Charcoal

[antonywardle]

Charcoal is a good product to use when you want to cook. It can also be used in a forge as it can burn hotter so you have the opportunity to melt things that required a high temperature. I have a lot of wood lying around, so I thought I'd have a go and see if I can make some. Its a pretty easy process. 

 

Find a paint can and stuff as much wood as you can into it.

Next thing is to put a lid on it to seal it, making sure you have a small hole in it. 

The hole means that pressure won't make the lid pop off,

Next is you heat it up.. I put it my fire place.

Keep an eye on it, and wood gas comes out the top and will burn off.

Wait until the flame goes out

 

Take it out, put it somewhere to cool down and block up the hole. This is stop any

chance of embers that might have fallen in catching fire.

When cooled, open it up, and admire your handiwork

 

Next thing to try is actually using it. Thanks for reading!

 

 

 

 

[Fab1]

Good stuff mate.

   I make my own hardwood charcoal too using 20litre paint tins or 44 gallon drums as i have charcoal fired bbq's all the time and use alot.

I have an open pit fire going and sit the drum/s on top and stack wood up on the outside of the drum/s too.

If i bought heat beads or lump from  places like the green warehouse I'd need shares in the place.

As for trying it out,I'd doubt you'd go back to buying beads or lump as the flavour cant be beaten in my opinion.

People buy gas bbqs probably mainly for convenience,quickness but the process of gathering the wood or charcoal,lighting it,watching it burn down etc while having a few beers enjoying the outdoors,friends,family is what makes it for me.

  In Uruguay where im from and countries like Argentina,Chile etc a bbq (Fiesta)goes on for hours,many times into the late hours of the next morning or longer.

People will turn up at say 6-7pm and will still be there at 2-3pm or longer.lol.

Another thing i never forget to accompany my bbqs with  doesn't matter if its beef,chicken fish is Chimichurri sauce which is very traditional for us and goes down great.

Let me know what you think of your maiden voyage into cooking with your own homemade charcoal.

Cheers.

[antonywardle]

Thanks very much for the extra information. I didn't have a bigger pain can lying around, I just used what I could find and that would fit in my firepace, when the Mrs wasn't around ? 

 

I'll look up that sauce too. Sounds excellent

Cheers

[Berleyguts]

Oh! So that’s how they make it!?

[Nolongeramember]

How long does it take to “cook” the wood? 

[antonywardle]

I think it was around 1/2 hour depending on how hot I had the fire. I was working at the same time and would only look up every now and then. As I said, my tin was small, I think a 1 litre, so maybe a bigger one might take longer to get all the gas to burn off. If I find a bigger one that fits in the fireplace, I'll give it ago

 

 

 

 

[Fab1]

57 minutes ago, Hateanchors said:

How long does it take to “cook” the wood? 

I burn the 20L drum a couple hrs and the 44 gallon overnight.

[Fab1]

Smokey bbq pork ribs getting done over the coals live.Second test of my new bbq.

Edited August 28, 2018 by Fab1

[Fab1]

[Fab1]

End result.

[Scratchie]

18 minutes ago, Fab1 said:

End result.

Stop it!!! It makes my spaghetti on toast very below par! ?

[GoingFishing]

28 minutes ago, Fab1 said:

End result.

You sure know how to put together a decent feed Fab....YUM

[JimT]

sorry for my ignorance but why burn wood to create the heat to make charcoal which you are then going to burn again. sounds like your doing the job twice. I do understand the flavour of charcoal is 2nd to none. 

Jim..........

[Fab1]

18 hours ago, Scratchie said:

Stop it!!! It makes my spaghetti on toast very below par! ?

Sounds Gourmet to my usual cheese toasties when we're strapped for cash.

18 hours ago, GoingFishing said:

You sure know how to put together a decent feed Fab....YUM

I try my best.Never had a complaint thus far so i must be doing something right for a change.

14 hours ago, jot said:

sorry for my ignorance but why burn wood to create the heat to make charcoal which you are then going to burn again. sounds like your doing the job twice. I do understand the flavour of charcoal is 2nd to none. 

Jim..........

The reasons i do it is to save time,storage space,weight,theres no smoke,doesn't attract things like snakes and spiders stockpiling wood,its easier to bag and pass some on to family etc.

  Theres nothing wrong with wood fired bbqs as i sometimes gather and split my wood and have the bbq the same day.

In fact I split some today for the brother in laws sons birthday party tonight.

[antonywardle]

Charcoal can burn hotter, so if I ever get around to making my forge, then I can use it in there to melt metal that has a higher melting point like steel. I guess the real question is why do I want to melt steel, and I don't have a reason for that, other than, to have a go!

 

 

[JimT]

3 hours ago, antonywardle said:

Charcoal can burn hotter, so if I ever get around to making my forge, then I can use it in there to melt metal that has a higher melting point like steel. I guess the real question is why do I want to melt steel, and I don't have a reason for that, other than, to have a go!

 

 

Sounds like my son(Nicknamed The Firebug) loves his BBQ and smoking slow cooking he's getting better at. When you ask him why.....he says why not

[Fab1]

I made this bbq today with regular heatbeads.Not as good as the charcoal ones but no complaints either.

Loving my new job and all the days off for occasions like this.

[Fab1]

The end result.

[Nolongeramember]

Yum, yum, yum. ?

[Fab1]

Was going to go out night fishing but decided to leave it for now and cook up a snack for the family instead. 

[Fab1]

Went down well with a simple crunchy noodle coleslaw salad and chimichurri.

[Blackfish]

Bloody Yum.

[big Neil]

G nash, g nash Fab.    bn

[mrsswordfisherman]

That looks delicious 

[Fab1]

Thanks guys,i had no complaints as it got devoured.