Lump Vs Briquettes In The Char Griller Gravity 980 Cooker
Hey Everyone, today we're going to tackle a question I've been getting a lot lately which is, in the new Char-Griller Gravity 980 cooker should I use lump charcoal or should I use charcoal briquettes? That is a great question as your fuel choice can really affect your cook from preference things like aroma, to convenience of use things like how long with my fuel of choice run in my cooker and will it burn clean. While we'll talk about preference, that's usually my secondary deciding factor, so lets start with the more important questions of what fuel will keep my cooker running longer without me having to refuel. The answer to this question is usually going to be briquettes, its just a fundamental difference between briquettes and lump charcoal, however, if the lump will burn longer than any cook you would do it's sort of a moot point. In my testing I have ran the gravity 980 at 300 degrees for 0 hours on one hopper of lump charcoal so due to the insulated and efficient nature of these cookers both fuel sources will run for all the time you need for any cook. Next if we talk about a clean burn, this one to me is going to come down to how long you give yourself to get ready to cook. In my testing the gravity 980 running lump charcoal will burn clean within 10 minutes of startup which is very impressive. When I run charcoal briquettes I find that it takes the briquettes around 50 minutes to clear up, which for me is fine because I generally like to give all of my cookers an hour to come up to temperature and stabilize before putting food on them if I can. So if you give yourself plenty of time for your cooker to come up to temperature, then we get in to the preference of the aroma of the fuels, which is fantastic. Anytime a cooker allows you the flexibility to use what you want to and try new things that is a win. So I like to use lump in my gravities because I'm usually smoking on them as opposed to grilling, however, if you're cooking a lot of burgers or steaks on there you might want to throw in some briquettes to get some of that old school charcoal flavor on them. Either way make sure to try some different fuels in your cookers and if you have a preference one way or the other let me know. Till next time, y'all take it easy. #lump #charcoal #gravity980
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Thanks so much for this video! I've been binging your channel. Talk about a master class... 3 whole cooks in on my new 980 and I'm already upping my game!
Omg finally someone with some sense buys two to compare . Thanks man
Hahahahaha 👍
Awesome informative video. Thanks much!
Thanks for checking it out
Congrats on your GC! TFS!
Hey thanks kirby
Thank you for this video. Trying to find info on how well the gravity fed grills handle lump charcoal was difficult. Plus, it seems like nobody wants to mention the chemical taste of briquettes (it reminds me of a summer hamburger and hotdog BBQ also - I love it). I’ve always used to lump for short grill sessions or loooong smokes, with no problems.
Good content and info as always!
Thanks bro
New subscriber! Great video man.....👌
love the vids broskie 🤙
Thanks bud
Thanks for the video, I am looking to buy the 980 and this was very informative. All my searches about briquettes vs lumps always said that briquettes are better for smoking but I don't like briquettes due to their chemical content. I am glad to see that the 980 is able to efficiently use lumps for smoking.
There are all natural briquettes that are amazing. But yes without a doubt If you’re cooking low and slow, briquettes are the way to go. They’re the most consistent and even out very well for cooks under the 350(ish) range. lump on the other hand burns hotter, faster and more efficiently at higher temps in relation to briquettes thus making them great for hot cooks.
Hi, did you buy a 980 and how do you like it? I bought one a couple weeks ago and made a brisket and it was amazing. Also life was so much easier with this smoker due to the obvious benefits of the design.
@@jamesgibson3242 I haven't bought it yet. I heard the rumor that a gen 2 is coming out soon so I am waiting for that
Same here. I keep researching how well these gravity fed charcoal smokers handle lump charcoal but nobody every mentions it. I only use lump, for grilling or smoking. I have an Kamado style grill and I’ve done 16+ hour smokes with plenty of lump charcoal leftover in the bin. People who say you can’t smoke with lump have never tried. Also, they are all natural - no weird chemical taste like briquettes. Idc how “natural” they are… they have binding agents which give off a taste.
Great video!
Thanks homie
Late congrats on the grand championship win, mate!
Good review, I like lump charcoal but I noticed I get pockets in the chimney when it doesn’t fall because the pieces are too big, any suggestions?
I've used lump and briquettes in the 980 and maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I always get temp spikes when using lump. I've only tried Jealous Devil lump though and always use B&B Briquettes.
Great videos very informative can you use the kingsford with the wood in it like kingsford hickory
Yeah that shouldn’t be a problem at all. I don’t think I’ve seen that type of Kingsford in a while, I have been seeing their new stuff with spices and what not in it recently though.
As far as briquettes go I’ve tried Blues Hog, B&B and Royal Oak. Out of those three I prefer the Royal Oak.
Do you get actual charcoal flavor like when cooking a burger over briquettes
Can u fill hopper if it’s running low
I have the 980 and I’ve always used lump charcoal
Does 7 lbs of lump cook for 10 hrs or do I need to add more later?
What about added pellets
Any videos with the competition cooks with the 980?
Not yet, but we did just win another gc with them this weekend. I’ll see what I can do, that may be a patreon thing
Is one of the Weber fire stater cubes enough to start it up? Just ordered mine today. Thanks
Yup, one I’d all ya need
I just bought a 980 a few weeks ago. The first time I smoked I used lump charcoal and put wood chunks in the hopper too. That thing was miserable to keep below 300. No matter what I did the thing just burned hot. Second time I used brickets the whole time and it held lower alright but still didn't want to stay low. Any tips on how to use these things for a low and slow around 225-250? I find they just want to run as close to 300 as a default.
Tried lump a couple times, didn’t hold low temps and wanted to climb, briquettes hold perfectly every cook, occasionally bumps up some if a lot of wood chunks in hopper too.
@@UABFWSS yeah I've tried a few times now and those are my same results. What kills it is there is no way to really bring the temp down once it starts going. The briquettes just don't give the flavor that lump and chunks provide so I'm kinda bummed.
I have been currently running it on 205 for the last 14 hours. No problem at all on Lump. I fill my hopper up and throw some Oak in there as well not much too much and it will make it burn hot I only use about 4 or 5 chunks of wood at most. Make sure you pull your damper out before you light it up or you will build up a tremendous amount of heat that will make it hard to get down also close the rear dampener down to about 80 percent. I love this thing! Best damn smoker I have ever used keeps temps perfectly stable and my graphs prove it. Good luck man.
I just got the 980 for Christmas and found the same to be true when I smoked a whole brisket. Tried to keep it at 200-205 but it would want to jump closer to 300 with the lump charcoal. I cheated and used the fire shutter to get the temps down to where I needed them. Once I figured out where to put it the fan kept it around 200 for 8 hours. Had to do same to keep it at 250 for next 8 hours. Not ideal but it worked for me…
@@dhizzle3498 be careful doing that. I've heard some guys having that insert plate warp on them because of the heat and then it makes that insert plate unusable.
I’m all about using nothing but lump coal !! Get the best taste and results.
Thanks for the video. The 1st time I used the grill I added a few pieces of wood in the ash tray as the directions stated. For the 2nd time, I added a few pieces of wood in the ash tray but this time the silicone cover leading to the fan burned. This caused the digital display to show "Open." By this time, I had a brisket on the grill. Because the grill was malfunctioning, I lost a $57 brisket. I called Char Griller for guidance. After buying the grill at Lowe's and having them assemble it, I'm pissed that Char Griller would NOT reimburse me for the brisket. If I had been using the grill multiple times before this malfunction, I would not think of asking them for a refund. This was the 2nd cook in 2 weeks! Char Griller is going to send me the parts and now I have to make the repair instead of Lowe's which is NOT my thing. Nov 21, 2021 Update Do NOT buy your grill directly from Char Griller! Buy it from Lowe's or another store that wants to satisfy their customers. If your grill malfunctions, simply return it to the retail outlet within the return policy dates and they will exchange it for a new one. Do NOT follow Char Griller's manual guidance to contact them instead of the store you bought it!!! After researching complaints against Char Griller, it seems everything boils down to "Operator Error." The so called "warranty" is worthless. They make you pay for the parts to repair the grill. Since I am getting a new grill from Lowe's, I will follow Grill and Smoke BBQ's guidance on getting the "new" flap so it doesn't ruin grill #2.
Do you think a 15 lb brisket at 225, briquettes, same prep, etc., Would come out the same or different on an Akorn vs. a 980?
I'll give you my results.....I have a steel Kamado made in the same factory as the Akorn. I can get about 10 hours on a mix of wood chunks and 6lbs of briquettes on the Steel Kamado, using the heat deflector and a water pan. It gets good smoke and gets to the wrap easily if you wrap. When I wrap, I add a half chimney of coals to finish the cook, then rest for 4 hours in a cooler. That was a 14 lb brisket after trimming, the cook was 11.5 hrs total and a 4 hour rest. Hope this helps.
@@2AChef-n-BBQ thanks!
I did a 12lb whole packer (before trim) last weekend on mine. 9 hours later, she was done. I set it at 225 but it kept climbing to 275, thats the only issue I had. Brisket turned out great though
You ever have issues with the temp climbing? I set it at 225, kept climbing to 270ish
Open the vent halfway. Temp will drop
Masterbuilt
How long do you wait to start your cook after lighting the pit?
He said using briquettes about an hour. Lump 10 min.
From personal experience and without watching this video, the lump charcoal burns a lot better in this unit.
I don't see why you'd use briquettes. Taste-wise but also the fact that with a kettle, i can see it cause it always takes the same time to burn a briquettes (roughly), since they are the same size. But with an auto vent system, charcoal lumps, big if possible, all day.
Yeah man, it’s just kinda a nastalga thing for me, heck I love the smell of Kingsford original just because it smells like grillin burgers when your a kid. But yeah on these cookers cool with what you like because they’ll handle anything
Can you add fuel if you start running out during a cook?
Yes, you can.
Can you use lump and briquettes at the same time?
I don’t see why you couldn’t 👍
Has anyone experienced a major hot spot on their 980? I have one in the left front corner(when standing at the opening of the grill) I checked to make sure my grill was level and everything. Thanks.
I think the two hottest spots are the two side walls, but I think they’re pretty narrow. That being said I’ll pay attention next time snd see if the front corner is more so than anywhere else
Have you tried to use the damper for temp control on the 980
Man you look and sound like you're struggling to talk and breath at the same time. Might want to get your health under control, gonna be a short life.
Totes
Get to the point already you talk to much about nothing!
I found everything he said in the video informative. You are just inpatient.
Masterbuilt son