Do you use old, pre burned, lump charcoal?


 
MKEvenson

MKEvenson

TVWBB Wizard
My WSM is due to arrive next Wed. So why am I on this site? Heck I dunno. I have had a Weber kettle for so long I can't remember when I got it. One of the neat things is that after I shut it down many of the coals are good for my next cook. I have read that the WSM works the same as far as puting out the coals. I recently bought Low & Slow by Gary Wiviott, on page 12 he states, "Don't be penny-wise and ten -pounds-of ribs foolish. Reusing coals makes for an unpredicable fire..... Old charcoal smolder and give off musty flavors when sparked up again."

So the obvious question is, What do you all think of reusing old coals a second time?
 
RE: LUMP
I do it all the time - Before starting a new cook, I shake-out my charcoal grate, so that the tiny stuff & ash gets knocked-out of the bottom. Then, I add my new stuff on top & go.

RE: BRIQUETTES
??? (I wouldn't know - I only use Lump) - Most brands contain filler material that may absorb moisture & other crud, plus most of it sort-of disintegrates when it sits there for a few days.
 
I have never had any issues re-using unspent fuel. If you were really worried you could always just use the leftovers in your chimeny to get them started .

Since we typically don't cook directly over the coals, there really isn't any "gunk" in the coals to give any off taste.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Old charcoal smolder and give off musty flavors when sparked up again </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
That's not been my experience. As Scooter says, there's no gunk on our coals, so nothing to burn off. I reuse my old coals all the time. No problemo.
 
Re-use! Lump, briquettes, don't seem to matter.

Maybe the person who wrote that goes a lot longer between cooks than most of us (and, by the sounds of it, you, too!)

Whereabouts in NoCal are you?

R
 
I reuse lump, always. If I'm not planning to cook on the WSM for a while, I'll put the leftover lump in a metal bucket with a tight-fitting lid. Then I use it in my kettle grill, and in the chimney starter (not as much sparking as new). When I use the WSM I'll use whatever leftover lump I have, and add as much new as I need to fill the ring.
 
I am in Santa Rosa off Hwy 101 about 70 miles North of San Francisco. I use my grill 2-4x a month and have always reused my coals. The only reason I brought this up is because the Book I referenced had been recommended by one of the BBQ sites and as such I wanted to know if I was doing something wrong. That same author in that same book suggests that the access door on the WSM should never be opened and in fact he states that he would recommend it be welded shut. Some folks have their own ideas about things.
 
Wiviott did a q and a for us here.

I'd suggest poking around that part of the forum to see if he clarified any of your issues.

Personally, I didn't find him very informative when I questioned him on the books tag line "everything you know about bbq is wrong."
 
Interesting comment about welding the access door shut. Not sure why anyone would do that.....I find it useful in the rare instances I need to add fuel or smoke wood, and it's very useful for topping off the water pan when needed.

Welcome to the board!

Rich
 
Thanks for the reference to his interview. I am a bit suprised that he decided to address this group after reading what he thought of the group on page 55 in his stock letter. "The site is populated by engineers who tend to put too much emphasis on things like time charts and ambient temperature." True or false or does it really matter? "We're just cookin here."
 
I always start out with a fresh ring of lump when using the WSM. for consistancy mostly

Any leftover lump from a previous smoke gets tossed in the chimney starter & I use it up that way.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">he states that he would recommend it be welded shut. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
If I did that, I wouldn't be able to do pizza or anything else that requires a high heat cook.
 
If I have new I use new. If I just need a bump I use the best of the old. It's not a $$$ issue. I don't throw pennies in the trash either.

James
 
I do it all the time. Briquettes have binding agent and chemicals that burn in them, with the coal. If you burn them once you burn off a lot of that so that by the time you re-use them you get a more pure product. That is my belief anyway, I have reused for years. Just make sure you pull out any wood pieces before you re-light or you just smoke your chimney, rather put them on with new wood at the end.
 
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