I've watched tonnes of videos on how to make charcoal. This one is right up there with as simple as possible and very effective. I was expecting a bigger yield though. So maybe you should have shut down sooner like when the flames stopped shooting out. But that is a great batch none the less!
Hello, liked this so much i tried it to day! Couple hiccups but learning as i go! But i have a question. *-- About 55gallon drum you got small holes or anybottom venting??--* I dont know why but i put a 2 foot piece of metal conduit 2inch With threaded coupling.
probably not a good idea because the whole idea behind this method is to have a hot area (like an oven) without oxygen inside. So yes, there is a top vent to release the smoke/steam and gases, but no vent to the bottom of the drum. If you have the bottom vent, the wood or charcoal is more likely to ignite and burn away. (Because of the fresh air/oxygen supply) My suggestion is to plug the vent on the bottom of the drum and try again. Good luck.
The dryer the better. I’ve used some green wood, but it takes a lot longer and a lot more fuel to charcoal, and if there’s any dry wood in there, it usually gets a little overdone.
@@wyomingwright I am 70 years and I figure charcoal has been around much much longer . My dad cooked the best barbecue I will ever eat . He cooked on a pit . He worked at a sawmill . At the time , they were sawing hardwood .as the lumber was resawn , the ends would fall onto a conveyer out to the burner . My dad arranged for some of the wood to be loaded on dump truck and dumped at our house .The wood lay in a pile for months at a time . Now that I have thought about it dad was cooking with green wood .There was no way that wood could be dry . He made it work . He would have my brother and I gather the wood for his cook . There was one species of hardwood that was a big no no . That would be sweet gum ! He never checked to see what we put pin there but once the fire was lite he knew ! He was say boys come here and he point out the bad wood and would pull it out . We never got burned but he told us Gum will ruin your barbecue . He would s back to wood pile to get proper wood .let me say , that enjoyed your video I found it to informative and entertaining at the same . Where I live , on the Gulf Coast , it would not be practical to make my lump charcoal. So this put at the mercy of the companies that make lump so we city folk can run our smokers .
Never saw this done before! Thanks for informing me.
I've watched tonnes of videos on how to make charcoal. This one is right up there with as simple as possible and very effective. I was expecting a bigger yield though. So maybe you should have shut down sooner like when the flames stopped shooting out. But that is a great batch none the less!
Those Beats are illin!
Do you use the charcoal as biochar for your garden? It’s real good stuff.
Cut the lengths the same height as the drum. Then you snap them to size. That’s how I do it and less time loading and cutting with no small pieces
I like this idea a lot. Just gotta find enough lengths of hardwood the right size…hard to do in my area
Hello, liked this so much i tried it to day! Couple hiccups but learning as i go! But i have a question.
*-- About 55gallon drum you got small holes or anybottom venting??--*
I dont know why but i put a 2 foot piece of metal conduit 2inch With threaded coupling.
probably not a good idea because the whole idea behind this method is to have a hot area (like an oven) without oxygen inside. So yes, there is a top vent to release the smoke/steam and gases, but no vent to the bottom of the drum. If you have the bottom vent, the wood or charcoal is more likely to ignite and burn away. (Because of the fresh air/oxygen supply)
My suggestion is to plug the vent on the bottom of the drum and try again. Good luck.
Can we condense those gases into some kind of liquid fuel?
how long the whole process took?
Depends a lot on how wet the wood is. If it’s really dry just a few hours if it’s really wet up to 6 hours
this is cool
After all that work making charcoal, you still burned the sausages!
Is the wood dry that you are using?
The dryer the better. I’ve used some green wood, but it takes a lot longer and a lot more fuel to charcoal, and if there’s any dry wood in there, it usually gets a little overdone.
@@wyomingwright I am 70 years and I figure charcoal has been around much much longer . My dad cooked the best barbecue I will ever eat . He cooked on a pit . He worked at a sawmill . At the time , they were sawing hardwood .as the lumber was resawn , the ends would fall onto a conveyer out to the burner . My dad arranged for some of the wood to be loaded on dump truck and dumped at our house .The wood lay in a pile for months at a time . Now that I have thought about it dad was cooking with green wood .There was no way that wood could be dry . He made it work . He would have my brother and I gather the wood for his cook . There was one species of hardwood that was a big no no . That would be sweet gum ! He never checked to see what we put pin there but once the fire was lite he knew ! He was say boys come here and he point out the bad wood and would pull it out . We never got burned but he told us Gum will ruin your barbecue . He would s back to wood pile to get proper wood .let me say , that enjoyed your video I found it to informative and entertaining at the same . Where I live , on the Gulf Coast , it would not be practical to make my lump charcoal. So this put at the mercy of the companies that make lump so we city folk can run our smokers .
Thanks for the comment and story! I love it. I wish I had more hardwoods available where I live
Does the barrel have holes in the bottom?
Great video how many pounds of charcoal do you think you got from that process
the amount of fuel needed to burn 6 hrs is counter productive.........