11 replies to this topic

[cooperman435]

I had a charcoal burn to celebrate the new position last night, I'd run out of pine charcoal and wow did it take me back to the good old days!

 

Edited by cooperman435, 01 April 2016 - 09:59 AM.

[wayne]

 Excellent!

 

I made my own for the first time last year...Only for BBQ though at the the moment, got plenty of willow charcoal in stock for the good stuff! 

 

Its strangely quite a nice feeling cooking a nice steak on charcoal you've made...and it burns so hot, much hotter than shop bought stuff, it must be the type of wood.  So far, I've tried, pine, oak, silver birch and beech.  

[Vic]

Years since I have made any, used to sit round my old incinerator and it did a great job for what I needed,

brings back happy memorise.

 

[phildunford]

Used to make experimental quantities when I had a small quantity of odd wood. Best was from grapevine thinnings, made in a treacle tin!

[JamesB]

Great stuff! Any tips on construction of the charcoal vessel, amount and position of holes etc?

[starseeker]

Great stuff! Any tips on construction of the charcoal vessel, amount and position of holes etc?

I used to use a metal paint tin,knock a hole in the lid with a plasterboard nail,cram as much wood in there as possible (approx 1 inch diameter)then put it on the fire until the vapour ceases to come out the hole and then put the nail back in the hole and allow to cool down.

[Deano 1]

Great stuff! Any tips on construction of the charcoal vessel, amount and position of holes etc?

This my way James, 7 year ago.

[cooperman435]

Deano wouldn't it be better to put the tins in the other way up to stop ash from the fire going into your charcoal? It also means the burning gasses from the wood being charcoal help heat up the tins too :-)

For me it depends what I'm making. If it a specialty batch for testing purposes like PhillD mentioned then I'd use the retort method (any metal container that will restrict free air flow around the wood will do, tin cans, paint cans with lids, old pressure cooker etc, just be sure there is somewhere for the vapours to escape)

If I'm making large batches then I use the open retort method of continually adding wood into a sealed bottom barrel and allowing it to burn off to charcoal before adding more wood, it starves the charcoal below of oxygen due to the flame using it up, requires no fuel at all apart from the wood actually being charcoaled, produces a container that's actually full of charcoal when finished too, hardly any smoke and it can be used to make full drums like mine in s few hours !

[Deano 1]

I never had any problems with ash and you're right about the gasses fueling the cooking. 

I use the large paint tin method with a small hole in the top for making coke from half ton of coal I had give me, for my forge. It works great although a little long winded.

I think I'll give the barrel method a go for the bbq.

[cooperman435]

If your making big batches I guarantee you'll thank me for the bbq batches :-)

If you want a chat in the phone I'll happily share the tricks Ive learnt to make the first go at it easy? PM me if so

[Deano 1]

If your making big batches I guarantee you'll thank me for the bbq batches :-)

If you want a chat in the phone I'll happily share the tricks Ive learnt to make the first go at it easy? PM me if so

I'll be in touch Phill.

[megabusa]

It's nice to see practical discussions coming back !

 

I use chocolate or biscuit tins, like you get at Christmas, with a few small holes in the top, crammed full of the wood I want to use.

 

Leave it on the fire until the smoke/vapour stops coming out & remove it.

 

If you wrap wire around it to keep the lid on, leave a loop so you can lift it out with a stick when done.

 

Nothing fancy at all & it works.

 

 

Phil.