Charcoal Grilling... What To Do With The Used Charcoal?

So you have a charcoal grill. We have a charcoal grill too.

What do you do with the leftover ash? Or better yet, what should you do with the leftover ash?

Ideally gas grilling is the most eco-friendly while charcoal emits not only only carbon monoxide but many other toxins too.

Wood ash can be dumped in the garden and used for fertilizer, but it is alkaline so it's good for neutralizing acidic soils. But be careful if you don't know your gardens ph levels though - they sell those paper strips at garden stores if you want to find out (think back to 8th grade science!).

But charcoal, like the Kingsford Charcoal that only takes 10 minutes to be ready to cook - that stuff can't go into a compost heap. It can't go into your garden at all because of all the toxins used to MAKE it burn. Instead, it should be thrown away in the garbage.

If you use plain old wood charcoal with NO TOXINS, then yes, it can go into your compost but beware, too much is a BAD thing in your compost.

Unfortunately something that I like so much, isn't exactly that eco friendly but grilling does taste so good!

Happy Memorial Day!