Burn quality of leftover Kingsford ?


 
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Rita Y

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Example: I completely fill the charcoal chamber to the top with Kingsford and run my WSM for about 5 hours and then shut it down, shaking out the ashes and leaving the remaining Kingsford in the chamber until my next cook.

My WSM is stored on my deck with a large roof overhang.

What kind of burn quality can I expect on my next cook if I let it stand that way for, say, a month before cooking again? 3 months? Does the Kingsford deteriorate over time?

Thanks,
Rita
 
With future use in mind, I would want to find a way to keep it as dry as possible. I find the leftovers, if they have burned to the point of being totally ashed over, behave a lot more like lump charcoal when re-lit-- hotter and faster-burning.
 
I believe the leftover will absorb too much moisture if left in the cooker, especially given the humidity of Atlanta which is similiar to my own. I recommend dumping it into a garbage bag and then putting it into a container with a locking lid. Even if left on the porch, this should be better.

I use my leftover for grilling only. It is more similiar to lump and therefore actually works better. When I used it in the WSM, even when dry, it was somewhat unpredictable in terms of burn time and is not consistent with the fresh you'd be using. Thus, temp flucuations.

Paul
 
I got lazy last weekend and left the coals that have been sitting in the charcoal ring. I'd say it was about half full. I had already knocked all the ashes off them and dumped them.

They had been in there 2 weeks. It has rained like crazy here the last 2 weeks and the humidity is pretty heavy too.

I filled up the ring with new Kingford, tossed about 20 lit coals on and was off and running with Ribs and Chicken Thighs. Took the thighs off at the 3 hr mark and into the warm oven to hold. Took the Ribs off at the 6 hour mark. Temps held steady at 225 for the entire cook.

This was about 2:00 PM when I was done. The top vent on my WSM is stuck (I need to WD-40 it or something - built up gunk) so I didn't close it. I closed the bottom vents.

Later on, about 8:00 PM I checked it and it was running at 181*. I looked and there were still plenty of coals, so I opened the bottom vents and pretty soon it was up to 230*. I had some more chicken so I tossed it on. Took it off 3 hours later. WSM was up to 260*. That was 16 hours after I started that morning.

So, what happened? Why no problem cooking with damp coals? My theory is that the hot coals on top caused the old coals to dry out.

Anyway, it certainly didn't seem to affect the cook at all. I was certainly surprised.
 
I'm like Paul...I use my leftovers strictly for grilling. My Kettle sits outside where it gets rained on all the time and the humidity here in Huntsville is (I'm sure) just as bad in Atlanta and the coals work just fine. I, personally, do not believe I would use any leftover Kingsford when 'Qing.
 
Not to offend, but, I use my leftover for q'ing. I sprinkle it on top of the new unlit coals as they will breakdown quicker and then they are gone. Never experienced temp spikes because the new ones are helping regulate the temp I suppose! Besides, I don't have a kettle anymore, and I am not going to use my WSM as a direct griller! Seems sacreligious to me!
 
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