Charcoal Storage

[CinderKeeper]

Hello gang!

Have a question about charcoal storage. I have always kept my charcoal indoors in a cabinet I have exclusively for my BBQ and cooking equipment, but as time goes on I have began accumulating unholy amounts of gadgets and accoutrements for the hobby and space in the cabinet is at a premium. Patio space, I do have.

What are your opinions about storing charcoal outdoors? Assuming the storage is water tight, will humidity and temperature change ruin the charcoal? My intention is to get a good quality plastic bin or some sort of reasonably priced receptacle to store it in outside year round. I live in Pittsburgh so we get all 4 seasons up here, including decent humidity in the summer. I don't really want to spring for an outdoor storage container for hundreds of dollars, probably one or two bins totalling maybe around $50 - $80.

If anyone here has outdoor charcoal storage experience I would love to hear it and whether or not to proceed with this idea.

Thanks everyone! 🍻

[RichieB]

Bags are kept in the garage. For the Kettle I transport this from garage to deck. I never had an issue with moisture and charcoal. Pit Barrel is in the garage so bag to it.

[Finster]

Bulk storage is on a pallet in the garage.
Storage convenient to the cookers is a 30 Gallon (?) metal trash can.
It easily holds a couple of 20 lb bags of charcoal, a small bin of wood chunks, gloves, a small chimney, and starter supplies.
my can was a throw in with the purchase of one of my cookers, but I'm pretty sure they can be had at homies or lowes for under $30...

Edit. just under $35 at Lowes

[RichieB]

I forgot, I have a full size metal can in the garage where there are 3 bags in it. I do not have a pallet full just 4 additional bags and a bag of B&B Charlogs in the garage.

[Panhead John]

I have a couple of these and they work great, the Kingsford Charcoal Caddy. The fit is tight and water proof. Plus there’s an easy pour lid for emptying the charcoal into your cooker or chimney. Available at most of your big box stores, around $19. or so. Depending on how much you want to store, this might not work for you, but having one to empty your bag into might be a plus.

[Mosca]

fzxdoc I keep them on the deck next to the cookers, 24/7/365. Haven’t had a problem with them, ever. Well, except the lids fading, and that’s probably because I keep them on the deck 24/7/365.

The best place to keep extras, excepting the one bag of lump and one bag of charcoal that you should always have on hand, is at the store; they do it for free, and you don’t even have to pay for the charcoal until you pick it up.

As Panhead John says, the lid snaps tight, you have to hit it hard to shut.

[ecowper]

fzxdoc I have them right next to the Hasty-Bake, underneath the gazebo over the patio

[klflowers]

They work great as long as you remember to close the lids. Before a thunderstorm. I just heard about it. I would never be that stupid. Mire than once anyway

[CinderKeeper]

Thanks for the responses!

Panhead John, was eyeing those up myself, maybe one of those for lump and a good sized metal one for the briquettes (90% of my cooks I use briquettes). As long as you guys haven't noticed any quality issues with the charcoal, I think I'll be going ahead with the plan.

Thanks again!

[Panhead John]

They don’t come in a metal one, just the hard plastic. But, they’re a good quality and should last years, even outside. You can easily fit a 20 lb bag of charcoal briquettes in one of them. I’ve never had any issues with them, the lid and spout fit TIGHT! Sometimes a little too tight. 🥸

[Mosca]

I’ve had mine for at least 10 years, if not more. The blue on the top fades. That’s about it.

[fuzzydaddy]

I’m in a high humidity area and storage is outside. If my cabinet was a little bigger or I had more floor space, I’d go with the Kingsford bins. I had them at my previous home and had room for them. My solution that’s working well is these Spacesaver bags from Amazon. I keep my bags in them. I don’t use the pump to get all air out, I just close most of the zipper seal, squeeze out most of the air and finish the zipper.

https://a.co/d/0j3gDTRh

[Spinaker]

Keep it in the bag and store it in a large container that seals, somewhat well. In the past, I have used a galvanized trash can with a lid. I find that plastic containers hold to much moisture.

The bag will suck up moisture in the form of humidity and the container will allow it to breathe but it will allow for some moisture to move out.

Obviously, you wanna keep that rain outta there.

[Huskee]

I store my charcoal & pellets outside in a deck box, it works wonderfully, and it's not under a roof. I don't notice any ill effects from humidity. I also use a simple galvanized metal trash can for my open bag to save room in the deck box, and it too works great.

[mrteddyprincess]

I have a Suncaster plastic cabinet on my back patio that is waterproof when closed properly. I've had it three years now and have never had an issue with the charcoal I store there. I bought it at a hardware store.

[Oak Smoke]

Rubber Maid makes a large plastic can with a good lid called a Brute. I think it holds about 35 to 40 gallons. I use one for lump storage. The lid snaps on the rim in two places so that it won’t blow off. I also use one for my lye vat and another for my electrolysis vat to clean cast iron. I’ve got 30 gallons of liquid in each of those with room left over. They are very heavy duty.

[Mosca]

The tops fade. This is after at least 10 years, maybe more.

[Uncle Bob]

So, similar to what PJ showed above from Kingsford, but larger and with wheels for easy movement. They seal completely so no moisture intrusion: Pet Supplies : IRIS USA WeatherPro Airtight Dog Food Storage Container, Up to 58 lbs, Attachable Wheels, For Dog Cat Bird and Other Pet Food Storage Bin, Keep Fresh, Easy Mobility, BPA Free, Smoke : Pet Food Storage Products : Amazon.com

I store my bulk in a climate controlled shop, but store the patio supply in these. I only use lump, which stays clean, dry, and burnable. It will hold a 35 LB bag of medium lump, slightly less of big lump because of the odd shapes involved. I would imagine it would hold more volume of briquettes due to shape uniformity, but that's a guess. Briquettes are more vulnerable to degradation from moisture because they are held together with a binder, where as the lump is more stable.

[Mosca]

Those are nice! I do like that the Kingsford caddies each hold about a bag of briqs or a 17 lb bag of lump (or a 35 lb bag over two caddies), and that I can lift and pour into either the BGE or a chimney.

[jfmorris]

I store all my charcoal either in bags (opened or still sealed) in an outdoor shed, *OR* in the case of my Weber Performer, I literally dump the charcoal briquettes into the storage bin, where nothing but the table of the cart protects it from the rain. Of course, I tend to keep a cover on the grill when not in use.

We have super high humidity here in Alabama almost year round, and I have yet to experience any issue with using charcoal stored outdoors in humid conditions. As long as it is kept dry (i.e. not rained on), I think it should be perfectly fine.

At one point, I had about 80 backs of charcoal stored in an outdoor shed that had a leaky roof that I had to tarp. I've since torn that shed down and replaced it with the current metal one, but it took me from 2018 to 2022 to burn through that stock pile of Kingsford and Weber charcoal, all bought on sale or clearance. The last 2 bags of Kingsford burned just fine.

My son in law keeps a bag or two in those storage containers like others have shown above, out by his grills outdoors, and seems to do just fine.

[CinderKeeper]

Awesome! Thanks so much everyone, I was most worried about high humidity ruining the coals, doesn't sounds like that's going to be an issue. Looks like some of those Kingsford bins or a nice sized galvanized metal bin are in my future!

[fzxdoc]

I keep all my charcoal in sealed Rubbermaid bins in the garage. But I like the look of those Kingsford bins for some on-the-deck storage.

One with a similar design came with my WSCGC, but I use it for storing other things on my deck, since I never trusted storing charcoal in our great outdoors where are trees can be covered with moisture-loving lichen at certain times of the year. If it's humid enough to grow new lichen, I figure, it's humid enough to affect charcoal.

I had a bad experience with a couple bags of KBB purchased at a Dollar Store which stored them, wrapped in plastic, on a pallet outside under a roof. The price was attractive, but using up that charcoal was a PITAnkle. Since then I keep my charcoal high and dry.

Reading some comments here, I think I might be overdoing it. As usual.

Kathryn