In Place Ash Removal


 
B

Brian Michalk

New member
When I do a long smoke in cold weather, I use a lot more fuel. After some period of time the ash builds up to a point such that it won't maintain enough fire to hold temps after adding fresh charcoal.
I know lump leaves much less residue, so don't go there as a suggestion.
I am also going to try a welding blanket to keep fuel requirements down.

I already have a 1/8" hole in the bottom of the WSM so that water will drain out. My thought is to drill a 2" hole and use a cheap steel snap-on plug to close the hole. When I need to remove the ashes during a smoke, pop out the plug and scrape around a bit to drag out the ashes. Then, pop the plug back into place.

What would be an optimum solution is a one-touch feature, but I can't find anything like that as an accessory. Does anyone have any other ideas?
 
I use a milk jug turned upside down with the bottom cut out as a scoop. I don't use it mid cook, only before the cook begins.
 
This will be my first winter with my WSM 22.5", so I am not sure how well I am understanding your issue. When I have done long cooks (12 plus hours), I have used a full basket of charcoal, and even towards the end of the cook when the charcoal has mostly turned to ash, the remaining charcoal still seems hot enough to light new coal. Maybe you are adding the new coal too late?

I bought the welders blanket too. Will be trying that out soon...
 
Well, not all of my smokes have this problem. It's related to how much fuel is required to hold temps, but when it does happen, it's an annoyance. The level of ash rises to the grate to the point that my charcoal is sitting on ash, and my BBQ pit controller fan does not push air in evenly to maintain temperatures.

My original question about a way to clean ashes during a cook is still outstanding. I'm surprised others have not had this problem. Yeah, these are about 16 hour smokes, so it's a long time.

In the past, I've pulled the meat off and put it in the oven, but last year my wife was baking bread in the oven for Christmas, forcing me to finish the que outside. I eventually pulled the smoker apart and emptied the bottom bowl and re-lit a fresh fire.

I've also used wood to finish cooking, but to me tasted like I oversmoked my meat. Everyone else liked it, but I thought it had some bitter.

I have both an 18" and 22.5" The 22.5" definitely requires more fuel.

THoey said:
This will be my first winter with my WSM 22.5", so I am not sure how well I am understanding your issue. When I have done long cooks (12 plus hours), I have used a full basket of charcoal, and even towards the end of the cook when the charcoal has mostly turned to ash, the remaining charcoal still seems hot enough to light new coal. Maybe you are adding the new coal too late?

I bought the welders blanket too. Will be trying that out soon...
Click to expand...
 
Brian Michalk said:
When I do a long smoke in cold weather, I use a lot more fuel. After some period of time the ash builds up to a point such that it won't maintain enough fire to hold temps after adding fresh charcoal.
Click to expand...
That's a lot of fuel if you've got that much ash, must be some really long cooks?

The only solution I can think of, is the solution I used when I was running the "el-cheapo-brinkman" (ECB) and that was: Have a second charcoal bowl.

With the ECB, mine was modified so that the legs were on the outside, so it was simply a matter of lifting the smoker off one bowl, and placing it on a freshly lit bowl

If you're running a WSM, you'd need gloves to lift the smoker off the charcoal bowl, and you'd have to be extra careful when installing it onto the fresh bowl, that you don't screw the pooch in the process
 
Why not just remove center section, knock the ash off, add more lump, and then replace the center section? I normally just stick some long tongs in the access door and shake the charcoal ring or grate to knock the ash. Some people tap the legs with a hammer as well.
 
I have tapped the legs with a hammer to knock down ash but since going to Stubbs it is not a problem for me. My longest cooks, typically butts is in the 12 hour range not 16 as suggested by OP
 
I do long smokes typically 10-14 hours with my 18.5 and have never had to add charcoal during the cook, and usually dump out the ash before I start a new cook every 2nd or third time. And this is in Wisconsin where many times I'm cooking in sub 0 degree weather without any insulating blankets or covers. All I do is move my smoker to an area that's out of the wind. I use Kingsford Original charcoal and don't experience excessive ash problems, at least as far as I know as I've always used Kingsford Original and so I can't compare it to other kinds of charcoal. Before doing surgery on your WSM I'd try other charcoal, adjusting your vents, keeping it out of the wind, anything else you can think of to reduce the amount of charcoal you're using and the amount of ash being produced.
 
I dunno, you must use some really ashy fuel, cause the bowls on all WSM's are pretty deep, and should last for one cook before a clean-out.
Way back, we had some members doing some 20+ hr cooks with ATC's and I don't recall this happening.:confused:
Maybe close the top vent, and use a fireplace vacuum on the bottom vents?

Tim
 
It would not be easy, but you can just pull the top and middle section off the charcoal bowl and dump the ash into a metal can. This can be done by fabricating some handles on the charcoal grate or wiring the charcoal ring to the charcoal grate to allow for lifting the charcoal "basket" out of the WSM and then dumping out the ash. You can basically just do this and start a new fire. I'm sure you have some sense that you can do this and you are looking for an easier way out.

Couple suggestions:

As has been mentioned, find a way to use less fuel. Keep the WSM out of the wind or get a blanket as you mentioned. Also, if you're using water in the pan, go waterless.

Find a better "less ashy" fuel. Not sure why you don't want to use lump but maybe you could reconsider for the extra long cooks. Even without going to lump, there are fuels that have less fillers and therefore less ash.

Distribute the ash better during the cook. If the ash is piling up but if spread out would not reach the grate, try kicking the legs of the WSM during the cook. Maybe disbursing the ash throughout the cook will give you a little more room.

I assume you're starting with a cleaned out charcoal bowl.

Make sure your WSM is assembled correctly. Maybe your charcoal ring is not sitting on the bolts and sitting too low in the bowl.

Given that I have never really noticed people complaining about ash build up, I believe there must be other options rather than drilling a 2" hole in your WSM to use as a clean out. If you go that route beyond the act of cutting into the WSM, realize that you would likely have ash flying all over any food you are cooking as there is an updraft in the WSM. This is typically not an issue because the vents tend to be over the ash pile.

Hope some of that helps.
 
I was also looking for a answer to this issue with. I am using a 22.5 WSM, kingsford charcoal, no water. I like to smoke around 220/240. With a full bag charcoal the ashes built up to the bottom of the charcoal by the time it has burned up. If more charcoal needs to be added it is harder to control the temperature. I also was thinking about boring a hole in the bottom of the ash pan using a rubber mallet to tap ash pan. Looks like we should have purchased a 18" smoker! Enjoyed reading the thread tks.
 
Welcome Gordon! How long are you cooking for? I’m using Weber charcoal in my 18” and have done 11 hour cooks with very little ash generated. I will still have 1/2 basket of unburned charcoal left after the cook. I’m aiming for 225 temps.
 
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