Mangrove Charcoal - White residue at 600?

The Egg from Oz · January 2010

Hi everyone

If you can't guess from my handle, I'm from Australia. BGE charcoal is obscenely expensive here so I've looked at other, more cost effective options.

Came across a charcoal supplier who sells Kachi (or mangrove) charcoal quite cheaply - AUD$25 for 20kg.

I've used 3/4 of the bag and found it to be excellent. It consists of branch shaped charcoal and they are quite large pieces and burn very hot.

However, I've noticed something a little strange and hoping to get your thoughts. When I get the charcoal to really, really hot temperatures (above 600 degrees), it seems to leave a white residue on the inside of the egg. There is also a little white smoke when it is cooking at that temp. :huh:

This does not affect the taste of the food.

Has anyone experienced this before with their charcoal at high temp cooks?

2Fategghead · January 2010

The Egg from Oz, No I have not. Do you think it is some kind of moisture? Will it wipe off after the egg has cooled? Are you getting symptoms of twitching eyes or growing an extra toe :silly:

Hopefully it's nothing harmful. Can you contact the manufacture and check it out? Wish you well! Tim

The Egg from Oz · January 2010

The white reside does wipe off and seems to disappear when I do a lower temp cook.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to contact the manufacturer. I believe this charcoal is imported from Thailand and comes in an unbranded bag.

I do know that local charcoal chicken and other charcoal take-away places use mangrove charcoal, just wanted to know if this was normal - and it sounds like it isn't.

Just seems very strange.

Capt Frank · January 2010

I have never heard of Mangrove Charcoal in this country.
Our mangrove plants are a bush/tree that grow along shallow, warm, saltwater coasts and put out hundreds of small roots instead of a single trunk. They provide protection to all sorts of young marine life and are protected due to their importance to the enviroment.
Are we talking about the same plant??

Capt. Frank
Homosassa. FL

The Naked Whiz · January 2010

I don't know about mangrove, but coconut charcoal will leave a white powdery coating inside a cooker. I see it at temperatures around 400 degrees, FWIW.

The Egg from Oz · January 2010

Capt. Frank wrote:

I have never heard of Mangrove Charcoal in this country.
Our mangrove plants are a bush/tree that grow along shallow, warm, saltwater coasts and put out hundreds of small roots instead of a single trunk. They provide protection to all sorts of young marine life and are protected due to their importance to the enviroment.
Are we talking about the same plant??

To be honest - I'm not sure.

Apparently these are imported from Thailand.

I also believe that Australian mangroves are protected species.

RRP · January 2010

Marcus - is that you? I'm just putting 2 and 2 together! Ron

The Egg from Oz · January 2010

Certainly is Ron

I just want to also thank you so much again for your help!!!

RRP · January 2010

LOL - I hadn't made the connection or even sure I've seen you post before! So it's about 10 AM there right now but it's Wednesday there but still Tuesday here! Your brother any closer to buying an egg?

Jupiter Jim · January 2010

I don't know about Mangrove lump but I have used Mangrove saw dust for my electric smoker with no white residue. I did buy a bag of Mesquite lump in North Carolina at an Ingles grocery store and it left a white residue inside the Egg with no difference in the flavor of the spatchcock chicken that I cooked with it.
Hope I have helped.
Jupiter Jim

SmokeOrFire · January 2010

Might be a simpler explanation. All the black crud that has built up running at lower temperatures burns to ash at the higher temperatures. Think of the results of using a self-cleaning oven...

Gator Bait · January 2010

Hi Oz,

I have noticed a similar white from Mesquite charcoal. It is sometimes accompanied by small bits of white fly ash. As mentioned before Mangrove is protected in this country and is our first line of defence against storm surge in the event of a major hurricane. Mangrove can not stop the storm surge but it breaks up the wave action that can accompany the high winds of a hurricane. Here in Florida it does not grow much further north then St. Petersburg on this coast. The farther north or in your case south of their range the smaller they grow. At the norther/southern limit to their range they may only be fair sized bushes where in the true tropics the same species is a huge tree. Mangroves are native to the tropics and subtropics around the world. The species are similar in that they are tolerant to and live in or at salt water. Some species are more tolerant of salt then others and they will range from growing with thier feet (roots) costantly soaked in the salt water (Red Mangroves) to other species that are found further back from the shore line (White and Black Mangroves).

Gator

Hungry in Lilburn · January 2010

Mangrove harvest for the production of charcoal is a huge issue in Thailand. Please read the following article:
Thailand: Mangrove Reforestation and Protection. Mangrove forests are located in 23 coastal provinces in Thailand. These forests used to cover 368,000 ha in Thailand in 1961, but the area dropped to 240,000 ha by 2002. The major causes of the loss of mangrove forests are timber and charcoal industries, while some areas were converted for urbanization, agriculture, and aquaculture especially shrimp farms. In 2004, a five-year Action Plan for Mangrove Management in the Gulf of Thailand was established to preserve mangrove forests, as well as to promote the sustainable use of mangrove resources. Following the 2003 tsunami, many local communities are interested in mangrove reforestation as protection against disasters such as storm surges. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources established a program to conserve and rehabilitate mangrove forests. Four mangrove development stations are located in Trang to support the program’s activities, including reforestation and maintenance of mangroves, provisiong of training to build capacity for community forestry management, building of partnerships between local community members, the government, and NGOs, reduction of illegal wood harvesting and land cultivation. The project will also set up Mangrove Protection Zones, where harvest of wood will be prohibited except in special circumstances. The community is producing mangrove seedlings in its nursery.

Gator Bait · January 2010

Hi Hungry in Lilburn

That's a very interesting article, thanks for adding it.

Gator

Mangrove Charcoal - White residue at 600?

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