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Best charcoal for BGE Mini?

So I've had my BGE Large for years and just picked up a mini around Xmas.  Loving it for quick, small cooks but the lump charcoal I use for the large is way too big in the mini.  Does anyone have a favorite brand they use that comes in smaller "chunks"?

Comments

  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,864
    NCSmoky said:
    I will I will often take used charcoal from my Lg and put it in my mini / minimax. Save the larger chunks for the Lg
    It’s almost as though you know what you’re doing =)
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • sancho65
    sancho65 Posts: 226
    NCSmoky said:
    I will I will often take used charcoal from my Lg and put it in my mini / minimax. Save the larger chunks for the Lg
    That’s exactly what I did today for our lunch!!

    XL, Large, 2 Small's and Mini BGE Arlington Texas
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,125
    Buy a bag of your favorite lump and drive over it a few times. 
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,864
    Buy a bag of your favorite lump and drive over it a few times. 
    ^^^ This guy right here - he’s not as dumb as he looks.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,188
    I agree with others, use the smaller leftover stuff from other eggs.  I did use kingsford in one of my minis last week, worked great!:

    https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1219304/24-tri-tips-84-bratwursts-4-pork-butts-10-lbs-of-chicken-and-a-mini-bge

  • piney
    piney Posts: 1,478
    Contact Jonathan @Rockwood and ask him to ship to you the first run screenings from the char extruder. In the charcoal making progress they will screen the lump several times to “weed out” the smaller pieces. If you get the first run of screening it is the perfect size for a mini max and only a couple bucks more per bag. Or you could buy yourself a hammer. I hope this helps.
    Lenoir, N.C.
  • saluki2007
    saluki2007 Posts: 6,354
    Buy a bag of your favorite lump and drive over it a few times. 
    Just make sure you move your egg before you start to back up...
    Large and Small BGE
    Central, IL

  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    NOT Wicked Good! Some of that stuff is as long as my forearm... and thicker!!

    The Rockwood I tried would have fit nicely in a Mini. Also, most Royal Oak (though lately, their lump seems to be larger than it used to be).

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

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
    If you are looking for small uniform sized charcoal try Kingsford.
                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
  • JRWhitee
    JRWhitee Posts: 5,678
    YukonRon said:
    You could not have had more good fortune than to be part of this forum and ask that question.

    I will say this about the members here, they are so willing to provide assistance to anyone having a problem.

    You may wish to reach out, specifically, to @JohnInCarolina, a professor at Duke who is globally renowned for his research in fracture technology, and gained his doctorate on this very subject.

    He consults and lectures on this globally and extensively, having just returned from a conference on this very subject matter.

    In fact, we often refer to him, because he is an expert in dealing with smaller ones, having one of the smaller sizes himself.

    He has been able to make it work for him and I am sure he could help you with yours.

    He is a great guy, and a forum favorite, absolutely one of my best friends. You will like him.

    Best of luck, but you really won't need it with John's help. He is a great resource for units that are small or smaller.

                                                                
    _________________________________________________
    Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story!
    Large BGE 2006, Mini Max 2014, 36" Blackstone, Anova Sous Vide
    Green Man Group 
    Johns Creek, Georgia
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,864
    YukonRon said:
    You could not have had more good fortune than to be part of this forum and ask that question.

    I will say this about the members here, they are so willing to provide assistance to anyone having a problem.

    You may wish to reach out, specifically, to @JohnInCarolina, a professor at Duke who is globally renowned for his research in fracture technology, and gained his doctorate on this very subject.

    He consults and lectures on this globally and extensively, having just returned from a conference on this very subject matter.

    In fact, we often refer to him, because he is an expert in dealing with smaller ones, having one of the smaller sizes himself.

    He has been able to make it work for him and I am sure he could help you with yours.

    He is a great guy, and a forum favorite, absolutely one of my best friends. You will like him.

    Best of luck, but you really won't need it with John's help. He is a great resource for units that are small or smaller.
    At least some portion of this is accurate.   Not all, but some.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • YukonRon said:
    You could not have had more good fortune than to be part of this forum and ask that question.

    I will say this about the members here, they are so willing to provide assistance to anyone having a problem.

    You may wish to reach out, specifically, to @JohnInCarolina, a professor at Duke who is globally renowned for his research in fracture technology, and gained his doctorate on this very subject.

    He consults and lectures on this globally and extensively, having just returned from a conference on this very subject matter.

    In fact, we often refer to him, because he is an expert in dealing with smaller ones, having one of the smaller sizes himself.

    He has been able to make it work for him and I am sure he could help you with yours.

    He is a great guy, and a forum favorite, absolutely one of my best friends. You will like him.

    Best of luck, but you really won't need it with John's help. He is a great resource for units that are small or smaller.
    At least some portion of this is accurate.   Not all, but some.
    Is it the small part?
  • jtcBoynton
    jtcBoynton Posts: 2,814
    All good quality lump charcoal, like Rockwood, is brittle.  You can break up any larger pieces quite easily. Just drop an unopened bag onto a concrete surface and you will have nice small pieces. 
    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.
     
  • JoeHockey
    JoeHockey Posts: 2
    Well after seeing so many comments about breaking up the big lumps I'll have to give it a try.  I was worried about the dust/mess but maybe it will work.