I hope to make a batch this summer. If my logic needs correcting please do so. My target species is 2x harder than oak. So my thinking is that the char fuel should be just like wood in a wood stove, the more dense/hard the wood the more btu correct? I have access to some 70 year old lilac in an old abandoned farm yard that is about 6 inch diameter, they are over grown green monsters.
I might have to try making a few batches of charcoal this summer after being inspired by your posts FatBoy85 . I thought I read of a similar method of either a barrel within a barrel, or just a single barrel with a lid. Anyways, I think the lid needs a hole, and as you're going along, the smoke or volatiles push out the hole in the top. when the color changes, that's the time to cover with a lid and seal the hole. Something like that.
Sask, I don’t vacuum seal the hole like a pressure cooker so its just a loose lid with rocks on it. Plenty of smoke escaping. Its a lot like your bbq within the first few mins of smoking before it turns blue. I agree with the hole though i just had to make an adjustment and the lid seemed to work fine.
Haha that! I wouldn’t want anyone to be on the end of that but I made one hole the size of a coin before.
I'm going to stir the pot here. What is the benefit of making a batch of charcoal versus taking small branches in the yard and making a fire in a grill and cooking over the coals when ready. I've used oak, maple, apple and a few other species and never noticed any flavor differences once burned down to coals. Maybe length of burn time by species. I can appreciate knowing the source of the charcoal versus store bought. I had a chunk of charcoal in the shape of T & G hardwood flooring in a store bought bag.
I’m gonna let someone else hopefully fill in this gap but with a little bit of my own. I don’t have that perfectly seasoned wood here buddy.. some are wondering “how the heck does he cover his wood?” Truth is I take a lazy version of it in the form of tarps and make it work. I have officially taken off every tarp off my wood just this evening but took the majority off about a month ago... I could absolutely put hardwoods to the test here but imagine a place that looks like where Luke Skywalker took a dive to find Yoda. It’s just wet and hard to control unless a wood shed is made. Wind does a fantastic job of either slathering rain or removing it in a steadfast way during dry days. I often just have to grin it and go for it this summer. I would immediately get raw wood if that’s a term opposed to charcoal made from the same wood. However that is only if it is ABSOLUTELY dried out for the last 3-4 months with moderate rain. With your question brings the notion: is dry wood just as reliable for results on the bbq as charcoal. I bbq’d burgers with garry oak charcoal today. Fantastic flavor! I think charcoal has a better chance of coaling than wood which may flame more often.
I really take the lazy man's way out for charcoal. I overload my outdoor wood boiler for a few days with nothing but charcoal-quality wood - usually beech and cherry. Hickory is great, as is white oak. Apple when I can get it. Sugar maple imparts a bitterness during the cooking process that I find unpalatable. So - good quality wood, monitor the fire, and eventually I wind up with a thick bed of coals in the bottom. That's when I scoop them out and put them in a galvanized metal can with a tight-fitting lid. I can get 5-10 lb of charcoal at a pop. The two-barrel retort system is really nice though, especially if you have no other means of making it. Homemade charcoal, no matter what the method, is immensely satisfying to use.
I found this imparts a lot of flavor to the grill cooking. Not that using regular charcoal doesn’t but there is a certain je nais sais quoi about it being real wood chunks. Some of my charcoal isn’t completely burned so it’s a half and half thing. Not seasoned enough..... I agree cannot resist doing it when I have the wood and it’s cheaper than buying it.
By making a batch of charcoal, you are basically doing the first half of the burning process (burning off the volatiles) at a convenient time. Come grilling time, the charcoal is going to be ready to cook on sooner than if you had started with wood in the grill.
Also with wood not charcoal flames lick the food so it’s prone to burning rather than a toasting. If you plan to use wood its more effective as either smoke or to keep the fire going. I often blend the two for flavor and the mix can be extremely potent for bbq. It’s wonderful when you can get great results at a happy medium.
The lady and I got to cleaning up and burning pallets last night, I had prepped for some charcoal. Fresh charcoal from apple. This one really came out great.
