Lexi Webster
Charcoal is a great fuel alternative to coal or coke, and can be easily made at home. The process involves burning wood in a metal container, such as a drum, to remove impurities, moisture, and gases, leaving behind pure charcoal. The drum method is popular in Australia, with many people opting for recycled drums to reduce costs. The size of the drum can vary depending on the desired charcoal quantity, and the wood used can include oak, cherry, or hickory. Once the wood is packed tightly into the drum, a fire is built inside and left to burn for several hours. This guide will explore the steps to make charcoal in Australia, covering wood selection, container preparation, fire management, and safety considerations.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Container | Metal drum, tin, paint can, clay mound kiln, metal pot, metal container |
| Container size | Large or small, depending on the amount of charcoal to be produced |
| Container features | Flame-proof lid, feeder hole in the bottom, smoke hole, insulated chimney |
| Wood type | Cured wood, hardwood, branches, firewood, wood scraps |
| Wood preparation | Chop into 4-inch pieces, fill the container tightly, leaving little air between pieces |
| Fire | Build a medium-sized fire, use kindling and small pieces of wood, feed the fire with larger pieces of wood |
| Burn time | 3-8 hours, or 18-26 hours for the earth method |
| Post-burn treatment | Let the fire burn out, extinguish with water, clean with water, grind into a powder |
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What You'll Learn
Choose a drum or container
Alternatively, you can use the "earth method" and burn your wood in a pile on the ground. Dig a pit and fill it with the wood you plan to burn, leaving a chimney hole at the top and poking some air holes at the bottom. Cover the pile with earth, leaving the chimney exposed, and light the wood on fire. This method does not require a metal drum but may produce more smoke and require more monitoring.
Once you have your drum or container, you will need to prepare your wood. Choose cured wood, such as cherry, oak, or hickory, and chop it into small pieces, around 4 inches in length. You will need enough wood to fill your drum or container to the top, packed tightly together with as few air pockets as possible.
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$24.99
Pick the right wood
Picking the right wood is essential for making charcoal. You'll want to collect a lot of wood, such as branches from pruning, firewood, or wood waste that's a little thick for your compost. Stack your pile as tightly as possible, with as little air pockets between the branches as you can manage. Generally, you should use wood that has been cured. Cherry wood, oak wood, or hickory wood all work well for making charcoal. You can check if people in your area have wood for sale or pick some up at a home and garden supply store.
It's important to note that the type of wood you choose will impact the burning time and the amount of charcoal produced. For example, if you're using a 55-gallon drum, you might burn about five pallets, two moving boxes full of wood scraps, or about 150 lbs of wood. This amount of wood will burn for around six hours and produce a substantial amount of charcoal.
If you're using smaller containers, like a tin or paint can, you'll need less wood, but the amount of charcoal produced will also be smaller. You might have to do two or three batches in a paint can to get enough charcoal for one barbecue.
When using the "'earth method," you'll need to pile up the wood and light it on fire. Once it's burning strongly, cover the pile with about 2 inches or 5 cm of earth, leaving a chimney hole at the top and poking some air holes at the bottom. This method requires less wood than the drum method and doesn't require constant monitoring.
Regardless of the method you choose, always ensure you have a water supply nearby to extinguish the fire when needed.
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Burn the wood
Burning wood to make charcoal can be done in a few different ways, each with its own benefits. The most common methods are the drum method, the earth method, and the pot method.
The drum method involves using a metal drum, such as a recycled 55-gallon drum, with a flame-proof lid. Fill the drum with cured wood, such as cherry, oak, or hickory, chopped into 4-inch pieces, packed tightly to the top. Build a fire inside the drum, feeding it wood and kindling through the feeder hole at the bottom. Keep the fire going for 7-8 hours, maintaining a high temperature by feeding it dense wood. After this time, the impurities, moisture, and gases will have burned away, leaving pure charcoal. Allow the fire to burn out and the drum to cool before removing the charcoal.
The earth method is a more traditional technique that requires less equipment. First, light a pile of wood on fire, ensuring it is stacked tightly with minimal air pockets. When the fire is burning strongly, cover the pile with 2 inches (5 cm) of earth, leaving a chimney hole at the top and poking some air holes at the bottom. Leave the fire for 18-26 hours, until the smoke turns white and becomes barely visible. At this point, extinguish the fire with water or open the pile and put it out with a shovel.
The pot method is useful for making smaller amounts of charcoal. Pack a metal pot with small pieces of dry hardwood and place it on an open fire. Cook for 3-5 hours with the lid on, allowing smoke and gas to escape through a vent hole. When no more smoke or gas is emitted, the charcoal is ready. Allow it to cool, then clean the charcoal with water to remove ash and debris.
Regardless of the method, always take safety precautions when lighting a fire and keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
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Leave to cool
Once you've built your fire inside the drum, you'll need to leave it to burn for 7-8 hours. If you're using the earth method, you'll need to leave it for 18-26 hours. During this time, the fire will burn out, and the impurities, moisture, and gases will be drawn out of the wood, leaving pure charcoal behind.
After this time, you must leave the entire contraption to cool completely before approaching it. The charcoal will stay hot for a while, so give it plenty of time to cool down. You'll know the charcoal is ready when it's cool to the touch.
Once the charcoal has cooled, you can empty the drum into a container and store it for later use. Alternatively, you can transfer the charcoal to a clean container and rinse it with cool water to remove any remaining ash and debris.
It's important to note that all fires produce gases that can be dangerous to inhale, so make sure the area is well-ventilated and always keep a fire extinguisher nearby.
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Extinguish and store
Once you have made your charcoal, you will need to extinguish the fire and store the charcoal for later use.
If you are using the drum method, you will need to let the fire burn out and leave the drum to completely cool before you approach it. This can take several hours. You should then empty the drum into a container and store the charcoal for later use.
If you are using the earth method, you will need to extinguish the fire with ample water. You can also open the pile and put two shovels' worth of charcoal on your BBQ, then extinguish.
Charcoal can be stored in a clean container. It is important to note that all fires produce gases that can be dangerous to inhale, so ensure the area is well-ventilated. Charcoal burns more cleanly than wood, as it is mostly carbon and produces little smoke.
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Frequently asked questions
You will need a metal drum, wood, kindling, and a fire extinguisher.
Cured wood such as cherry, oak, or hickory is best. Chop the wood into 4-inch pieces and fill the drum with it.
Build a fire inside the drum and let it burn for 7-8 hours. Keep the fire as hot as possible by feeding it larger pieces of wood. After 7-8 hours, let the fire burn out and leave the drum to cool. Then, empty the charcoal into a container.
To purify contaminated water or polluted air, you will need to make activated charcoal. To do this, burn the charcoal for 3-5 hours and then clean it with water. Once the charcoal is cool, grind it into a fine powder. You can then wrap the activated charcoal in linen or cotton and place it near a fan to purify the air. To purify water, put the activated charcoal into a sock and pour the water through it.
