Clear ash during the cook?

[itschris]

I've noticed that during the longer cooks, as the ash builds up, at some point it begins to dramatically affect efficiency. Should I be clearing the firebox periodically? It doesn't seem like a good nor smart idea, but I will certainly defer to the experts.

[ApronGuy]

You should clear ash if it is getting in the way of the airflow. For instance, in my NBS diamond smoker, the ash builds up underneath the fire grate and I have to clear it out every 5 hours or so. The fire needs that space to draw up oxygen from underneath.

[backyardchef]

Yup...what ApronGuy said. Clear the ash as needed. Use hot gloves and be careful (obviously).

[butts a fire]

I agree completely if ash is affecting performance than it needs to be cleared. I normally have to do it towards the end of long cooks in the deras.

[jtfisher63]

I'm not sure what you are cooking on Chris, but if your fire grate can be raised, do it. It will save time emptying ashes if you can add some room for them to be without affecting airflow. My $ .02.

Jason

[swamprb]

Especially if you are using Rancher!

Brian

[Timmy]

I use the Weber bullets. When using the Minion method sometimes around 10 hrs into the cook I bang on the side at the top of the legs with a rubber mallet to help the ashes fall to the bottom. It seems to work for me and doesnt seem to spew up any ashes onto the food.

[bonniesboytoy]

When you stir up the ash, doesn't the ash get picked up into the food or is that just if water hits the ash??..Tom

[Puppyboy]

Make sure when you shovel the hot ash out you put it in a metal bucket. There are often very hot little coals fall through the grate and hide in the ash.

[motley que]

Make sure when you shovel the hot ash out you put it in a metal bucket. There are often very hot little coals fall through the grate and hide in the ash.

and if you are on a wood deck, put a few bricks under the bucket so you dont burn a ring on your deck

[Westexbbq]

I use a big foil pan and a small garden shovel to empty out the build up before, during and after a cook. If during, am real careful not to stir it all up as per the prior posts and the foil pan is good for the still hot embers mixed in.

[ApronGuy]

When you stir up the ash, doesn't the ash get picked up into the food or is that just if water hits the ash??..Tom

Mmmmm ... that's the best part.

Seriously, though ... it depends on how your smoker is constructed. Bandera owners probably don't have this problem, but I sometimes do if I'm not very gentle when I'm clearing.

[itschris]

WHEW! I thought i'd get 50 posts pointing out the dangers of hot coals while the authors all muttered "moron" under their collective breath.

I'm going to raise the grate in my Cimarron with some carriage bolts which should help. I've been kinda waiting on messing around until I built my charcoal box. I just bought a welder and have only welded a couple of things in my life so I'm not very good. After I burned myself and gouged myself with the grinder, the fiance' took my toy away until after our wedding and honeymoon which is the weekend of the 18th.

I plan on one last Q as a semi-free man so I'll try the raised grate and clean sweep approach.

Thanks guys.

[keale]

For the UDS, give it a kick, this was suggested to me a few times...


and if you are on a wood deck, put a few bricks under the bucket so you dont burn a ring on your deck

Ed, is this from personal experience? :-P We did this to our friends deck, w/ a smokey joe, while grilling, panic mod! We put dirt on it and rubbed it in, took him a week or so to find out!:-P

[wnkt]

I use the Weber bullets. When using the Minion method sometimes around 10 hrs into the cook I bang on the side at the top of the legs with a rubber mallet to help the ashes fall to the bottom. It seems to work for me and doesnt seem to spew up any ashes onto the food.

I bought a large aluminum drip tray, the kind you put under a car to keep oil drips from staining the floor/driveway, from a auto parts store under my ECB bullet smoker and poured some water in the pan so if there are any ashes that fall out they go in the pan and get put out by the water.

[big blue bbq]

I have recently started to empty the whole thing out live coals and ash after about 5 hours of a burn. That is all I get out of mine right now. If you time your new chimney to be done right about the 215 or 215 mark, you can quickly empty the fire box, reload with unlit, and add the lit chimney back in and get another 5 hours or burn time with out having to constantly watch the fire and worry about choking it out. You can't get to all the ash in the smoke n pit without a very long shovel or taking everything out. I have no long shovel:evil: .

[motley que]

For the UDS, give it a kick, this was suggested to me a few times...




Ed, is this from personal experience? :-P We did this to our friends deck, w/ a smokey joe, while grilling, panic mod! We put dirt on it and rubbed it in, took him a week or so to find out!:-P

not from experience, just the wife bitchin that i might do that.

[bonniesboytoy]

Hey Westy, anything going on on the island?? Met u at Newsday and being a newbie Would love to really get involved. Love B-B-Q (sept for them Buffalo turds)..Buuuut Iam a gas man by tradition and would like to reidentify with wood/coal...By the way, I have a local wood cutter(for my woodstove) and thought of asking him for fruitwoods when he gets them..,,any ideas??...Tom...

[BBQ_MAFIA]

I'm with the other guys. I empty the ask on long cooks if it is affecting my temp control.

[JohnMcD348]

I went to Home Depot and bought a cheap $20 fireplace set with the shovel, broom and log poker and handler that I use to keep my BSKD/Dera clear. I also bought a small tin can to use for ashes. I just keep it next to the door and shovel the coals/ashes straight into it. Put the lid back on and let the spent coals and ash smother out.

[icemn62]

Put a grate in the ECB after a few hours into a smoke session, give the little thing a few kicks. When the temps start to drop I go through the trouble of pulling the charcoal pan out, dumping it, and adding more coal.

[SmokeInDaEye]

Hey Westy, anything going on on the island?? Met u at Newsday and being a newbie Would love to really get involved. Love B-B-Q (sept for them Buffalo turds)..Buuuut Iam a gas man by tradition and would like to reidentify with wood/coal...By the way, I have a local wood cutter(for my woodstove) and thought of asking him for fruitwoods when he gets them..,,any ideas??...Tom...

Tom, glad you seem so interested in learning to cook with wood and coal. You're in long Island, no? Send me a PM and maybe we'll plan a group training session this weekend or next. And bring the cats!