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Burned through 4 bags of charcoal before I tried lump instead
I always used briquettes for my offset smoker because that's what my dad used. After 3 cooks in a row where I couldn't hold temp above 225, I grabbed a bag of Royal Oak lump charcoal on a whim. The difference was night and day - it lit faster, burned way hotter, and I held steady at 250 for a whole 8 hour brisket without refueling. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big jump in consistency?
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garcia.miles3d ago
Royal Oak lump gave me fits with temperature swings, and I ended up going back to Kingsford briquettes after three bad cooks. The lump charcoal lit way too fast and burned so hot that I had trouble keeping it below 300, even with all my vents almost closed. For my WSM at least, briquettes gave me a way more even, predictable burn over 10 hours without any big spikes.
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robinmason2d ago
Huh, that "lit way too fast and burned so hot" part really got me. I always figured lump was the superior choice, you know, more natural and whatnot. But I had almost the exact same problem last summer on my WSM with some Cowboy brand lump. I was fighting it all day, vents basically shut and it still wanted to cruise at 325. I think you just convinced me to grab a bag of Kingsford for the next long cook. I'd been thinking it was just me doing something wrong with the lump, but hearing you say it too makes me feel a lot less crazy about it.
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