For me, there are few smells I associate more with summer nights than the smell of burning charcoal. I know I’m not alone in that, either. It’s a time-honored tradition, firing up a kettle grill with some charcoal and cooking dinner.
I also remember (and have experienced) finding deals on two bags of charcoal that I just couldn’t pass up. That inevitably led to partial bags of charcoal getting stored where they wait until next summer before getting lugged out again.
This begs the question: Can charcoal go bad? Let’s be real, sometimes our sheds, garages, or other storage areas might not get a lot of foot traffic and we forget we’ve got charcoal tucked into a corner. A bag could sit for a few months, a year, or even more. So how do you know if your charcoal is still good?
In an industry that is increasingly defined by technological advancements, we’ve been depending on charcoal for cooking for an incredibly long time. At its roots, charcoal is simply hardwood that is burned or cooked in an extremely low-oxygen environment. The result is essentially pure carbon that burns quite well, allowing you to cook food over direct heat while also working well for creating indirect heat and serving as the base for burning wood in an offset smoker.
However, if you go to a big-box store or any sort of store where you can buy grilling-related things, you’ll find that there is more than one type of charcoal.
Now when most people think of charcoal, this is what they think of. Due to the regular size of each briquette, regular charcoal burns evenly. It also burns a long time without generating a ton of heat. That makes it ideal for two-zone cooking or even smoking.
There are multiple types of briquettes. I’m a fan of using all-natural briquettes that do not have any additives or fillers in my grill. There are other options, including small bags of charcoal that have been soaked in essentially lighter fluid that you can put in a grill and light. This works if you’re going to a park and are using one of those park grills. We’ve got a list of our favorite charcoal briquettes for you to check out if you’re in the market for a new brand.
If you’re looking for the most natural charcoal, getting a bag of lump charcoal will do the trick. You can tell that it was made from chunks of hardwood being burnt down just by looking at it. It doesn’t have any of the fillers or additives that a number of charcoal briquettes have, so you can trust that all you’re burning is charcoal.
Lump charcoal can be made from a number of different hardwoods like oak, hickory, apple, and cherry. If you’re interested in checking it out, check out our list of the best lump charcoal.
Unfortunately, cheap charcoal will usually crumble when it gets wet, rendering it totally useless, as it will turn too powered as it dries. However, higher quality charcoal can be dried out and used , although, it will typically only be good for slow burning and will give off much more smoke as it burns.
Can Charcoal Go Bad?
Now that we know what charcoal is, we can tackle the big question: does charcoal go bad? In ideal conditions, the answer is no for all-natural charcoal briquettes and lump charcoal. Thanks to the process of making charcoal, anything that would rot or otherwise get ruined with time is removed.
So that means we’re good to go with storing charcoal wherever we want, right?
No. Due to charcoal being essentially carbon, it’s extremely porous and it doesn’t work well if it gets wet. In fact, if you keep charcoal wet for an extended period of time, it can actually break down and become unusable. It can also mold over time if it stays in a dark and damp environment.
That doesn’t mean that if your charcoal gets wet, it’s ruined forever. In fact, in our article on how to put out a charcoal grill, we highlight the method of dunking charcoal in water to instantly put it out. Why would we do that if it permanently ruined the charcoal? (Though we do note that if you get cheap stuff, it could fall apart.) Since charcoal is essentially carbon, it also can dry out. So if you find that you’ve got damp or wet charcoal that isn’t falling apart or has any mold growing on it, get it out of the damp environment and into the sun or other warm, dry area for a day. It’ll dry out and be usable.
Look At The Charcoal
When you notice that the bag is wet and/or see the charcoal is wet, look for two specific conditions. Is there mold growing on the charcoal, and does the charcoal look like it’s falling apart? If the answer to either question is yes, then it’s time to throw the bag out and go get a new one. If the answer to the first question is no and you’re unsure about the second, move to the next section
How To Start A Fire If Your Charcoal Gets WET!!!
FAQ
Will wet charcoal catch fire?
What happens when you put water on charcoal?
Can charcoal grills get wet?
Can charcoal go bad?
Can you dry out charcoal?
You can dry out charcoal, to varying success depending on how wet it’s gotten. If your charcoal only got a little wet then it’s possible to revive it to its former glory. For those that have absorbed a lot of moisture, you can try but there’s a possibility they are too far gone. To dry out your charcoal, carefully dump the bag onto a dry surface.
What happens if charcoal gets wet?
However, it doesn’t matter how experienced you are, unfortunately you can still get caught off guard by a sudden rain shower or accidentally leave your charcoal in a damp place during storage. When your charcoal gets wet, the moisture seeps into the briquettes or lump charcoal. This makes them near impossible to light.
Is it safe to store charcoal while wet?
If the stuff is either completely wet or completely dry, the danger is reduced. The actual risk associated with wet charcoal is hard to quantify. Many home safety guides and public service brochures warn of the danger of storing charcoal while wet, as do some professional guides, such as the National Fire Protection Association handbook.
What happens if charcoal briquette is too wet?
Particularly if you are using high quality charcoal briquettes, or the best lump charcoal you can get your hands. Usually it will be obvious if the charcoal is too soaked to dry out as it will be crumbly and lose it shape. This happens more frequently with lower quality charcoal briquettes, or if the charcoal is just too wet.