Switched from charcoal to lump oak for my brisket and wished I did it 4 years ago

I rolled with standard Kingsford charcoal for the longest time because it was cheap and easy. Then last weekend I grabbed a bag of B&B lump oak on a whim at the Ace Hardware near my place. The flavor difference was night and day, way cleaner burn and my brisket actually had a solid smoke ring for once. Has anyone else made the swap and noticed a big jump in quality?

3 comments

3 Comments

mia70021d ago

I used to be a total briquette snob because I thought lump was just for show and wouldn't give an even cook. But I finally caved and tried B&B lump after seeing everyone rave about it and I was SO wrong. The temperature swings took me a full two cooks to get used to, I had to close my vents way more than with briquettes. Once I got the hang of it though, the smoke ring was actually visible and the bark had this deep crunchy texture I never got before. The whole deal with almost zero ash was a huge bonus, I spent more time drinking beer than cleaning out the smoker. It's a game changer for sure.

murphy.aaron21d ago

@mia700 did you have to adjust your vent settings a lot like miles_burns mentioned?

miles_burns21d agoTop Commenter

Did you notice a difference in how long the lump burns compared to briquettes? I found it runs a little hotter so I had to dial in my vents differently but once I got it right the bark came out way crispier than before. The cleaner ash alone makes it worth it for me since I don't have to stop and clean out the smoker every 4 hours.