Better way to put out coals.

[Andy Linn]

I do not have gaskets and all three of my kettles will extinguish coals for reuse when I close the vents.

 

[Tim - tongatim]

ABSOLUTELY!
Remove grilled foods, close vents, eat dinner, wash dishes, have after dinner drink stroll to the kettle and feel the lid. Should be cool to the touch (within reason). Do Not Open to check! Relax.

Agreed. I've had no problem with my 22"kettle shutting down. I simply remove the meat when done, close upper and lower lids, make sure lid is seated, and by the time dinner dishes are done I am able to put the raincover on.

 

[CaseyMcC]

If I use the baskets I've found that they go out faster if I spread out the coals after taking the food off. They seem to retain a lot more heat leaving the coals bunched together. My kettle is cool enough to put the cover back on after I finish dinner. I usually give it about an hour. I almost always add a chunk of wood whenever I use it so it's always getting coated with soot around the lid.

I used a basket on Sunday and dumped the coals after everything was done cooking, then closed all the vents. Everything was cool to the touch a little over an hour later. So that's the winner. Thanks JW

 

[JWorden]

I'm glad you found that helpful. Just be careful not to spread hot ashes everywhere.

 

[TonyUK]

When finished cooking, lid on, close the lower vent(s) and top vent. Walk away and check the next day.
The kettle is not, by design, a hermetically sealed unit.

 

[Larry D.]

Kettle or WSM, I just close all the vents, make sure the lid is on correctly, and leave it until the next morning. I don't know how long it takes to cool down, but the majority (apparently the vast majority) of the unburned charcoal is still there. I put it into a metal bucket with a tight-fitting lid. The kettle is almost always fired up with recycled lump.