Fuel storage...

[Jason Robinson]

I have about four 1/2 bags of lump/charcoal that will not burn very well because it has taken on moisture I left these bags in my garage in a cabinet for the last few months but they still took on moisture. I thought by getting them off the floor they would keep,so now I have put them in my utility room(my wife like that!!ha)in hopes of keeping them dry...Any ideas or opinions?

 

[Larry D.]

I usually keep my charcoal in a plastic storage bin out on the deck. To prevent it from absorbing moisture, I put the bag inside a 30-gallon trash bag and close the top tightly (i.e., I tie a knot in it, but I'm sure a twist tie would work just as well). As for the charcoal you have now, I wonder if it wouldn't work just fine in a cooker with a Guru or Stoker. The Guru/Stoker would be able to adjust by increasing the draft. Otherwise, you might use that charcoal for hot dogs and burgers on the grill, where cooking speed or temperature isn't really that critical.

 

[K Kruger]

The dryness of your utility room will dry the coal sufficiently after a while (open the bags). I store mine in a shed with A/C--though the A/C is off in winter. Eventually it absorbs moisture and is more difficult to light. For grilling (when I'm lighting a full chimney) it often takes a bit more newspaper or oil-soaked paper towel (whatever I'm using) to get going. Once lit at the bottom, the rising heat seems to drive out any excess moisture sufficiently before it's dumped. For a Minion I'll either light a bit more for the start or, if I'm certain the coal is likely on the moist side, use new coal, saving the moister stuff for grilling.

Another option is to store the bags in a large yard-size garbage bag, as Larry suggests, perhaps in which you've placed a dessicant, preferably a renewable one.