What's in your firebox?

[bogan]

Hey Guys,

What type of charcoal do you use in your smoker? What is your prefered method of ignition and when and what type of wood do you prefer?

Bogan

[Bukmstr]

I use charcoal first and then add a mix of hickory and oak for long term smoking. I used only mesquite in the past for smoking, but I have since learned that to much of it makes for a bitter taste IMO. I keep the mesquite around now for HOT HOT grilling (steaks, chicken breasts, and such)

[Too Tall]

Plain old Kingsford to get the fire going. I use a pear burner to light it. I'll add mesquite, oak, pecan or hickory depending on what I'm cooking.

[Charles Helm]

I start with a couple of chimneys of lump charcoal and add pecan for the duration.

http://www.pbase.com/image/102463327/large.jpg

[Charles Helm]

Plain old Kingsford to get the fire going. I use a pear burner to light it. I'll add mesquite, oak, pecan or hickory depending on what I'm cooking.
I have a MAPP gas torch to fire up the charcoal.

[Fisher Lou]

Start with charcoal for everything.

Steaks, seafood, veggies, chicken, pork, mesquite coals only, no smoke.

Brisket, beef and pork roast, turkey, large cuts of meat, hickory and oak blend at 50/50 with smoke. Sometimes pecan only if I want to change it up a bit.

Sausage, pecan, pecan, pecan.
Sometimes use a propane torch if I am in a hurry. Otherwise a tiny bit of charcoal lighter will do.

[ifish2]

I'm not a guy, but I use Kingsford mesquite in a chimney starter for my kettle grill and use mesquite or pecan wood with a propane lighter in my Longhorn. I highly recommend a propane lighter if you have a decent sized pit. I have the kind that is a metal tube with holes in it that connects to tubing and then to the propane tank. It's especially great if you are having difficulty keeping your fire going.

[CoastalOutfitters]

pear burner ?

[Charles Helm]

pear burner ?Like a propane burner, used for burning spines off prickly pear so that cows can eat them during tough times.

[Too Tall]

pear burner ? The top one. As Charles said it for burning cactus. Cattle will come running when they hear one light off.
Harbor Freight has a cheapy that I have been using. Think I paid $20-$25 for it.

http://www.reevesequipment.com/farm/lp.htm

[manintheboat]

I always start with lump charcoal. I cannot stand the smell of Kingsford. I use Lazzari, B & B, or Central Market lump mesquite. I prefer B & B, but it can get pretty busted up in the bag. For smoke flavor, I like Pecan or Oak, but also will use Hickory. A lot of the time, I will use lump charcoal and chunks of smoke wood, but sometimes, if I can get good wood, I will start with lump and use nothing but split logs of oak and pecan. That is my favorite.

[CoastalOutfitters]

Like a propane burner, used for burning spines off prickly pear so that cows can eat them during tough times.
sorry, that was directed at Ifish2

i have several pear burners, no lighter fliud for me in any of my pits

live oak, post oak, hickory...

not crazy about pecan, but that's just me, too much hassle to store...bugs, rot, etc...

i always knock as much bark off the wood as poss. , seems to take the sour tannic acid taste out of the meat.

maybe some mesquite at the end for flavor., but only a whole mesquite cook for the quick stuff like steaks, chops and kabobs. it can really overpower the meat flavor

B&B lump charcoal only for the Big Green Egg..............

[Harley]

How do you like that Big Green Egg? My neighbor has the large and loves it. I was flat amazed at how little wood it uses to and how well it holds temperature. I have 4 different cooking devices and am thinking about the Egg. I will surely have to get rid of something. The patio is getting full!
I start my fires with charcoal and cook with oak. Rarely I will use a little hickory or mesquite.

[CoastalOutfitters]

The egg is pretty darn kewl, however I don't use it that much , because it is kinda slow to light............thus ........the dreaded gas grill for most quick stuff

the trick to lighting it is to get all the ashes out of the holes in the bottom and use a pear burner.........it is updraft , so everything needs to vent properly.

other thing i have noticed is that you have very little smoked taste unless you throw some mesquite in w the B&B

it does make a killer steak, seared outside and juicy interior. in 8 mins at 700 plus degrees.........

it makes a killer beer can chicken and holds temps beyond anythin i have ever seen.

[ifish2]

Hey Coastal, my propane burner was my Valentine's gift last year from my husband! I almost died until I realized how great it was. Definitely not a girly gift!

[Harley]

Thanks for the info.

I grew up with a father that cooked 5 days out of 7 on one of those old cast aluminum grills. We always cooked with wood. Started the fires like a Boy Scout. The steaks and for that matter everything was great off that cooker. I have grown lazy and cook all the fast cooking stuff on a gas grill. I want to get back to the flavor of real wood cooking and have considered the Big Green Egg. Your comment about less smoke flavor bothers me with the egg.
Who makes a quality grill for the steaks and fast cooking stuff using only wood for a fuel source?
The egg is pretty darn kewl, however I don't use it that much , because it is kinda slow to light............thus ........the dreaded gas grill for most quick stuff

the trick to lighting it is to get all the ashes out of the holes in the bottom and use a pear burner.........it is updraft , so everything needs to vent properly.

other thing i have noticed is that you have very little smoked taste unless you throw some mesquite in w the B&B

it does make a killer steak, seared outside and juicy interior. in 8 mins at 700 plus degrees.........

it makes a killer beer can chicken and holds temps beyond anythin i have ever seen.

[Charles Helm]

You can still buy a cast aluminum grill:

The Portable Kitchen (http://www.pkgrills.com/)

My wife got mine from Amazon.Com. It would be nice if they were a little bigger.

I also still have the round Duchess cast aluminum model that my Dad cooked on, but the vents on the bottom have disappeared over the years.

I have started with seasoned pecan many times. Just wait until it burns down to coals before cooking. I think there may be better woods that leave a bigger bed of coals, but I have pecan trees and use what they drop. You can also use natural hardwood lump charcoal instead of briquettes.

[Markc27]

Firm believer in pecan wood.

[Gottagofishin]

Hard to beat the egg. I have two of them.

I like a mixture of apple and pecan for chicken and pork. I use pecan or hickory for beef.

[baldeagle7007]

I smoked a brisket last night and used lump charcoal(from Lowe's) for my heat source and mesquite for smoke.
Tried the Minion methed(http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html), and it worked fairly well. The lump charcoal burned so hot I had trouble keeping the pit down below 250 until I finally choked off ALL vents and intakes.
Brisket tasted great and was reallly tender.....but not much smoke ring!

[CoastalOutfitters]

Thanks for the info.

I grew up with a father that cooked 5 days out of 7 on one of those old cast aluminum grills. We always cooked with wood. Started the fires like a Boy Scout. The steaks and for that matter everything was great off that cooker. I have grown lazy and cook all the fast cooking stuff on a gas grill. I want to get back to the flavor of real wood cooking and have considered the Big Green Egg. Your comment about less smoke flavor bothers me with the egg.
Who makes a quality grill for the steaks and fast cooking stuff using only wood for a fuel source?

the egg was designed to cook as efficiently as possible with very little fuel, they had to hand carry everything thousands of years ago i suppose.

So being very hot and updraft the B&B charcoal just doesn't smoke much.

You can make it smoke easily with some fruitwood or mesquite, but we cook a thick steak about 3 mins a side and it just doesn't have time.

You can damper the thing down and slow cook for hours, like for pork butt, but the steaks are supposed to be flash grilled like a Ruth Chris steak.

It takes longer to get the thing lit and settled than it does to cook a steak, but it does do an awsome job. I guess go watch someons cook on one and see the results.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/forums.html

Komodo makes one too

[kweber]

we use really old, dry mesquite for everything because it splits easily, although I have no resevations about good hard live oak and use it occasionaly.
pecan seems to rot about as fast as it dries. I have used it, but it has no merit in that coals are non-existant. IMO. if ya like it, use it. I dont.
I have a really big stack of old mesquite posts and many acres of old dead trees to pick from. this has me spoiled. that fence they came from was put up in the '40's. very dry mesquite does not have the strong smoke most decribe. that comes from semi-green wood. it should be aged at least a year. that said, I dont smoke brisket, but BBQ it directly over a small amt of coals, adding from a burned down stock pile. no need to conserve mesquite here.

[hoser76]

Mesquite started with a pear burner then once heat get's to 350 add cherry wood

[tpool]

I use Hickory for brisket (if one or two briskets - if cooking more than 2 I use hickory and oak mix). Mesquite for chciken steaks, etc... Pecan for pork (sausage, ribs, etc...). I made a wand for my propane bottle - bought a regulator from gas supply (I guess they have then at Academy, Lowe's, etc....). Attached clear flexible gas hose (3ft) and then 2 ft copper pipe (1/4" I believe) into the flex hose with small radiator clamp......Works perfectly for starting wood...

[Dark_ale]

Those of you that shell pecans in the fall, the shells make a great smoke, better than the wood I think...The best turkey I ever smoked was with oak and pecan shells

[explorer21]

Start with B&B, then move on to Hickory.

[danduhman]

I use an old 2x4 that some one pi--ed on that way I dont have to share my BB-Q with anybody

[smatthews545]

For pork butt, ribs and whatever, I use the new Kingsford Hickory charcoal. Its great you can add more for temp. Or for smoke and it doesn't taste like smoking with a telephone pole. The only place I have found it is the Lake Jackson Wal-Mart.

[Cowboy1uhB]

My main source is Mesquite probably because I have access to all I need. I have modeled my smoking process around that because it is like a diesel, takes forever to get warmed up, but once it's hot, it runs forever. Kingsford is always my choice to get that diesel...err...Mesquite going.

[JCHjr55]

I use a combination of Oak, Pecan, and Mesquite.

I fire the smoker up with Lump charcoal. This weekend I used the new Kingsford Competition charcoal. I was impressed with how easy it started and how clean it burned.

[KillaHookset]

B&B Lump Charcoal, start it up with some regular Kingsford 10-15 squares in a chimeny starter and placed ontop Minon method. Once temps are reached on goes the wood 90% of the time its Pecan
My OK Joe cooker will hold 225 degrees up to 8 hours without messing with it. Once the fire is set and the wood is on the coals for briskets and pork butts I dont open the lid for at least 10-12 hours later and that is just to insert a temp probe or move stuff around. I replace the B&B lump after the initial 8 hours after scraping out the ash from the firebox. The leftover coals go into the chimey starter and set aside and usually is plenty enough to start the Minion method again