Take Your Lumps

At Beekman 1802 we never shy away from learning something new, so when we had the opportunity to learn to make our own hardwood brick charcoal, of course we jumped at it.

It’s a great autumn project.

 

 

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dig a hole 6’x 12′ long
grade depth from 1′ to ground level
lay two 12′ pieces of wood lengthwise
fill bottom of hole with twigs
cut additional logs in 4-5′ lengths and lay 1-2 layers
cover with hay or leaves & grass cuttings
cover all sides and top with 1′ dirt
leave a small opening to ignite, once ignited cover opening
allow to slowly burn 3-4 weeks, checking multiple times per day for holes forming on the surface of your dirt mound
patch any holes with dirt
after 2-3 weeks dig a small opening and shovel out the 1st section of charcoal wood pieces.  If there are pieces of your original wood pieces that have yet to turn to charcoal, cover them back up with dirt and continue to allow them to smolder until charcoal is formed (checking once or twice a week)
spread on ground and spray with hose until cool
allow to dry for a few days