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The Ash Question...

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    The Ash Question...

    We've talked about what charcoals people like in various dimensions (burn length, etc) and while it's been mentioned in passing, I don't think we've had a post/thread about ash. Soo0...

    For a given amount of charcoal, do you all see much variation in the ash left? Does it matter to you? I've used KBB mostly but it does tend to leave a bunch of ash and I wonder if that means I'm getting a charcoal that's lower quality than others that seem to leave less ash.

    I don't care that much about cleanup - gotta do it, so... eh. But if the amount of ash remains correlate with quality... how? The nature of the smoke? Burn length? Or do they now correlate with anything?

    FWIW I have a bag of Weber on deck. I've been burning Kingsford Hardwood (which makes me ask precisely what KBB is, if not hardwood). And the Hardwood stuff has been pretty nice and seems to leave less ash... but I don't see a significant difference with burn time. If anything, it burns a little faster than KBB.

    Thoughts?


    #2
    I knwo from my recent expereinces with the MB 560, KBB filled the ash bucket with a ~12hr cook, and Fogo lump was about half for the same length cook. Neither tasted drastically different if I'm being honest, maybe in a side by side it'd be easier to tell, but the Fogo gave me about 2 hrs less burn time with repeated tests. I remain a fan of KBB.

    Comment


      #3
      Most of the KBB ash is due to the binders and other products they put in their blend, like;

      Wood char - Fuel for heating
      Mineral char - Fuel for heating
      Mineral carbon - Fuel for heating
      Limestone - Binding agent
      Starch - Binding agent
      Borax - Release agent
      Sawdust - Accelerate ignition

      All of which helps keep their product the way it is I guess. I find KBB to be pretty consistent cook to cook. Other brands use less of the above I assume so their ash content varies. Personally I don't care about the ash, you get it regardless of the type.

      Comment


        #4
        It has to do with binders, or lack thereof. Lump shouldn't have any, so less ash.

        My original B & B Briquets from 5-6 years ago left very little ash but were quite brittle. The newer version is "stamped" with a "B" and not as brittle, and leaves more ash.

        Comment


        • JimLinebarger
          JimLinebarger commented
          Editing a comment
          Jerod Broussard Have you tried the ones stamped with a lower case "b" to see if there is a difference or happy medium?

        • Jerod Broussard
          Jerod Broussard commented
          Editing a comment
          JimLinebarger I was but I moved on to the Greek alphabet

        #5
        I have experimented just a little - been using KBB so long that I feel like I am cheating when I use something else. I tried some Weber Professional. I wasn't impressed with the burn time, but it did leave less ash. Cowboy Lump - less ash, but terrible burn time. May as well have used newspaper. Never been impressed with Royal Oak - I don't even remember how much ash it left. have yet to try FOGO, but the cost difference may make me never try FOGO.

        Comment


        • smokin fool
          smokin fool commented
          Editing a comment
          klflowers Interesting about the Cowboy Lump. I finally found a supply at a local grocery store so grabbed a bag to try. Says its made in the USA so hopefully it the same product you get down there,
          Hope I get a reasonable burn time.
          I use predominately Royal Oak, very happy with my results. Plus its half the price of Kingsford and a third of Weber, in this neck of the woods anyway.
          As for the ash stuff, ash is ash, burn stuff get ash...pee off wife get kick in ash...

        • klflowers
          klflowers commented
          Editing a comment
          smokin fool, it has been years since I tried Cowboy Lump, so maybe I misremember the performance, but I know I wasn't impressed. I only tried the one bag and never bought another. I used to use Royal Oak cause it was cheaper than KBB, but I thought the quality of the charcoal wasn't very consistent. Again, that was several years ago, so the product may be better now.
          Last edited by klflowers; May 28, 2020, 09:39 AM.

        #6
        I’m with your original thoughts on the subject, ya gotta clean, so who gives a rip if it’s this much or a 1/2 bit more. The burn & consistency is what matters. Ya don’t want newspaper like klflowers but what Troutman said, yessir.

        Comment


          #7
          I most generally have used KBB over my lifetime, although I have grabbed bags of others, out of necessity.
          Guess I've never really comparatively analyzed ash production, jus cleaned out my cookers, after th fact.
          I'll try to pay more attention...
          I dump th ash all round th perimeter of my lil duplex, saves me from havin to weed-eat.

          Comment


            #8
            To be clear, I'm mostly wondering if ash production is related to quality. If KBB is full of binders etc... but burns well and for a reasonable time... who cares about the binders (presuming they're not heavy metals, etc)?

            What I've been wondering is if ash product is correlated with, e.g. burn time (less ash faster burn or less ash, longer burn).

            The only time I can think of caring about ash production itself is when there's so much ash it blocks the opening at the bottom of the kettle in a long cook.



            Comment


            • Oak Smoke
              Oak Smoke commented
              Editing a comment
              That's the real concern is there enough ash to block air flow. I used kbb for years in a kettle, I don't remember ever having a problem with it. When I got a Kamado I switched to lump because I was told that was what it was supposed to burn. I've not had any trouble with lump after I got a kick ash basket. Charcoal is a heat source. Wood is for flavor. If you get good repeatable results, with the ash not causing a problem, using kbb I can't see a need to switch.

            • Dadof3Illinois
              Dadof3Illinois commented
              Editing a comment
              That’s exactly what I’ve been finding out with KBB and Weber briquettes in my SnS and 26” kettle. On long cooks I have to knock the ash out a couple times then reset the vents to maintain temps where I want.
              RO burns with the least ash but burns hot and fast so doesn’t last.
              I’m actually wondering if it’s my SnS and I need to modify the bottom so ash falls out easier.

            #9
            I think you have to define "quality" to make the correlation you’re wanting to make. It might be less ash for better air flow, or quality might be longer burn time. I personally love Weber briquettes because they burn long, I like the flavor they impart, and I’m not concerned about the relatively high amount of ash they produce. But they’re expensive so I rarely use them. I mostly use KBB for the perceived value.

            Heres a well documented analysis of 3 types of Kingsford and Weber where he does a burn test, measures ash, etc.

            Comment


            • HawkerXP
              HawkerXP commented
              Editing a comment
              Thanks, interesting.

            #10
            For a long time now, I've been thinking that more fillers in charcoal is bad. Of course more fillers (KBB) means the briqs hold together better. Again, on the other hand, if you have

            Comment


              #11
              I need less ash in my pk to keep airflow going. I actually get air cutoff by ash before running out of fuel.

              that need depends highly on the cooker.

              Comment


                #12
                Also I guess with less binders you can cram more fuel in a smaller firebox

                Comment


                  #13
                  Originally posted by FishTalesNC View Post
                  I think you have to define "quality" to make the correlation you’re wanting to make. It might be less ash for better air flow, or quality might be longer burn time. I personally love Weber briquettes because they burn long, I like the flavor they impart, and I’m not concerned about the relatively high amount of ash they produce. But they’re expensive so I rarely use them. I mostly use KBB for the perceived value.

                  Heres a well documented analysis of 3 types of Kingsford and Weber where he does a burn test, measures ash, etc.
                  Fair enough. I think there are a few components to quality:

                  1) Burn time. Longer is better.

                  2) Any flavor imparted. Good flavors are good. Bad flavors... Neutral is fine.

                  3) Ash quantity only if ash stops up the vents at the bottom of common cookers (Webers, PK, etc).

                  What prompted this is that I need to buy more and we keep getting posts about people liking X over Y... but if a charcoal is neutral in flavor imparted, the only variables left are burn time and ash production (with lighting time a minor factor).

                  thanks for the link!

                  Comment


                    #14
                    Isn't Ash the guy who caught Pikachu? File:Ash and Pikachu M20.png
                    Last edited by HawkerXP; May 26, 2020, 06:42 PM.

                    Comment


                      #15
                      I always had friend tell me "Ash me no questions and I'll tell you no lies".

                      But on a lighter note (A minor) I think I am seeing a correlation between the temp at which I am grilling and the amount and type of ash using KBB. Lower temps seem to be more ash and more granular while higher temps less and more powdery. Either that or my meds are acting up again.
                      Last edited by JimLinebarger; May 27, 2020, 01:33 PM.

                      Comment

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