Question: Disposing of ash at competition

[Athrasher]

I'm competing in my first competition next weekend and I feel pretty prepared for the most part. Although I have one (probably dumb) question.... How do you dispose of ash when you finish smoking? I assume you aren't taking it home with you right?

I'm using a WSM so I'm also curious how you guys dispose of the water from bowl as well.

Thanks in advance for the help!

[chickenchoker]

most contests have ash cans to dump hot ashes. hopefully they are labeled as such and attendees don't put garbage inside them too....Gettysburg. carry your bottom to the can or dump into aluminum full pans and carry over

[New Pal Frank]

Usually there are well marked grease and ash barrels at the events. Not always used correctly by the public though.

[bmanMA]

My suggestion to you is to shut the WSM down as soon as you can. And go dump the ash earlier rather than later. Seems to me that the ash cans fill up fast, and then that's where things get.... interesting, to say the least.

I'd just carry the base of the WSM to the can. Works fine.

[Shiz-Nit]

I have a metal bucket with a lid from Lowes. I dump mine in it then I carry it to the designated ash dump area. Most all well marked and yes I agree with the above dump early before they fill up. And to add locate the area before hand.

[Cast Iron Chef]

I do the same as Shiz-Nit. Be sure to have some welding gloves with you to carry and dump hot ash.

[early mornin' smokin']

pretty sure per KCBS rules all teams must have an ash can. So ours gets scooped out of the cookers, and into that, and into the ash bin if they have one. If not, we thoroughly saturate the coals with water, than they get dumped into the dumpster.

[dmprantz]

I have a small metal can for catching ashes like Shiz, but I think I got mine at HD. Lid is bought seperately. Unless the ash cans are conveniently located, I usually don't both at the comp. I do take them home and clean them out there, but I have a stick burner, so it's no big deal. Worse case, the ask can fits inside the smoker. I would probably act differently with a WSM.

dmp

[nthole]

WSM, shut down, dump ash before leaving. If its KCBS I believe they are requires to provide ash and grease cans.

[Alexa RnQ]

Thanks to all of you who are conscientious about proper disposal of ash at contest sites! As a WSM team, we know it's not always convenient if the hot-ash cans are not close by your space.

I am appalled by the number of times I have seen teams who think it's perfectly okay to roll out of their site leaving an overflowing pan of (sometimes hot) ash behind for someone else to clean up. Really?! This has happened at contests held in municipal parks, on city streets, in shopping centers -- it's a wonder the venues ever offer to host a contest again.

[DawgPhan]

also remember that dumping a gallon of water into your firebox when teams are crammed in together isnt very neighborly. just close all the vents as soon as possible. Everything can be out by 4pm when it is time to finish cleaning up. for WSM just lug the bottom to the barrel and dump it.

[Stoke&Smoke]

We are a wsm team also, and as Diva mentioned, more often than not, ash cans are not "reasonably close"

If one is, I will take the bottom bowl of my bullets to it, using my silicone Dorcas gloves, or welding gloves.

If not, I'll fill a full size foil pan 1/2 - 2/3 with water, and slowly pour my ashes in, stopping occaisionalky to stir. I do this until the pan can't take any more without it all being extinguished.

Then repeat with another pan until done. I make SURE it's cool, but if a comp can't provide reasonably close dump cans, I don't feel guilty about this. AS LONG AS IT CANT BURN SOMETHING OR SOMEONE!

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[gmholler]

I am appalled by the number of times I have seen teams who think it's perfectly okay to roll out of their site leaving an overflowing pan of (sometimes hot) ash behind for someone else to clean up. Really?! This has happened at contests held in municipal parks, on city streets, in shopping centers -- it's a wonder the venues ever offer to host a contest again.

That brings up a question. What ARE you supposed to do with that pan when there AREN'T any ash cans around and asking the organizer produces an "I dunno, we didn't think about that"? Carry them home with you? Find the municipal dump? What is the commonly accepted practice in this situation?

Thanks!

Lynn H.

[Alexa RnQ]

That's why, in this area at least, that question is always asked/answered at the cooks' meeting. It doesn't take but a few minutes for "I dunno" to turn into somebody making a hardware store run for a few galvanized trash cans. It's just not rocket science. We carry a lidded ash can as well, so we'd be a long damn time waiting for ash to cool to put in it.

[RangerJ]

Power and water are scarce here in the Lone Star State.. Ash disposal, almost never.

Hot ash goes in my mini trash can with lid, which goes back inside my drum. If its too burning hot, I pour water in the ash can.

[Stoke&Smoke]

Using the method I described, u can sample the "mud" you crated ins few spots with a thermal pen, or a less expensive option, too ensure its safe. I don't want to leave a hazard either! We've asked at many a cooks meeting, and been told "they'll be there, only to find the nearest one more that 100 yards away. Maybe because there aren't as many worries about wildfires here?

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[SmokinGuitarPlayer]

At Gettysburg we asked the organizer / coordinator where to put GREASE & gray water since they had not set up any bins / etc....he said "just throw it on the grass" .

But they DID have an ash bin nearby ...well it showed up Saturday.
FB/SGP

[Crash]

This is a good topic.

At our last contest, we asked the organizer about ash dump and he responded by saying "just dump it over there by the fence". Luckily, there were a bunch of 55 gallon drums being used for trash. We suggested the idea of using one (minus trash) for ash dump. It worked out for all the teams, but really.....how do you leave the disposal of ash and coals out of the equation?

Then again, our state is seriously behind the times.

[ParkAvenue_2]

At Gettysburg we asked the organizer / coordinator where to put GREASE & gray water since they had not set up any bins / etc....he said "just throw it on the grass" .

But they DID have an ash bin nearby ...well it showed up Saturday.
FB/SGP


Similar story . . . a few years ago we were doing a 1st year contest. At the cooks meeting, the question came up about what to do with grease and ash, since it hadn't been mentioned yet.

The KCBS reps turned to the organizers to allow them to address the question. They just looked at each other and shrugged. It was apparent the organizers hadn't considered this at all. Eventually, one of them announced that cook teams should just dump these items into the storm sewer.

This contest was on a hill where the storm sewers drained directly down into a major river which is used for recreation, water supply, shipping, etc.

We kind of chuckled and wondered if anyone working for the EPA was in the audience that day.