Does charcoal go bad or become unuseable?


 
J

Jason Paul

TVWBB Member
Quick question; I got a grill about 5½ years ago, and bought some charcoal that I ended up never using. I have one big bag of KBB and one bag of Royal Oak. I don't remember if they've been opened, but they've been sitting on my back porch for over five years. It's a covered porch, so they haven't been directly in the rain, but I'm sure they've gotten a bit wet here and there just from being outside.

Do you think they're still good?

I suppose I could just try them, but was curious what you guys think.

Thanks,
Jason
 
Its hard to say-if they have gotten wet then they may not be any good but I would suggest you just give them a try and see. I don't believe age is a factor but moisture will surly effect the charcoal.
 
I would think as long as it's dry it should be OK, especially the lump. It's possible that moisture could have weakened the binder in the KBB, but if so, they would be falling apart. Maybe mix them in with new charcoal and give it a go.
 
Yep, you'll know if you can't get a chimney to light. Chances are, it may be fine. If not, no big deal, go buy some more.
 
My dumb sister left a bag of kingsford comp sitting on a pile of her stuff (junk) at my moms. It sat in the rain all summer long. Finally I got Po'd and took it home to dry out on the back porch. It made for some great cooks and smokes!
 
Thanks again all. As a follow-up, I ended up using the old KBB charcoal and it seems it was fine, no issues. The bag had never been opened, so that probably helped a bit too.

Jason
 
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