DIY Lump Charcoal

[IrvinF]

I have some white oak sitting around I would like to use up. I prefer hickory for smoke so I was thinking oftracking charcoal with the oak. I was going to drop oak chunks in my chimney starter and light it with newspaper. When the smoking stopped I have a stainless stock pot I was going to throw it in and put the lid on to extinguish the fire. Will this work for making lump? Will it be as good as the store bought variety in terms of burn time?

[pkinetics]

Not sure if this is helpful, but the Naked Whiz has instructions:

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/makinglump.htm

[IrvinF]

That's a bigger project than I want to start on. And I don't need two drums sitting around. It may be a good idea on a smaller scale though. Thanks for the link

[yo_quiero_fumar]

That's a bigger project than I want to start on. And I don't need two drums sitting around. It may be a good idea on a smaller scale though. Thanks for the link

I took small chunks of wood wrappes in tin foil and put then on my propane portable grill. After a while the wood chunks turned to carbon, sounds like charcoal, right?

[IrvinF]

Thats a little smaller than I want to do. I have done the same with my smoking box in my gas smoker. Just uses too much fuel.

EDIT: This does point out one thing to me. Charcoal is produced by heating wood to a high temperature in the absence of Oxegyn. Like wood wrapped in foil, placed in a smoke box, or in a closed 30 gallon drum. Each of these methods produce charcoal because this is little or limited Oxegyn. Where the method I proposed, in a starter chimney, would provide all the Oxegyn needed by the wood to burn up leaving only ash and wood that has not been burnt yet but no charcoal. So what I need is something like the closed 30 gallon drum loaded with wood chunks inside the 50 gallon chimney with a fire raging fire going though it. At least now I have a good idea if what I want.

[captndan]

I use the two barrel method with a few changes. No bricks and no feed hole. Use a six inch chimney. Holes around the bottom for combustion air. Just fill the small barrel with wood and put it upside down in the big one. Start the fire with lots of wood around the small barrel. When it's burning well slip the cover on the big barrel and walk away Come back tomorrow.

[IrvinF]

Yes I may end up going the two drum route. Seems like the easiest and most time efficient way to do it. I was thinking maybe two rebar rods through the big drum for the small drum to sit on and installing a chimney on the lid of the big drum for draft control.

[jamm]

Are there any tricks to control the size of the charcoal that you end up with.
I am making good charcoal with the two barrel method but I seem to end up with a lot of very small charcoal. I have put 1/2" expanded metal over the grill coal grate which helps me use it but I would like to make larger chunks. It doesn't seem to matter what size of chunks I start with so maybe it has to do with the fuel fire heating for a time after all of the gassing off has occured?

[philpom]

I have done it on a smaller scale by using an electric starter dropped in a bucket filled with wood and sealed with a large round foil pan. Turn on the starter and let it go until the smoke slows - turn it off and let it cool, what you will find is lump ready to go.

Irvinf - I think you could adopt your large stainless stock pot for this pretty easy.

[IrvinF]

... Irvinf - I think you could adopt your large stainless stock pot for this pretty easy.

Don't think I will be using a stock pot. If I make one I think I will go with the 30 and 55 gallon barrels.

[captndan]

Just a few comments. The nakedwhiz is on the right track but is way to complicated. The small barrel has no holes in it and must sit flat on the bottom of the big barrel. No bricks no rebar. About the size the wood must be dry and cut to the size you want it. To much wood around the small barrel will cause over cooking and the pieces falling apart. The cooker must have a chimney of some sort. Combustion air at the bottom needs movement upward hence the chimney. I have run three batches in the last three days with about 90% being the size I wanted. If you have a good wood supply and a place to store the cooker you can easily make a superior pruduct.

[jamm]

Thanks captndan

I am actually using a setup as you described minus the chimney. I suspected that I have been over cooking. Maybe adding the chimney will give me a better cook with less fuel?

[IrvinF]

On a smaller scale i have been thinking of using a charcoal chimney and a stock pot. Put some chunks in the chimney with newspaper below. When the smokes clears dump it in the stockpot and put the lid on to choke down the fire. No rusty oil drum sitting in the yard and no ashes to clean up. I think I'll go try it now.

[captndan]

Jamm, good thinking. Are you going big time?

Irvin F, Let us know how it turns out. Interesting idea.

[IrvinF]

It didnt work well. I used too large of chunks and they did not burn. I have to go to granddaughters cheer competition but will try smaller chunks when i get back. I just sawed up some 3-4" sticks with my chop saw.

Not really going big time but i think i can make enough charcoal for at least one cook with a few minutes of effort. I will let you know how it works out.