put out fire

[masonred]

Do you save charcoal? I did some steaks today and after 10 minutes there lots of burn time so I sprinkled a little water and plan to use to use the charcoal later. Will this work? Tried to not to put enough water in kettle to make a mess, but I guess it's a fine line. 

[1911Ron]

Putting water on charcoal makes a mess, plus the ash turns to cement(or close enough to cement)  To save charcoal close off all of the vents and it will snuff out the fire (assuming your vents are tight)  I would toss the charcoal and start with new next time.

[mrbill]

haven't tried water, not sure if it'll ruin the charcoal. most folks(me included) just close all the vents and let it die out. then use the leftover coals in the chimney starter on the next cook.

[Craig]

Only time I have ever used water was when a tornado warning was out while I was finishing grilling and I poured water to quickly extinguish the coals as to not have a hot kettle slam against the house in the event of high gusts/tornados.

Now normally, no I just close the daisy vents/sweepers and let it die out. You can re use it next time. Water will cause ashmud and it can be murderous on the porcelain finish inside and out.

[LightningBoldtz]

Never use water, buy cheap, I just shut the vents and call it a day, reuse whatever is left.....

[Cookingmama]

Same here....shut all the vents, it will die out.  I have found that putting the reused on top in the chimney is better than on the bottom. 

[Craig]

Only time I have ever used water was when a tornado warning was out while I was finishing grilling and I poured water to quickly extinguish the coals as to not have a hot kettle slam against the house in the event of high gusts/tornados.

Now normally, no I just close the daisy vents/sweepers and let it die out. You can re use it next time. Water will cause ashmud and it can be murderous on the porcelain finish inside and out.

For the record. Immediately the next morning, that kettle got a major deep cleaning. It was like somebody's arse had exploded inside. Not fun to clean up but worth preventing any damage to the bowl.

[eccj]

I can barely turn the three vents on the bottom of my kettle. What can I do about that?

[1buckie]

I can barely turn the three vents on the bottom of my kettle. What can I do about that?

Is it from cooking gunk or ..........?

[Cookingmama]

I can barely turn the three vents on the bottom of my kettle. What can I do about that?

Also...is it a three wheeler, or the new vents?

[Metal Mike]

I've had success placing a shallow pan of water over the main heat & closing it up, the resulting steam seems to help w/o making mess of things
**just don't store it in there**

[Mark Schnell]

Yeah, like Cookingmama said, put the used stuff on the top of the chimney. It tends to not leave a lot of space in between the pieces, cutting down the air-flow and makes starting the chimney take a lot longer. I just add it to the top or even just spread the chimney of new stuff over top of the old stuff on the grate.

Absolutely no reason to not reuse it under normal circumstances. If I accidentally spill juices on the coals or forget to put a drip tray in (yikes) then I don't reuse that stuff. It can make a nasty smell when it's burned.

[Harbormaster]

I can barely turn the three vents on the bottom of my kettle. What can I do about that?

If it's full of ash and gunk, a good degreaser like Greased Lightning sprayed into the vents and then working the vents will help dissolve the gunk. You can also use dental floss and work it between the bowl and the vents to clear some of the crap out. I created a "spudger" out of thin stainless rod and attack the vents from the inside of the bowl when I see they are getting gunked up.