Do –it –yourself Charcoal

Lately it’s hard to trust certain companies for the way they make things. It’s all about selling a product with fine print that would warn you about certain chemicals and dangerous production techniques they used. This is obviously not the case with all companies. Some really want the best for you with them gaining the satisfaction of having a pleased customer. The reason some people would like to make their charcoal is because then they know for sure that what they use to make it will not harm them. Charcoal is used for many things but mainly for cooking a barbecue or braai. Hence the anxiousness, food can be very dangerous when the wrong chemicals infiltrate.

That smoky taste of a barbecue comes from the charcoal and if the quality isn’t good you may find that your meat will taste different. There are two methods of making charcoal and that is indirect and direct. The direct method uses heat from incomplete combustion of organic matter, this matter will then become charcoal. The amount of oxygen can be regulated by you this regulates the rate of combustion. The charcoal should not burn and therefore you need to keep an eye on the amount of oxygen you let through as oxygen will make it burn. The indirect method uses external heat to “cook” organic matter; this is done in a closed containment where the process does not involve oxygen. This method produces better charcoal, the reason being that there are less pollutants and smoke infiltrating the charcoal.

If you want to make your own charcoal you do need a couple of tools and containers. The containers are sometimes easy to make yourself but sometimes you need to buy them. The process of making charcoal is quite strenuous and technical therefore you need patience, quite a lot of space and tolerance for smoke and dirt. The indirect method does not require a lot of skill and must therefore be considered if you aren’t skilled at making charcoal.

Making your own charcoal can also be very good for your pockets. In other words if you like to have a braai or barbecue every Saturday it’ll cost you a lot for buying a new pack of charcoal for every week. You may not use a lot but you might find that you can save a bit for that extra tank of gas every month. Obviously the easier route would be to buy your charcoal. If you have a busy schedule and you might not have the backyard for charcoal making then buying charcoal isn’t the worst resort. Although you might be concerned about the chemicals charcoal companies might use to manufacture the product, you can easily do some research into what are harmful chemicals and try to avoid those charcoal companies by reading the “fine print”.

By: Bernd Klingenberg

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Bernd Klingenberg is the owner of the site specializing in everything from charcoal, the braai and briquettes products. Visit www.igniteproducts.co.za for more information on charcoal .