Stickburners: What is your longest burn time?

Czarbecue · Jul 22, 2018

This past weekend I did a session that lasted 17 hours. I had a 2'x2' area where I focused the fire and by the end of it I had about an ash pile that was 2'x2'x1.5". Lots of ash. I wouldn't have any space for ash to fall if I went any longer. And with the size of my fire basket, it is near impossible to remove ash mid-cook.

Anyone does it Aaron Franklin style and just burn wood without a fire grate or basket?

sudsandswine · Jul 22, 2018

Pics of fire basket? I bet you could get the ash out, you just may not have the right tool to do so....yet.

Czarbecue · Jul 22, 2018

sudsandswine said:
Pics of fire basket? I bet you could get the ash out, you just may not have the right tool to do so....yet.

I made the center square thing to contain the lump coal bed since the angle iron of the original fire basket was only meant for wood. That thing is a beast at 100 pounds or so. I welded that handle on so it was easier to move out (kinda helped). But with a fire going on it’s nasty to touch. It’s about 32”x44”.

Nuco59 · Jul 23, 2018

Your wood and coals were kept to that 2x2 thingie in the middle of that huge fire basket?

Maybe you don't have to "remove the ash" as much as just "move the ash". Use a piece of rebar or piece of pipe and just sweep the ashes left and right until you have space for new ashes to fall?

fwdiii · Jul 23, 2018

I start off with a half chimney of KBB then it's all wood after that. Not too much ash and if it does build up on a long smoke, like stated before, just use a stick or small pipe and "sweep" the ashes from left to right.

m-fine · Jul 23, 2018

I have done back to back cooks where the fire was running 18+ hours each (warm up, post cook clean) without clearing ash out of the Lang. My fire grate sits a bit higher than yours, but I also don’t generate that much ash per hour that I have ever worried about it.

W.I.T.W.A.G? · Jul 23, 2018

I have rolled for 24 hrs straight before but never had that much ash build up. If I feel like I have too much ash in the basket I'll just put on some gloves and give the basket a good shake but that is rare since I don't want to lose my coal bed. Usually takes me a couple of logs to get it up to temp but after that I add about a log every 40 min or so. Like others have said I would try to sweep it mid cook if you have to OR you could move your from one side to the other since you have the room in that huge FB.

ferdelious · Jul 23, 2018

I make my fires Aaron Franklin style directly on the floor of the firebox. My max cook time is 5-6 hours though, I finish every long cook in the oven.

Czarbecue · Jul 23, 2018

I only had a short cake frosting turner that wasn’t able to reach the middle of the basket. But that seems to be the cheaper option than to create new fire baskets. :thumb:

Thanks fellas.

OklaDustDevil · Jul 23, 2018

I keep an entrenching tool near my pit at all times — you know, one of those short-handled, foldable military shovels? If the ash gets too deep I can use it to sweep the ash left and right from under the center, as others suggest, or even shovel it straight out into a bucket and remove from the pit entirely to make more room.

FrankZ · Jul 23, 2018

During cooks I tend to push the ash forward in the firebox and not rake it out. There is still heat in that ash pile for me and I don't want to loose it. Longest I have run is around 16 hours and I still had plenty of room to push more forward.

The next day when I was cleaning out the ash I found coals still warm that were buried pretty deep in the pile.

Stickburners: What is your longest burn time?

Czarbecue

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