Making charcoal

WildmanWilson

So who makes their own? It seems like an easy process and you can get some much bigger pieces. Other than time and a little work would you have any advice?

jtcBoynton

Advice - Rethink why you want much bigger pieces.

stlcharcoal

The main reason you'll get much bigger pieces is because you wont hit the temperatures necessary to get it to the proper carbonization......it's wood fiber holding those bigger chunks together.  Not saying it can't be done, but there's really no advantage even if you could.

Sea2Ski

I love making and doing things myself. But making charcoal? To me it is something not worth undertaking for an end product that will be no better than what can be bought at a reasonable (bargain) price for the effort involved.

But if you go for it, post your adventure! 

WildmanWilson

stlcharcoal said:

The main reason you'll get much bigger pieces is because you wont hit the temperatures necessary to get it to the proper carbonization......it's wood fiber holding those bigger chunks together.  Not saying it can't be done, but there's really no advantage even if you could.

No the reason you get bigger pieces is because you don’t buy a bag that has been beat into crumbs. I’m just talking about getting chunks the size of you fist or so. YouTube has some videos on it and I’m surprised at least a few people on here hasn’t done it. 

Gym

I make my own. I made this contraption a couple years ago. Fire in the bottom and wood to become coal in the top. Keep the fire rippin' eventually the gasses off the wood up top take over and feed the fire. Takes about 4ish hours. 

Gym

lkapigian

Very cool for sure!! 

HeavyG

 https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/comment/2144239#Comment_2144239

Check over on the bbqgrethren.com forum - I know I've seen a few threads where people have made their own.

Legume

WildmanWilson said:

stlcharcoal said:

The main reason you'll get much bigger pieces is because you wont hit the temperatures necessary to get it to the proper carbonization......it's wood fiber holding those bigger chunks together.  Not saying it can't be done, but there's really no advantage even if you could.

No the reason you get bigger pieces is because you don’t buy a bag that has been beat into crumbs. I’m just talking about getting chunks the size of you fist or so. YouTube has some videos on it and I’m surprised at least a few people on here hasn’t done it. 

I hasn’t done it.

NPHuskerFL

Intriguing process. Here's a fun way to look at it. And this works for anybody unless you are retired. How much will it cost to build or create a kiln that can reach high enough temps to carbonize wood? Do you have waste wood available and how long is it sustainable? How much do you make an hour at your normal job? Are your neighbors tolerant of air pollution? And yes there is a huge difference between smoking a brisket or pork butt and making lump charcoal.

Quick answer for me I have no desire to do this. The cost Effectiveness is not there not to mention I buy Rockwood and at a good price. I see no benefit I'm doing it myself. But, like others have said do it if it makes you happy. Document your journey so others can see. Cheers

stlcharcoal

Not trying to talk you out of it, but just remember its about a 5:1 or 6:1 ratio of wood to charcoal in weight.  So figure at least 100# of seasoned hardwood to make 20# before what you lose to fines.  That will be higher with green wood, plus whatever you use to fire the kiln.  It's not a very efficient process on the small scale.

It was kind of like the time I heated my house for a month using my wood stove insert.  I live on acreage, so all the wood was "free".  But at the end of the month I was shocked to see my power bill was only about $40 less for all that work.  I have geothermal, so it was already cheap.....but since I wasnt running it, the water heater used a bunch of power.  Plus the humidifier, circulation fans, etc.  If I take out what I spend in saw chains and other crap, it was a wash.

alaskanassasin

Nice rig @Gym! 

EagleIII

When you figure the workload involved, plus the cost/effort to build the kiln, which is admittedly a non-recurring cost, then the wood you consume to turn more wood into charcoal....not worth it from my tiny perspective.
But as others have said, if it makes you happy - go for it and please post the pics!

hoosier_egger

Acn

NPHuskerFL said:

Intriguing process. Here's a fun way to look at it. And this works for anybody unless you are retired. How much will it cost to build or create a kiln that can reach high enough temps to carbonize wood? Do you have waste wood available and how long is it sustainable? How much do you make an hour at your normal job? Are your neighbors tolerant of air pollution? And yes there is a huge difference between smoking a brisket or pork butt and making lump charcoal.

Quick answer for me I have no desire to do this. The cost Effectiveness is not there not to mention I buy Rockwood and at a good price. I see no benefit I'm doing it myself. But, like others have said do it if it makes you happy. Document your journey so others can see. Cheers

Completely concur with all of this.

speed51133

Lump is too cheap to make yourself. I've made some for fun, just to do it, but I concluded it was not worth the time, energy, or hassle. 

1voyager

NPHuskerFL said:

Intriguing process. Here's a fun way to look at it. And this works for anybody unless you are retired. How much will it cost to build or create a kiln that can reach high enough temps to carbonize wood? Do you have waste wood available and how long is it sustainable? How much do you make an hour at your normal job? Are your neighbors tolerant of air pollution? And yes there is a huge difference between smoking a brisket or pork butt and making lump charcoal.

Quick answer for me I have no desire to do this. The cost Effectiveness is not there not to mention I buy Rockwood and at a good price. I see no benefit I'm doing it myself. But, like others have said do it if it makes you happy. Document your journey so others can see. Cheers

Why doesn't it work if I'm retired? (I am.)

SciAggie

This is as close as I get:
When I close the door on my wood oven I usually still have a large bed of coals. They turn into decent pieces of charcoal in the low oxygen environment after I close the door. The next time I clean my oven I sift the “cleanout” and save the pieces of charcoal. I use these under my Tuscan grill in my hearth. That’s as far as I go. 

SandyHookEgger

Call it “Craft” Lump and it will be received more favorably.

speed51133

you can also buy lump and burn in IN your egg to make more lump also IN the egg!! It's like a perpetual motion machine!

fishlessman

i have some old inco cylinders in the back yard that could hold a cord, could someone gift me 20 cord please, only maple. easy process, the neighbors will hate you

Biggreenpharmacist

speed51133 said:

you can also buy lump and burn in IN your egg to make more lump also IN the egg!! It's like a perpetual motion machine!

Markarm4119

Go for it , call it "Artisan Hand crafted lump " and there will be someone who would buy it,. Just state every batch has a "unique flavor profile" Like all craft beers everyone raves about..
$50 bucks a bag or 3 for $100 !
Use enough adjectives to describe your product and people will love it !

WildmanWilson

My main reason to do it was to get more pieces that are good size. I hate buying a bag and half is crumbs. I’ve seen people use metal drums successfully. Pretty low tech. I live next to a 50 acre woods with a ton of wood to burn so that’s not an issue. I know the work involved may be more than some want but Ive never been afraid of a little work plus I enjoy doing things that are DIY.... I’ve made most of my turkey calls because it’s enjoyable to do. Not sure about the cost effectiveness of it..

I doubt I turn it into a business but I’m intrigue non the less. 

nolaegghead

WildmanWilson said:

My main reason to do it was to get more pieces that are good size. I hate buying a bag and half is crumbs. I’ve seen people use metal drums successfully. Pretty low tech. I live next to a 50 acre woods with a ton of wood to burn so that’s not an issue. I know the work involved may be more than some want but Ive never been afraid of a little work plus I enjoy doing things that are DIY.... I’ve made most of my turkey calls because it’s enjoyable to do. Not sure about the cost effectiveness of it..

I doubt I turn it into a business but I’m intrigue non the less. 

WildmanWilson...can I just call you Gary?  Nevermind.

Anyway, my advice, and I think I'm like you in this regard....don't let these nay-sayers gaslight you into thinking making your own charcoal would be in any way life-ending, apocalyptic or Darwin-award-winning.

If we were purely practical, we would never have hobbies, or protected sex, or climb mountains...and Columbus wouldn't have sailed to find the West Indies, or whatever.  East Indies, IDK.  Who cares.

Pretty much everything I do is against the current of the muggle demagoguery of conformist, boring, suburbanite, realistic (in their own mind) path.  If we are going to DIY ourselves into oblivion, then the smell of napalm in the morning is perfume to our nasal organs, or "noses" some people call them.

Who, in this day and age, can accomplish the slightest technical challenge without calling some "professional" to do it, and hardly are they professional, mostly they are high-school kids paid pennies to do a trade. Others reap the reward.  I digress.  My apologies.

Maybe the rapture will come, but, hey, probably not.  Make some damn charcoal.  It will be a labor of love, and if you fail, we will probably forget about this post. But if you succeed, you will be a forum aspiration and you'll be having fun doing stuff you like that makes you happy. 

That said, go for it.  We forum members can collectively learn to be more open-minded.  All the people that boast about Ace Hardware deals they get for Rockwood can suck your "rock wood" because the "terrior" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terroir)  of flavor in cooking superceeds their perceived practicality.  You will have a story to tell.  And that story will make your wood charcoal cooked food superior in the hearts and minds of all that imbibe.

speed51133

I'm sorry, I missed the part where there was doom and gloom or death prophecies in relation to DIY lump. All the comments were simply that it's not time or cost effective. 

nolaegghead

speed51133 said:

I'm sorry, I missed the part where there was doom and gloom or death prophecies in relation to DIY lump. All the comments were simply that it's not time or cost effective. 

My post was intended to be part hyperbole, part humor, and part tongue and cheek mocking the millennial "can't do - too hard" ethos they are, right or wrong, known for.  If that's what you're referring to.

HeavyG

speed51133 said:

I'm sorry, I missed the part where there was doom and gloom or death prophecies in relation to DIY lump. All the comments were simply that it's not time or cost effective. 

If we simply used the metric of "is it time or cost effective" I think a lot of our leisure time activities and hobbies would just dissappear.

Sometimes the reward of doing a thing is in just doing the thing.

speed51133

If i could go out to a steakhouse and get a quality cut that tasted great for less than the cost of buying/making it myself, I would. I guess that's just me. 

nolaegghead

speed51133 said:

If i could go out to a steakhouse and get a quality cut that tasted great for less than the cost of buying/making it myself, I would. I guess that's just me. 

Based on those metrics, I'm surprised you're not an Akorn owner.