How to Clean Out Charcoal Ash after WSM BBQ session?


 
H

Howard V

TVWBB Member
Hello all,

I have been a gas grill guy all of my life until recent usage of WSM. Using charcoal (kingsford briquettes) and cleaning up ash is still new to me. My WSM is on my deck which is on the second level of my house so I am not next to my trash bin which is downstairs in my garage. And I don't want to carry the bottom WSM charcoal apparatus thru my house and have ashes fall inside the house (wife would kill me). What is the best way to clean it up?

1) I tried scooping up the ash with an empty tin can into a small trash bag. It took a long time.

2) I also tried using putting a extra large trash bag all around the bottom apparatus and titling it over on the side with my legs (difficult to do by myself). It created a cloud of ash in my face and body.

3) How often do you clean charcoal ash out? After every cooking session or wait until its a large pile inside?

Can the charcoal ash be used as compose or fertilizer? My wife has plantar boxes on the deck with her flowers . Maybe I can just toss it there assuming it helps her flowers and not destroyed them. Or I can put in her garden instead of trashing it.

Thoughts? Advice?

Thank you!

Howard
 
What about putting the lid on the base and then putting it in a large box that can be carried downstairs? Other than that, what about relocating the WSM to ground level?

I don't use charcoal ash as a fertilizer, but it's handy for plugging up critter holes (and sometimes cattle tracks) in the yard.
 
Brad Olson said:
What about putting the lid on the base and then putting it in a large box that can be carried downstairs? Other than that, what about relocating the WSM to ground level?

I don't use charcoal ash as a fertilizer, but it's handy for plugging up critter holes (and sometimes cattle tracks) in the yard.
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My townhouse does not have any outdoor space on ground level for the WSM. Unless I want to cook inside of my garage but it's jammed pack with 2 cars already park inside. I also don't believe my HOA will allow any grilling equipment on the ground level with how our complex is configured. The second level deck is only spot I place the WSM.
 
Chris Allingham said:
WSM Cleanup, Maintenance, Storage: https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cleanup-maintenance-storage/

Ashes in the garden: generally not recommended. https://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cleanup-maintenance-storage/#garden

Dump the ashes after each cook. I do what you do, dump into a yard waste bag. Then you can carry through the house down to the garbage.

Click to expand...

Hi Chris,

Very helpful video. I noticed you had leftover charcoal that you disposed of along with the ash. Do you recommend using only new charcoals for each cooking session? Is the leftover charcoal not worth savaging for the next cook?

Thanks!
 
I live in a second-floor walk up in the city but my WSM is on a ground level patio. I use a paper grocery bag (or sack if you're in Texas) for cleanup–I always ask the grocery people to bag one bag of groceries in paper so I have a supply. I dump the ash into the bag then scrape down the bowl with a plastic blade scraper. I dump the remnants into the bag, fold the top and dispose like regular trash.

I never clean my pit more than this (with the exception of scraping creosote from the lid). The smokey, greasy residue makes for a natural seal on a very porous pit.
 
Problem with plastic and paper is __sometimes__ the ash being dumped is STILL HOT, even glowing hot. Saw the results to a neighors garage across the street. Expensive lesson for them...
 
I am a cheap old son-of-gun so I will re-purpose those stiff 4 X 6 cards I get in the mail advertising for politicians, insurance, home improvement shysters etc. I can gently bend the card so they curve into the bottom and shovel out the ashes. Disposable and CHEAP.
Another trick I use is to place a round weber spark shield, a part I ordered originally from a kettle, I think. It fits perfectly inside the bottom and you can just lift it out ashes and all.
 
I use a gallon plastic milk jug, which I cut the bottom off. It's flexible enough to fit the curve of the ash pan. I scoop into a trash bag and combine it with the contents of the water pan a la Chris' video.
 
Howard V said:
I noticed you had leftover charcoal that you disposed of along with the ash. Do you recommend using only new charcoals for each cooking session? Is the leftover charcoal not worth savaging for the next cook?
Click to expand...
Funny you should ask, this is the subject of my next video. No, I do not use leftover charcoal. I'm frugal when it comes to many things, but saving and reusing leftover Kingsford charcoal is not one of them. If I was using a small batch, artisanal lump charcoal made only in leap years from a rare species of tree found only on north-facing slopes in Fiji...I would save and reuse. If you're intent on saving and reusing charcoal, consider connecting the charcoal chamber to the charcoal grate to create a big sifter. Sift out the ashes into the bowl, discard the tiniest bits of charcoal that don't make sense to keep, and store the remainder in a separate charcoal bag in a dry location with the rest of your stash. When lighting in a chimney, start with fresh charcoal in the bottom and leftovers on top. Leftovers tend to pack together at the bottom of the chimney, impeding airflow and efficient lighting. (Testing by Cook's Illustrated confirms this.) When loading unlit charcoal into the charcoal chamber for Minion Method, same thing...fresh on the bottom, then leftover charcoal, then add lit charcoal on top. Your leftovers will be the first to burn.
 
I use the bleach bottle scoop and put the ash in a galvanized bucket. I use an empty Kingsford Bag as my cold ash container and once it gets a lot in it I put it in the trash. Chris is frugal but I'm so cheap I squeak. I reuse unburned briquettes the way Chris described and I wired my charcoal ring to the grate and added handles (U bolts) so I could pick up and shake the whole thing..
 
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