charcoal curing

[Virgil]

On a competitor's website they recommend using regular old charcoal bricketts to cure their ovens.
This seems fairly easy to do and makes some sense at least for the initial lower temp. fires. Yet FB says dont use charcoal. What would be the harm in using it? Has anyone tried to cure using charcoal?

[acbova]

Re: charcoal curing

I was curious about this as well.....

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: charcoal curing

In Oz, we use Heat Beads, another form of charcoal. It can be spread evenly over the floor for dryout,

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: charcoal curing

the only thing i wouldnt like, is if they are match light they would have some sort of accelerant chemicals built in, I wouldnt want the taste or smell soaked into my bricks.. If you bought real wood charcoal, and used a small torch and newspaper to light it I think you would be fine...

Any one else ???

[Johnny the oven man]

Re: charcoal curing

Aussies use them in Webber Kettle BBQ's

[bimbo]

Re: charcoal curing

Yeah I have seen 2 types of heatbeads or charcoal bricketts. One type are self lighting so must have some type of volatile in them to light instantly. These ones seem to lose this self light feature after the bag has been open for a little while.
The other ones I have seen need some help to get started like a firelighter.

I plan on using some of these one I get finished for the first few curing fires as once they are lit they provide a constant heat for a good few hours.

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: charcoal curing

for a constant heat, some of the forum members have used a propane heater or burner like the kind used on a turkey fryer, gives great control. I dont think you have to worry as long as you keep your fires small and under control..

Mark

[WaWaZat]

Re: charcoal curing

On a competitor's website they recommend using regular old charcoal bricketts to cure their ovens.
This seems fairly easy to do and makes some sense at least for the initial lower temp. fires. Yet FB says dont use charcoal. What would be the harm in using it? Has anyone tried to cure using charcoal?

I've come here with the very same questions. I too read about charcoal curing and also read somewhere around here to NOT cure using charcoal. Why would charcoal curing be bad?

Is there a certain type of charcoal that's best?

Wasn't there someone that posted a very detailed thread here on how to charcoal cure? I can't find it for the life of me. Does anyone have the link or know who might have posted this?

[dmun]

Re: charcoal curing

As long as there is no accellerant in them, like the "match light" kind, there shouldn't be a problem. Heat is heat. Charcoal is generally much more expensive per calorie than wood, but getting an even heat would be an advantage worth paying for. You might need to burn them on a grill, or in a hibachi or some other method of getting air into the pile of charcoal, a pile on the brick floor might not keep burning, and over a long burn you are going to need to get the ash out.

A lot of the charcoals we get in the US are full of "mineral carbon" aka coal. Why not just buy a hundred pound bag of anthracite for about a tenth the cost of charcoal?

As far as "heat beads" I have no idea. A web search turned up nothing useful. There's not even a wikipedia stub.

[WaWaZat]

Re: charcoal curing

A lot of the charcoals we get in the US are full of "mineral carbon" aka coal. Why not just buy a hundred pound bag of anthracite for about a tenth the cost of charcoal?

Where does one find bags of anthracite??

[Neil2]

Re: charcoal curing

"Where does one find bags of anthracite??"

Check with the local blacksmiths.

[dmun]

Re: charcoal curing

Dealer Directory Locator - Reading Anthracite Coal

I guess for starters you need to be pretty close to Pennsylvania.

[MK1]

Re: charcoal curing

Try this http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f16/...hods-7297.html

Mark

[WaWaZat]

Re: charcoal curing

I just had a long talk with a local firewood supplier who also makes his own lump charcoal & seems to be very knowledgeable in these areas. He recommended not using briquettes in any WFO because any briquette... even 100% hardwood which I just bought a 40 lb bag of thinking it contained nothing but hardwood... uses ingredients like ammonium nitrate & other chemicals that we wouldn't want absorbed in our ovens.

He convinced me right away so I figured I use some of the lump charcoal I have around here. His thoughts were, while this is a natural charcoal, it might be too harsh to use in the oven. His point was that once you've burned something in an oven, whatever harshness, chemicals, etc, will stay with the oven & have an effect on what's cooked in there for a long time.

So maybe starting small and using only kindling & hardwood for curing might be the best way to go? ...sans using any propane systems, etc, that have been posted here. I'd love to here experienced WFO users opinions.