weber Q2000, Old Weber Kettle, Rectec RT-B380, Yeti 65, Yeti Hopper 20, RTIC 20, RTIC 20 Soft Side - Too many drinkware vessels to mention.

    Not quite in Austin, TX City Limits
    Just Vote- What if you could choose "none of the above" on an election ballot? Millions of Americans do just that, in effect, by not voting.  The result in 2016: "Nobody" won more counties, more states, and more electoral votes than either candidate for president. 
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  • bboulier
    bboulier Posts: 558
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    Depends on the size of the grill.  I can't say what you would use for an XL, but for a large,  I would not use more than a couple of chunks (2x2x2).  That being said, I tend to like my food only lightly smoked.
    Weber Kettle, Weber Genesis Silver B, Medium Egg, KJ Classic (Black)
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