reusing lump charcoal

[RlsRls]

Waiting on delivery of a PK 360 and from everything I've read am sure I'll love it as I do mostly quick cooks and 2 zone cooking. Owned a Big Steel Keg for 12 years and used it 52 weeks a year in Boston MA! However, in all the posts I've read on this site, I see very little written on the conserving of fuel and reusing lump over again. Will my consumption of lump change dramatically with my new purchase?

[tbob4]

I don’t have a PK but I have a Vision grill (Kamado) and was amazed at first that I often had charcoal left over. I do use it over and while it burn faster, I often am using 1/2 chimney of old and 1/2 of new for a 4-6 hr cook. I put more in if I’m burning overnight or it is cold. On my stick burner 1 chimney just gets the logs burning.

[STEbbq]

The PK is highly fuel efficient and you can and should re use lump as long as it is viable.

[Jim White]

My Kamado is always a random mix of whatever lump was left from the previous cook and how much more lump I feel like adding for the cook about to begin.

[smokin fool]

At the end of my cooks there’s pretty much nothing of value left to save if I use Royal Oak or I’ll call them mid tier lump.
Use a high grade like Jealous Devil or Fogo and there was usable lump left at the end of a cook.
The only time this became a problem is smothering the fire to keep reusable lump I had a bad mold experience. Usually I would open the dampers and let the fire rage after a cook in your BKK

[SmokeyGator]

Use will be similar, but it depends on what you are doing. If you do more high heat cooking in the PK360, then it will use more fuel. If you do more low and slow than you did in the steel keg, then expect to use less.

Also if the steel keg had a larger or smaller capacity, then the PK360 will use either more or less fuel depending on which is larger.

[LA Pork Butt]

I would agree that the relationship between frequency of high heat/low heat cooks as compared to your previous cooker will be the determine factor.

[Skip]

I reuse Lump all the time but I will say I've had a couple times when I didn't add any new Lump to go with it and it didn't relight very well. Totally my fault though...I just need to NOT be a Tightwad and always add some new with it.

[efincoop]

I reuse left over lump and briquette charcoal in my Weber Performer and SnS Travel Kettle. Similar to tbob4 I usually just add a little fresh charcoal as needed.

[HawkerXP]

+2

[Polarbear777]

You can reuse any charcoal if there’s still dark pieces left but it’s key to knock off all the ash (shake the basket etc) and remove all the ash from under it. Airflow will be inhibited by ash in the way.

[Polarbear777]

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...ash#post672024

charcoal tests done with a (very) full custom basket in the pk360.

[Sweaty Paul]

It seems to be very efficient and a small amount can go a long way. I’ve only ever reused briquettes, but, even then I haven’t had a lot left after any cook as I figure I can add more later if necessary.

[JCBBQ]

It seems to me that it has to do w the cooker. Don’t have a PK360 so I can’t help. My Primo (kamado) shuts down the oxygen so it burns out and conserves a lot of lump. Do you know if that’s the case w PK? My PBC does not and so it burns all the charcoal.