Alternative Cooking

Storing Charcoal

 

I have been thinking about how I was going to cook my food storage food if the big EMP (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) happened, or, your power just gets shut off for what ever reason.  After doing some research, this is what I have come up with for one method.  Here is a safe fuel to store and cheap too! 

WARNING!!!!!!  Do NOT use charcoal inside your home, garage, car or any place that is closed in.  It can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning and DEATH.  Only use it outdoors with good ventilation. 

You Will Need:

5 or 6 Gallon Buckets with Lids
Bags of Charcoal Briquettes
 

I haven't been able to confirm an expiration date anywhere for the briquettes.  Here is some information  that indicates that Charcoal properly stored can last indefinitely.  

Charcoal: Charcoal is the least expensive fuel per BTU that the average family can store. Remember that it must always be used out of doors because of the vast amounts of poisonous carbon monoxide it produces. Charcoal will store for an extended period of time if it is stored in air tight containers. It readily absorbs moisture from the surrounding air so do not store it in the paper bags it comes in for more than a few months or it may be difficult to light. Transfer it to airtight metal or plastic containers and it will keep almost forever.  A 5 gallon buck will hold approximately 20 lbs of charcoal briquettes.  Since moisture is charcoals enemy, you might throw in a couple of desiccant bags (moisture absorbers) in on top of the charcoal before sealing the lid on (https://www.sorbentsystems.com/products.html)

 

Be sure to put a label on your buckets like this

About $150 Dollars worth of charcoal will provide all the cooking fuel a family will need for an entire year if used sparingly. The best time to buy briquettes inexpensively is at the end of the summer or end of spring when BBQing season is ready to start. Broken or torn bags of briquettes are usually sold at a big discount.  Newspapers will provide an excellent ignition source for charcoal when used in a funnel type of lighting device.  Don't buy the easy lighting briquettes or ones that have a fuel in them to store, just buy the plain briquets.  The fuel in the easy light briquettes may break down your plastic buckets and seals.

 

 To light charcoal using newspapers use one or two sheets, crumpled up, and a #10 tin can or use a volcano type charcoal lighter. Cut both ends out of the can. Punch holes every two inches around the lower edge of the can with an old style triangle shaped punch-type can opener (for opening juice cans). Set the can down so the punched holes are on the bottom. Place the crumpled newspaper in the bottom of the can and place the charcoal briquettes on top of the newspaper. Lift the can slightly and light the newspaper. Prop a small rock under the bottom edge of the can to create a good draft. The briquettes will be ready to use in about 20-30 minutes. When the coals are ready (they turn white all around) remove the can and place them in your cooker. Never place burning charcoal directly on concrete or cement because the heat will crack it. A wheelbarrow or old metal garbage can lid makes an excellent container for this type of fire.
 One of the nice things about charcoal is that you can regulate the heat you will receive from them. Each briquette will produce about 40 degrees of heat. There are examples of home made cardboard ovens on the internet.  Use your own judgement on using them.  I use charcoal with my Dutch Ovens in my out door cooking and love them.  We will get into Dutch Oven cooking in another Blog. 
To conserve heat and thereby get the maximum heat value from your charcoal you must learn to shield the wind from the briquettes.  You can use rocks or aluminum foil to shield your briquettes from the wind and in that way, get the most energy use out of them.

WARNING!!!  Burn charcoal only in a well-ventilated area!  

Did You Know . . . that one 20 lb bag of charcoal briquettes will make it possible for you to cook 1 Meal a Day for a whole month?!?  That means,  13-- 20 lbs bags will be good for 1 year. Watch for good deals at your local "club" type stores that sell in bulk.  They usually carry the 20 pound bags.  Now you have one idea for being able to cook your yummy food storage recipes and bread with out having to use gas or propane that can be dangerous to store.

Thanks for checking in and if you have any suggestions, please let us know.

Bob and LouAnn