sub333 Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 On 7/8/2020 at 9:01 PM, Justin said: Briquettes all the way for me. So easy go hot or lo....long burns easy. Snake method easy.. Justin, do you find the snake method better than minion? Any advantages/disadvantages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 12, 2020 Share Posted July 12, 2020 Snake method in the kettle is a sort of minion method. Works really well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Livi Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Hi folks, I have just begun my smoking adventure and joined this forum about 15 minutes ago because you're all saying useful and knowledgeable things that I am liking. I have a UDS and most videos on youtube, instructions online and books I've read don't really mention the coal and they seem to use basic BBQ briquettes - e.g. the stuff you buy out front of your local Esso. However I just couldn't believe the coal was so unimportant so did some more digging and I've found you guys. So given all the experience you guys have I'm looking for some advice. Does anyone have experience using the kind of restaurant grade lumpwood charcoals you are talking about in a UDS? If so, does it maintain temperature well, does it last through an 8+ hour brisket cook? Are there any good / bad experiences you can share of using lump in a UDS? Thanks in advance for any replies! I'm new to this so be gentle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 (edited) Hello. Plenty of UDS experience on forum so I imagine one of the community will help you on this. Beware on cheap briquettes as not all briquettes are the same. I have had cheap ones in the past with stones in for instance. I use weber briquettes now and they are brilliant on my kettle and wsm. For me for a 8 hour plus cook you need briquettes not lumpwood and use minion method unless you are using some sort of airflow regulator controller like a smartfire Edited July 16, 2020 by Justin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Livi Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 Thanks for the quick reply Justin, much appreciated! So in simple terms (for my simple mind) lump will burn quicker than briquettes and you'd have to add to the basket during the cook? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamG Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 13 minutes ago, Mr Livi said: Thanks for the quick reply Justin, much appreciated! So in simple terms (for my simple mind) lump will burn quicker than briquettes and you'd have to add to the basket during the cook? thats correct👍 The only way to use lumpwood for long cooks is if you have an airtight grill with only the intake vent allowing air inside, otherwise it just burns as hot and as fast as it possibly can. I can recommend the weber briquettes just like Justin, they are the best ones I have used and very consistent in quality. I used to exclusively use them on my old grill. They seem expensive compared to the cheap ones but they last longer....which basically makes the cheap ones a false economy👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6057 Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 1 hour ago, Mr Livi said: Thanks for the quick reply Justin, much appreciated! So in simple terms (for my simple mind) lump will burn quicker than briquettes and you'd have to add to the basket during the cook? I suspect using lumpwood in a UDS, you'd struggle to maintain a controlled and low temperature unless your unit is really sealed air tight. I, like many, use briquettes in my WSM, and have been using Aussie Heat Beads, which you'll see mentioned a lot around here. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Livi Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 1 hour ago, AdamG said: thats correct👍 The only way to use lumpwood for long cooks is if you have an airtight grill with only the intake vent allowing air inside, otherwise it just burns as hot and as fast as it possibly can. I can recommend the weber briquettes just like Justin, they are the best ones I have used and very consistent in quality. I used to exclusively use them on my old grill. They seem expensive compared to the cheap ones but they last longer....which basically makes the cheap ones a false economy👍 Thanks Adam, I'll definitely get the Weber ones then and put a few bits of nice wood in amongst the briquettes. Do you know how much to use? Again, most of what I've seen says "fill the basket" or "I've used a good amount" but I haven't been able to find lbs or kgs unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Livi Posted July 16, 2020 Share Posted July 16, 2020 50 minutes ago, paul6057 said: I suspect using lumpwood in a UDS, you'd struggle to maintain a controlled and low temperature unless your unit is really sealed air tight. I, like many, use briquettes in my WSM, and have been using Aussie Heat Beads, which you'll see mentioned a lot around here. Fantastic, thanks Paul. I just looked up Aussie Heat Beads, had never heard of them. Do you mix them in with "normal" briquettes or do you use all Heat Beads? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icefever Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 14 hours ago, Mr Livi said: Do you mix them in with "normal" briquettes or do you use all Heat Beads? Welcome to the forum.....heat beads just on their own, but, there's always a but, you can mix them....I do. Ice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6057 Posted July 17, 2020 Share Posted July 17, 2020 On 7/16/2020 at 3:41 PM, Mr Livi said: Fantastic, thanks Paul. I just looked up Aussie Heat Beads, had never heard of them. Do you mix them in with "normal" briquettes or do you use all Heat Beads? I've never mixed them, as I've never had anything else to mix them with. Saying that though, I have recently used lump wood in the chimney to get the minion started. 12 hours ago, Icefever said: Welcome to the forum.....heat beads just on their own, but, there's always a but, you can mix them....I do. Ice. What do you mix them with Ice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gavin Tunnell Posted July 25, 2020 Share Posted July 25, 2020 I really love Big K ACH15 catering grade. I think it is amazing. The burn time is good and the heat is amazing and consistent. I have use a lot of other charcoal including other catering grade and they either burn out to quick or they small bits what you open the bag and that is just a disappointment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmba Posted July 26, 2020 Share Posted July 26, 2020 I can recommend Green Olive Firewood Co in Sussex. Their Premium lumpwood is very good, nice large pieces for a slow burn. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sotv Posted February 12, 2021 Author Share Posted February 12, 2021 (edited) Edit the 12kg bags have sold out, they still have the 15kg bags available, slightly more expensive than the 12kg bags per kg, updated my post accordingly Big K Restaurant grade lumpwood charcoal 15kg - £17.99 +£2.95 Delivery £40 free standard delivery, so you can get 3 bags (45 kg) for £53.97 delivered with this method Manahome Edited February 13, 2021 by sotv . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AdamG Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 cheers, thats a very good price👍 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big joe Posted February 12, 2021 Share Posted February 12, 2021 i am new on here only joined yesterday , there are a few threads i have followed incase of good deals , this being one of them , thanks for the heads up sotv 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmba Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 On 2/12/2021 at 4:29 PM, sotv said: Edit the 12kg bags have sold out, they still have the 15kg bags available, slightly more expensive than the 12kg bags per kg, updated my post accordingly Big K Restaurant grade lumpwood charcoal 15kg - £17.99 +£2.95 Delivery £40 free standard delivery, so you can get 3 bags (45 kg) for £53.97 delivered with this method Manahome Must be BBQ season for the mainstream, now £20.25 for 15kg😒 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Justin Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Premium South African Restaurant Charcoal form hardwood (in a purple bag t) best i have found, it is brilliant. https://www.fitzpatrick-fuels.co.uk/South-African-Premium-Charcoal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Germano Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Out of stock... my go to is in Middlesbrough https://www.fogonuk.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tarmac Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Hey, I've been on the look out too. I've just bought some from Big K: https://bigkproducts.co.uk/range/professional/ 12kg of Apple Wood and 12kg Chilla-Chilla which works out at £37.98 or £1.58 per KG. 48hr delivery is free if you spend over £30. If you're a bit fussier with regard to local charcoal and you're in the East Mids this guys makes it on his farm. Good stuff, nice smokey taste but not the cheapest at £7 per 4KG. https://www.homefarmlogs.com/collections/3-coal/products/bbq-charcoal Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Green olive firewood isn’t a bad call to have a look at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6057 Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 https://proqsmokers.co.uk/products/proq-coconut-shell-briquettes Anyone used these before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul6057 Posted March 23, 2021 Share Posted March 23, 2021 Good discount here... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
U can do that again Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 Morning Not used the Pro q ones but have used the Napoleon coconut briquettes, generally mixed with local lumpwood & Weber briquettes as like the results, roughly 60/20/20 % but not exact by eye/feel Coconut briquettes seem to have a long burn time, good heat, previously mentioned a lot of ash as a downside but this has subsided as I have persevered when doing long cooks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chae Posted March 24, 2021 Share Posted March 24, 2021 15 hours ago, paul6057 said: https://proqsmokers.co.uk/products/proq-coconut-shell-briquettes Anyone used these before? I've used the ProQ Cocoshell briquettes for a couple of years, but trying other things of late as I've been a bit disappointed with the smoke from the last box. I'm hoping I just got a bad batch, or it's to do with the cold temperatures I've been smoking in, but it's taking ages for the white smoke to clear with them. Although never had a problem with them before so like I said - hope it's just a bad batch! I found they were a lot lower on ash then regular briquettes and get a good hot and long burn with them so they are worth giving a go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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