What to do with coals?


 
C

Costas C.

TVWBB Member
Hey all, had my second cook last Sunday, and remembered I needed to clean up the water bowl yesterday. I realized I need to do something with the used coals.

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I didn't feel the need to empty after my first cook because is was only a 4.5 - 5 hour cook, and figured that there was enough fuel for the second cook. However, now I need to clean out the ash out of the bottom bowl.

Looks like there still are quite a bit of unspent coals in the coal ring, and I don't really want to waste fuel, so what do I do here? Sift out the coals?
 
be careful when disposing of the ash. I've found coals hot enough to burn me almost 24 hours after shutting down all the vents.

Kev
 
Go to your local hardware store and buy a small galvanized garbage can and dump your ashes in the can. I've had one for years and it has a tight fitting lid. I usually wait until the next day or two after a cook to dump the ash.
 
Looks like you might need to FINALLY add more coals...
Who sez WSM aren't efficient smokers :)

You could always give those 'experienced' coals to someone cooking on a stick burner...
 
I've found that if you save coals from one cook to the next they don't seem to last as long as "fresh" ones. So I use old coals in my chimney starter or as a base for shorter cooks. Never had good luck with using old and new coals in long cooks. Always seems to run out of oomph somewhere along the line.
 
My experience is the same as Paul H's. I'll use old coals for hamburgers or in the chimney to start fresh coals using the Minion method. But the old coals are definitely useable and I'll keep saving them....
 
Yup, save the old coals for grilling or shorter smokes and start off with fresh charcoal in the Mountain...............
 
ScottE said:
Yup, save the old coals for grilling or shorter smokes and start off with fresh charcoal in the Mountain...............
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Undortunately, I have a gasser for my grill, so no go on that idea. Definitely need to wire the charcoal basket to the grate.
 
I bought a cheap vegetable grilling sheet - I think its made out of aluminum - but it cost me 99c at the local super market - its super thin- and instead of buying another grate, I just place this over the charcoal grate and at the end I can shake out the ash and keep the lump in place!
 
I would save some of the less spent coals to use to start your fresh coal for your next smoking session!!
 
I had a similar looking bowl last time. I just stirred them around to let the ashes fall, then topped with fresh to the top. Ran 14 hours. First time I have started a cook without using all new. I see no reason to remove them now.
 
I would buy a second charcoal grate before I wire the ring to it. Then I would turn that grate 90 degrees to the original and wire it up. This way to keep the smaller pieces from falling through. They make great fill in when you are using lump to eliminate air space.
 
timothy said:
16 Ga re-bar-tie wire for me.
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Finally !! I had a really handy roll of wire I used for all kinds of tasks but couldn't remember where it came from... thank you !!

Now I can go wire *my* charcoal ring to the charcoal grate.
 
Last edited:
Kewl!
Just to be sure for anyone that is looking to buy some, go with the plain black wire. They make one that has a plastic coating and one with a green chemical coating which resists corrosion.

Tim
 
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