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Burn off all charcoal

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Chetscapes
Chetscapes Posts: 121
in EggHead Forum
i was wondering if it is a good idea to burn all the charcoal out of your egg. I cook with different smoke woods but I never burn all the charcoal out. I think I have a mixture of smokewoods since I got it last November. Any other maintence advice?
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,897
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    +1 what Michael just said!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • blukat
    blukat Posts: 354
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    +1 as Carolina Q said
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  • Chetscapes
    Chetscapes Posts: 121
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    So you never get back to one type of smoke wood, it will always be a mixture. I will try it and see if is different
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  • Jeremiah
    Jeremiah Posts: 6,412
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    Agreed. 
    Slumming it in Aiken, SC. 
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
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    If I can ID the old smoke wood, I might (or might not) toss it. I really don't worry about it. By then, I guess I've turned it into lump anyway. 

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • Legume
    Legume Posts: 14,627
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    If you're cooking pizza or something really hot you'll burn most out anyway.  If you're doing a low and slow you'll fill it up with lump and add new wood chunks minimizing what's left anyway.  Everything in between won't matter much. Just cooked some chicken breasts and I smell a little smoke but no idea what it is, probably some alder and some apple from my last two smoke cooks, but I really can't tell what.
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  • fusionhq
    fusionhq Posts: 1,707
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    I usually leave it and stir it. Unless I'm cooking something that I don't want a smoke on. (Usually not the case) heck my cobblers are smoked!
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,684
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    Any wood that been in there after a while has turned into charcoal.  Fire it up and look for white smoke, as soon as its gone you're smoke wood free.

    The only time I ever burn it all off is if there's a lot of grease in the egg or on the charcoal......again white smoke.  As soon as it burns clear, no off flavors to worry about.

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  • Lmidkiff
    Lmidkiff Posts: 442
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    After pizza or a low and slow I'll let it all burn out so I can do a good all round clean. Otherwise I just stir and add. 
    McKinney, TX
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  • jeroldharter
    jeroldharter Posts: 556
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    You can always pluck out large smoke wood chunks when you add the next batch of lump, for example if you just used Hickory and worry that it will overpower the next cook with pecan. But I rarely worry about it. Except for hickory and mesquite, I have a hard time distinguishing among different types of smoke.

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  • DieselkW
    DieselkW Posts: 894
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    I think, and it's not backed up by anything I've heard or read or feel certain about, if you're cooking hot enough to sear it doesn't matter what species of smoke wood is in there. If you're using old smoke wood mixed with new at low temperature, it seems to me that the new wood is going to impart the most flavor, overwhelming anything that is already charred and left behind.

    Just a hunch, it "feels" right to me.

    Indianapolis, IN

    BBQ is a celebration of culture in America. It is the closest thing we have to the wines and cheeses of Europe. 

    Drive a few hundred miles in any direction, and the experience changes dramatically. 



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  • UCFFAN
    UCFFAN Posts: 38
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    Ah...Great Question!

    SO...I'm a the keep her Clean guy... Always clean after a long cook including removing the wood. I cook with a variety of different woods. Depends on what I'm cooking... Ribs = Oak, Mesquite, Prime Rib = Oak, Pecan, or combo of Apple/Cherry. Chicken and Turkey = light amounts of apple, cherry, or my new favorite Orange. Steaks = Pacan or Oak. Pizza and Pies = Nada/Nuttin Honey and I always let the (XL)Egg get to temp and stay there for an hour or so to burn off any residual before cooking pie and pizza because the crust will pick up smoke big time. I believe its critical to remove and clean the egg frequently to get the best performance out of it... and have found chunks are better than chips....(See my recent post on "Cookin for Crowds")
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  • Chetscapes
    Chetscapes Posts: 121
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    Thanks for all the suggestions
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  • Zmokin
    Zmokin Posts: 1,938
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    Carolina Q said:
    If I can ID the old smoke wood, I might (or might not) toss it. I really don't worry about it. By then, I guess I've turned it into lump anyway. 
    I agree that the smoke wood has been turned into lump.  My proof is my first spatchcock cook.  My chicken while it came out crispy was very light in color.
    It turned out that was because I didn't add any new smoke wood.  The chicken was good, but didn't look, smell, or taste like it had been in a smoker.  The only smoke wood was the leftovers from the previous cooks which didn't impart any smoke flavor or color.
    Large BGE in a Sole' Gourmet Table
    Using the Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter,
     and a BBQ Guru temp controller.

    Medium BGE in custom modified off-road nest.
    Black Cast Iron grill, Plate Setter, and a Party-Q temp controller.

    Location: somewhere West of the Mason-Dixon Line
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