Can You Reuse Charcoal? [COMPLETE BEGINNER'S GUIDE]

Most people who love using charcoal for grilling always ask if they can reuse charcoal. So, can you reuse charcoal?

The concise answer to this is Yes, you can reuse charcoal. The good news is that reused charcoal will not affect the flavor and aroma of your food. Furthermore, reusing charcoal has essential benefits, such as reducing waste and greenhouse gas emissions.

However, it is a good idea only to reuse the leftovers after the first grilling. There is a lot you need to understand before you reuse your charcoal. This article provides essential information for adequately collecting and reusing charcoal. So keep reading with me.

Read: Can You Reuse Charcoal? [COMPLETE BEGINNER’S GUIDE]

Can You Reuse Charcoal?

As mentioned earlier, yes, you can reuse charcoal. However, you must collect and store it properly to ensure that it lights well and gives you the heat you need. The steps below will help you collect and maximize the collected old charcoal:

Steps to Collection and Storage of Used Charcoal

Extinguish the fire by reducing the amount of oxygen reaching the flame. Close your grill to prevent air from getting in. You should avoid using water to put out the fire as it can easily cause the grill to rust and give you extra work of drying the wet charcoal.
Once the flame is out, wait for the coals to cool, select only the solid pieces, and leave behind the crashed ones. Additionally, ensure that you separate ashes from solid charcoal because they might make it hard for you to ignite your old charcoal. Put all your solid charcoal in a frying basket and shake off ashes.
Conduct a touch test. This is an excellent test to help you decide whether the coal you have collected is worth saving. How does the touch test work? Just squeeze the charcoal you collected. If they are too ashy, you should not save them because they crumble easily and will be difficult to light.
Store the collected charcoal in a dry place with no moisture, in a shed or in a closed bucket. However, if you plan to grill soon, you can leave it in the grill but with the lid closed to avoid moisture getting to them.

Will the Old Reused Coals Burn?

Yes, the reused charcoal will burn. Nonetheless, the amount of heat your old charcoal will produce will not be the same as what it produces when new. Why is there a difference in the amount of heat?

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The new charcoal will produce a more intense heat because they are still bigger and have good spacing between the pieces, allowing adequate oxygen to flow freely. So, generally, new charcoal produces a steadier and hotter heat.

On the other hand, used charcoal has small pieces that are not solid like the new ones. This makes them stay close to each other, thus limiting the amount of oxygen getting into the pieces, thus producing less heat.

Furthermore, charcoal is usually slow to ignite and has less heat with little or no sparks. However, if you want it to ignite faster and give you more heat, you can add some new coals on top to make it ignite fast and produce steady heat.

Can you Reuse Charcoal for Grilling?

Yes, you can reuse charcoal for grilling. Here are the steps to follow when you want to light up used charcoal for grilling.

Add new charcoal – as mentioned before, it can be challenging to light used charcoal because there is limited airflow. Therefore, to simplify the lighting process, start by filling up the chimney with new charcoal to half. This will ensure that the pieces are not too close to each other, thus giving them enough airflow.
Add the used charcoal for grilling – in this step, there are two options you can apply: light the halfway new charcoal or add the used charcoal before you light. Either of these will work perfectly. However, before that, ensure that the charcoal lumps you are using are solid, and you can shake the chimney to release any ash on the grill.
Light up your grill – you can use lighter fluid to light up the charcoal on the chimney starter. Wait until the lit charcoal get the grill hotter before you start grilling. Start grilling when the temperature hits 450 degrees F.

Can you Reuse Charcoal Briquettes?

Charcoal briquettes can be reused but only once after the first grilling. However, research says that they can even be reused more than once if you find that they are still solid and can manage pressure. Therefore, even before you decide to reuse them for the first time, do the touch test and find out if they are worth keeping.

Can you Reuse Lump Charcoal?

Yes, you can reuse lump charcoal because they are similar to briquettes. The main point lies in proper collection and storage. You can reuse them if they are still in good condition.

What are the Benefits of Reusing Charcoal?

Smoking your favorite food with charcoal is among the best things people enjoy. If you love saving money, you can always reuse your charcoal after the first smoking session. It does not only help you save money but also enables you to protect the environment by reducing your carbon footprint. Learn about the benefits of reusing charcoal here.

Saves Money

The people who love hosting barbecues almost every weekend can tell how expensive it usually is. Remember to make the process a success. You need to buy charcoal and several other raw materials. So you will need to spend. However, if you reuse charcoal, you can cut costs because you will need to buy half of what you are used to buying, thus saving you a lot of money.

Reduces Carbon Footprint

Reusing charcoal is among the top eco-friendly activities anyone can do. It does this by reducing the number of trees cut down every time to get charcoal and reducing the carbon footprint. Reusing old charcoal means less waste around and a less carbon footprint.

Other benefits:

Addition of more flavor to your food
Mulching your garden
It is always relaxing and fun smoking with friends at a lower cost
Reused charcoal can act as a grill starter

How Many Times Can one Reuse Charcoal?

Most barbeque experts normally dispose of their charcoal after they finish grilling the first time. However, this is not advisable. You can reuse your charcoal more than once, provided it is still sold and can withstand the pressure. Remember that charcoal is reusable and can be used to cook more than once in different sessions.

Carefully put off your charcoal after smoking, ensure it is sold and does not have any ashes, then store it in a dry place. And if you use water to put off charcoal, then make sure you dry it well under the sun before you store them.

Final Thoughts

Now you see that it is possible to reuse old charcoal and the benefits you can enjoy from that. It is more worth trying. The only important thing you need to do here is collect them well and store them in a dry place. Although it won’t burn like how new charcoal burns, it will still give you every other benefits you get from new charcoal.

Read: What is the Best Charcoal Basket to Get? [Top Models Reviewed]

Courtney is a professional grilling enthusiast who has spent a good portion of his life grilling and exploring different methods and techniques for preparing delicious meals. As he always says, creativity is key to preparing sumptuous meals.