Yesterdays coal...

[MichaelM]

Curious how everyone handles their unburnt coals from prior cooks. Literally.
Do you collect the unburned coals and return them to the chimney to be lit when setting up your next cook? If yes, do you transfer them by hand? With a scoop or shovel of sime kind?
Or, do you leave them in-place and add new coal/ briquettes on top of the old after shaking the ash off?

It's kind of hard to collect lump coal from the charcoal rack using any kind of tool. The lumps (and briquettes) tend to get caught in the grates. Doing it by hand is pretty messy, a bit laborious but more effective.

 

[JimZ]

Normally I use the baskets and shake off the loose burned stuff and dump them into the bottom of the chimney and reuse.

 

[ChuckH]

I just shake or knock the ash off of them and dump fresh on top of them and away I go.

 

[ChristopherC]

So far if it is the WSM, I have just been adding to it unless I want to clean things up and start fresh.

Performer...I have been picking them up with charcoal tongs and putting them in the chimney for next light.

 

[Steve in CO]

Like JimZ, I use the charcoal baskets, so it's easy to shake off the ash and dump them into the chimney for lighting. I put new charcoal (15-20 pieces) in the chimney first to keep the small pieces from falling through, add the used coals, then add more new stuff on top if I feel like I'll need more for the cook. Last night, I didn't add any extra new charcoal on top since I was just doing some quick burger patties.

 

[Michael Richards]

Like JimZ, I use the charcoal baskets, so it's easy to shake off the ash and dump them into the chimney for lighting. I put new charcoal (15-20 pieces) in the chimney first to keep the small pieces from falling through, add the used coals, then add more new stuff on top if I feel like I'll need more for the cook. Last night, I didn't add any extra new charcoal on top since I was just doing some quick burger patties.

Yep this is almost exactly what I do. Love reusing charcoal. I do a little of everything to get them out. When I am using my weber baskets shake them and add to used on top of a base of new in the chimney or I place it in a metal bin for future cook. If I don't use my baskets I either use the tongs or if I am in a rush I use my hands. I have learned I like charcoal that stays together better for this reason. I have has zero problems with this practice.

 

[Jim C in Denver]

I just shake or knock the ash off of them and dump fresh on top of them and away I go.

Me too. If you like to reuse coals, you definitely should have the criss cross second grate.

And I push the old coals into a pile in front of the front vent (which is my primary and always open). So the old will be sure to be burned up in the next cook.

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

I pretty much always use either charcoal baskets or the slow n sear.
Either way, when I load up my chimney almost full with new charcoal, then pour the old charcoal on top. I do shake out the ash before dumping the old stuff in the chimney.

Sometimes I will just light new charcoal in the small chimney and dump it on top of the old coals.

 

[John K BBQ]

I reuse the coals, I usually put on a pair of medium duty work gloves and just grab handfuls to load the chimney and then if there's more I spread them in an even layer around the edge of the charcoal ring.

 

[Lynn Dollar]

I put them in a bucket like this from Home Depot, then I use them for cooks like burgers. Or mix them 50/50 with lump for other direct heat grilling cooks. Rarely use them for indirect cooks.

 

[MichaelM]

I have the same bucket.. I think many of us do. If I am changing my cooking setup, I've been using my bare hands to transfer the partially used coals. Not a big deal, though gloves do seem like a logical choice. Otherwise I am building my new coals on top of the old after giving them a shake.

I don't have the SNS.. I converted my Weber baskets into a poor-mans-SNS, aka Bro-n-Sear. The bottom of the basket is open. I've been thinking about a criss-cross charcoal grate to save the smaller pieces from dropping through and clogging the bottom vents. My charcoal grate is due to be replaced soon. Are there any alternatives to using two grates?

 

[Chris Allingham]

Previously used briquets tend to compact together in the bottom of a chimney starter, if using one, so it's recommended that you put fresh briquets in the chimney first, the old stuff on top of that, then light.

 

[Brian_D]

^^^What Chris said^^^
I have a performer with the baskets. I shake the ash of the used coals, dump them all into one basket, put a single later of fresh coals in the empty basket. Then I dump the used coals over the fresh (some spill/overflow out), put a fresh layer in the now empty 2nd basket & put overflowed used coals on top. Now I've got fresh coals in the bottom of both baskets.
I've found that reglighting used coals takes waaaay too long - a layer of fresh on the bottom gets the process going much quicker.

 

[Kyle in Woodstock]

Previously used briquets tend to compact together in the bottom of a chimney starter, if using one, so it's recommended that you put fresh briquets in the chimney first, the old stuff on top of that, then light.

That's what I do, but mostly so the smaller pieces of old coals don't fall through the chimney

 

[Timothy F. Lewis]

I use Chris’s method as well, fresh on the bottom, used on top.
I use baskets virtually all the time so, the transfer is pretty simple, especially when going from indirect to Vortex.
When I install the Vortex, I drop the basket coal shaken (not stirred) into the Vortex, fill the chimney about 1/3-1/2 full and light as usual, thermonuclear temps in 20 minutes.