Been makin Charcoal.

[LAGS]

I decided to share this with you on this section, because some of the members could possibly relate.
I Have been making Mesquite Charcoal for the past week.
No , Not for my Black Powder, but for my Barbeque.
I had a very large pile of Mesquite branches left over from trimming my trees at the old house that I used for Smoking meat in the barbeque smoker.
Well, I decided to try making Real Charcoal out of it for regular cookin on the barbeque.
I loaded up an old 3 gallon Metal paint can with a lid and a small hole in the cap, then put it on the Gas Grill Burner for three hours.
This stuff burns a lot hotter than the Commercial Charcoal that you can buy.
Which, Really isn't Real 100% Charcoal.
The Commercial stuff is mostly chemicals Pressed together.
That in itself gave me an Idea.
When you cook Charcoal, you end up with a fair amount of dust , besides the Lump Charcoal that you use in the barbeque.
So I took the dust and fine charcoal, and added some Binder, and water, then Pressed it into Pucks.
So Far , So Good.
I need to let the pucks dry out a bit, then I will see if they burn like the other Lump Charcoal.
Now, I have to remember to keep the Charcoal Pucks separate from My BP pucks or mark them in some way.
Or I will end up at the range with Pure Charcoal powder, or try cookin a steak on BP.
I used one of Fly's Dies to press the charcoal with a HF 20 ton press.
I do have two Mesquite Trees at the New House, ( that need Trimming ) and still own the old house that I am renting out.
So It seems that I will have a readily available supply of Mesquite for many years to come.

[RED BEAR]

I am going to go out on a limb and say that i bet the bp would cook that steak in a hurry.
No really thats kinda cool. Let us know how it turns out.

[LAGS]

If I tried to light a BP Puck to cook a steak, they might be having Steak for Dinner on Sky Lab.

[indian joe]

If I tried to light a BP Puck to cook a steak, they might be having Steak for Dinner on Sky Lab.

I wonder if ya lit the puck on one side would it go like a flyin saucer ?

[LAGS]

From the Chunks of BP Pucks that I lit in the past, they did take of flying around.
And did kinda go POOF when they were almost burnt out.

[Fly]

Lags I live in a hardwood forest in east Okla. Mostly oak & hickory & make my own also. Yes it does burn hotter & when I smoke
meat on my Webber Smokey mountain smoker, I have to close the air vents down to bring the heat down & makes it burn longer. I bet
that Mesquite brings a great flavor to your meat.

Fly

[Demeter’s_Workshop]

I am surprised I never thought of making charcoal for the bbq - versus BP! This I will try, just going to need a bigger can.

[LAGS]

The Mesquite flavor is Excellent.
At the old house, I have a White Oak also.
But have never had to trim it yet , Oak trees don't grow too fast in our heat, so haven't tried that flavor, yet.
Going to be doing Hamburgers tonight on the new mesquite charcoal.
I think I might have to Grind the small charcoal and dust to make it consistent for Pressing.
The pucks are cracking from the larger chunks when pressed along with the powder.
But the pressing into Pucks was just an after thought, and I have the equipment to do it, so , Why not give it a try.
The pressed Pucks will make it easier to store than Stick Charcoal, which will break apart if handled in a bag too rough.
Sometimes here in our High Fire seasons, they only allow Charcoal or Gas fires ( No Wood Fires ) when you are camping or hunting.
So , Pressed Pucks could give me a Better Charcoal to take with me and easier to pack.

[Demeter’s_Workshop]

One of those chinesium "barley grain grinders" with stainless hoppers for about $100 on the bay are great for grinding down charcoal. throw the drill on it even better. Get a fine mesh screen and repeat until it all passes then press lightly damp. Should hold up better to being knocked around in travel.

[LAGS]

I was just going to run it thru my hand crank meat grinder then throw it into my Ball Mill like I do for BP.
But I bet the meat grinder will get the larger chunks down small enough for holding together when pressing.
But Air Fly Charcoal dust would be a sure thing with Dextrin as a binder.
Heck, to cut costs, I bet just plain Flour would work as a Binder.

[Demeter’s_Workshop]

I would think SGRS would do better since its for food. Dextrin / Flour will put off a scent that may not compliment the meat.

[LAGS]

You have a point about maybe adding an unwanted flavor.
Only way to be sure, is to give it a go.
Like I said, this is just something I am playing with.
First, Get the pressed charcoal to stay together.
Then, see how it burns in comparison to Lump charcoal.
Then we can play with the binders and the flavor.
I am retired and have tons of time on my hands.

[Demeter’s_Workshop]

I have a few round puck presses, but in this case would a square last longer? burn better? Would pack better for sure. Other than making the press in that shape being a bit more work, wondering if it'd have an advantage.

[TheOutlawKid]

Down where i live it gets hotter than arizona and is intensly humid but it doesnt rain much unless we have the random flash flood...but the mesquites here grow very tall and over 2.5 feet wide at the trunk. My step dad loves cutting down the trees as they are everywhere and people rather have them replaced with a different less common type of tree....never thought of making charcoal from the logs as locally everyone just burns them as is in their bbq pits.

[LAGS]

Charcoal has some advantages over just Wood Logs.
You can get a more even heat, ( Though not as hot as Flaming wood )
You can cook things longer and slower , but do not have the Flame Scorching or the smoke.
Maybe this weekend I will try doing a couple "Beer Can Chickens" over the Mesquite Charcoal for a slower roasting.
But you still get that Mesquite flavor.
I have smoked them with Mesquite before and they were great, but took a very long time to smoke.
Charcoal will cook them Quicker, and I still have the advantage of cooking other things on the same grill at the same time like Hot Dogs, Brats, or Hamburgers for those who don't want the chicken.
Wood does burn down to Charcoal after a while.
But for faster consistent heating, and less flaming, why not just start with the charcoal.
I cant imagine how many bags of charcoal are sold each year for barbeques.
And you can buy Natural Charcoal, but at a considerable higher price.
So, if I have the wood, the time, and the tools to make my own Charcoal, then why not just do it myself.
I always say " Why Buy , When you can Build "
The making Pucks of Charcoal is just a Bi-Product of making the other Charcoal.
I also don't like to let anything go to waste.
So if your project ends up making scrap, why not try to find a way to use it.