Hi,

The mesquite lump I have been purchasing lately for my water smoker is of
great quality. However, it really looks like wood, not always 100% charred
it seems. Not that it isn't totally black and look like it should, but
It's big pieces and little pieces, some looking like burnt logs and you
can really make out the structures of the wood. It's not like Royal Oak
that has pieces that mostly looks like you'd expect manufactured charcoal
to look.

When I light it it creates a decent amount of smoke for quite a while. So
much in fact that I wonder if I need to add the usual mesquite chunks or
chips at all? Does anyone here know if commercial lump can be of a quality
that makes using added chunks/chips for flavor not necessary?

--
//ceed ©¿©¬

The mesquite lump I have been purchasing lately for my water smoker is
of
great quality. However, it really looks like wood, not always 100%
charred
it seems. Not that it isn't totally black and look like it should, but

It's big pieces and little pieces, some looking like burnt logs and
you
can really make out the structures of the wood. It's not like Royal
Oak
that has pieces that mostly looks like you'd expect manufactured
charcoal
to look.

When I light it it creates a decent amount of smoke for quite a while.
So
much in fact that I wonder if I need to add the usual mesquite chunks
or
chips at all? Does anyone here know if commercial lump can be of a
quality
that makes using added chunks/chips for flavor not necessary?

--
//ceed ©¿©¬


Some lump is smokier than others. I'd try using it plain to see how
much smoke flavor you get, and add a bit of wood with each cook to get
where
you want. My family doesn't like a lot of smoke, so I frequently cook
on just lump.

"ceed" wrote in message
Hi,

When I light it it creates a decent amount of smoke for quite a while. So
much in fact that I wonder if I need to add the usual mesquite chunks or
chips at all? Does anyone here know if commercial lump can be of a quality
that makes using added chunks/chips for flavor not necessary?


The oak lump I use is a lot like this, I don't use wood chunks or chips as
the lump makes plenty of smoke.
But you're asking other people for their opinion where only yours counts
anyway.

ceed wrote:

When I light it it creates a decent amount of smoke for quite a while.
So much in fact that I wonder if I need to add the usual mesquite
chunks or chips at all? Does anyone here know if commercial lump can be
of a quality that makes using added chunks/chips for flavor not necessary?

In my experience, using proper lump (mesquite or hardwood), I generally
don't add any additional wood for smoke and I get great results.

However, you've got to decide for yourself; try doing a cook where
you don't add any wood and see what you think. Just do a rack of
spares or something simple, don't commit a bunch of meat to the
experiment.

Dana