Page 1
Page 1
Started By
Message

Briquettes for smoking / Lump charcoal for grilling?

Posted on 11/24/25 at 10:38 pm
Posted by Will Cover
Davidson, NC
Member since Mar 2007
39862 posts
Posted on 11/24/25 at 10:38 pm
Low and slow -- Briquettes?

Lump charcoal -- higher temperature -- grilling?

Is that still the thought by most on here?

Is Royal Oak still the "standard" for briquettes and lump charcoal?
Posted by tonydtigr
Beautiful Downtown Glenn Springs,Tx
Member since Nov 2011
6372 posts
Posted on 11/24/25 at 10:50 pm to
I use Fogo for both. Large chunks if I have them for low and slow. Medium for grilling.

It's a bit more expensive, but if you are grilling, shut the vents down after the cook, and use the chunks left over at the bottom of your chimney and top off with fresh ones for your next one. There will be a lot of good reusable chunks after grilling steaks or chops if you shut vents down when done.
This post was edited on 11/24/25 at 10:53 pm
Posted by Will Cover
Davidson, NC
Member since Mar 2007
39862 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 7:53 am to
Do you have a place locally that you buy from, or order online?
Posted by t00f
Not where you think I am
Member since Jul 2016
101232 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 8:11 am to
If I am using the PK300, I mostly use hardwood charcoal and wood chunks. I have some briquettes, but they make a mess with ashes.

Royal Oak is terrible. Mostly use B&B or Jealous Devil.

Cowboy and Royal are a no.
Posted by diat150
Louisiana
Member since Jun 2005
47137 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 8:13 am to
i have had good luck with kingsford professional lump from costco.
Posted by tonydtigr
Beautiful Downtown Glenn Springs,Tx
Member since Nov 2011
6372 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 8:29 am to
You can order online, but can find the medium lump in the black bag (17.5 lb.) at Home Depot for virtually the same price. I go to the Coursey Blvd. store. They only have medium lump.

The large lump can be found sometimes at Goodwood Hardware
but beware the Green bags. They are eucalyptus wood. A bit more smoky tasting than the black bags.

I prefer to add my own pieces of wood to achieve the correct amount of smokiness.

I used to use Blues Hog, but found that it burned faster, and I had to refill my pit more on long cooks. It also had a lot more dust at the bottom of the bag.
This post was edited on 11/25/25 at 8:32 am
Posted by Dam Guide
Member since Sep 2005
16519 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 9:31 am to
I just use lump. For low and slow it's cleaner and no additives. That way you can control the flavor by adding your own wood more consistently.
Posted by SUB
Silver Tier TD Premium
Member since Jan 2009
24643 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 10:33 am to
Lump for smoking. And I only use it to get my logs lit at the beginning. After that, I have a nice bed of coals that I can add more logs onto as needed.
Posted by AlxTgr
Kyre Banorg
Member since Oct 2003
86328 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 10:40 am to
quote:

Low and slow -- Briquettes?

Lump charcoal -- higher temperature -- grilling?

That's what I do. I have a gravity feed, and briquettes just work better for me in it.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
46244 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 10:56 am to
briquettes to get the wood going for a smoke, cheapest I can find they are just the heat source
Lump for grilling and big egg roasting
Posted by Prosecuted Collins
The Farm
Member since Sep 2003
7203 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 12:03 pm to
This is what I do. Briquettes in chimney and the initial bed.
Posted by moe1967
South Louisiana
Member since Jul 2023
297 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 1:17 pm to
Lump for everything.

Cleaner burn. And a lot less ash. And better flavor.
Posted by SingleMalt1973
Member since Feb 2022
21944 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 2:09 pm to
I use B&B Lump for everything. As mentioned just better flavor, less ash and whatever I don’t burn during a smoke I can put back in bag and reuse.
Posted by Boston911
Lafayette
Member since Dec 2013
2335 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 4:49 pm to
I’ve had great luck with jealous devil lump,,,,,I ad chunks of hickory or oak or mesquite when I smoke
Posted by tirebiter
7K R&G chile land aka SF
Member since Oct 2006
10703 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 5:04 pm to
quote:

Do you have a place locally that you buy from, or order online?


A lot of Ace Hardware stores sell Fogo lump, sometimes I buy online from the source, sometimes Ace. Definitely good to buy bags of medium and large. I have had good luck with Jealous Devil as well.
Posted by rooster108bm
Member since Nov 2010
3159 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 5:45 pm to
quote:

Cleaner burn. And a lot less ash. And better flavor.


You ain't getting no flavor out of any lump other than the meat and whatever seasoning you put on it. Lump is cooked at such a high temp/low oxygen environment that it cooks all the moisture/flavor out of it. It's basically pure carbon.
Posted by cgrand
HAMMOND
Member since Oct 2009
46244 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 5:52 pm to
quote:

You ain't getting no flavor out of any lump other than the meat and whatever seasoning you put on it.
exactly. There is no such thing as “charcoal flavor”. Flavor without smoke is seasoning and the Maillard reaction
Posted by rooster108bm
Member since Nov 2010
3159 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 5:57 pm to
quote:

There is no such thing as “charcoal flavor”


Actually there is. Kingsford briquettes have coal dust in them and that has aromatic chemicals that provide some flavor.
Posted by xXLSUXx
New Orleans, LA
Member since Oct 2010
10573 posts
Posted on 11/25/25 at 8:08 pm to
Kingsford professional briquettes for smoking with wood chunks for flavor. The briquettes just provide a more consistent stable temperature on my pits. Lump for grilling. If I'm out of briquettes I'll just use lump for smoking. Some will say the ash is too much with briquettes but I never really found it to be an issue. I don't recall ever having to empty the ash tray mid cook even on long brisket smokes. I just find the temps can spike more with lump due to the varying sizes.
This post was edited on 11/25/25 at 9:11 pm
first pageprev pagePage 1 of 1Next pagelast page
refresh

Back to top
logoFollow TigerDroppings for LSU Football News
Follow us on X, Facebook and Instagram to get the latest updates on LSU Football and Recruiting.

FacebookXInstagram