This might be a dumb question - flame me if you must - but

[yvr girl]

can you turn off a charcoal BBQ? (Without dousing it in water.)

If you do need to douse it in water, can the coals be used again?

Just curious.

[no name no slogan]

1. Shut off all air to the BBQ

close up the vents and put a cover on it. Eventually it will snuff itself when all the oxygen is used up.

[Duer 157099]

4. this is correct

I've done it many times, and used the bricks again (but added fresh also)

[plcdude]

2. okay

no you cannot stop a charcoal fire except by putting the temperature out which is usually done by water. You can use them again when they are sufficiently dry which may take quite some time.

[henslee]

3. I don't think you can turn off a charcoal BBQ. If you pour sand

on it... it'llgo out but still smolder for a while. Coals might be partially reusable but why not get new? If coals get wet, you'd have to dry them out to reuse any portion of them but again, does not seem like the actions of a barbecue pro.

[matcom]

5. there is a shut off button on the very bottom of all charcoal BBQ's

you might have to get down on your hands and knees to find it but its there :rofl:

[yvr girl]

6. Too bad you aren't here - I could kill two birds with one stone

WHY are you such a bastard anyway? :D

[matcom]

7. DOH!

:think:

*checking air fare :D

[khashka]

10. Now yivver.....

Why is matcom such a bastard? That is like asking "What is gravity?"
Although if you intend to put out his fire..... you might wanna stick with the charcoal, instead. It's easier.
I have to admit that dousing him with a bucket of cold water sounds amusing. But probably ineffective. Cutting off his oxygen might work.... but I'm not betting on it.

Khash.

[matcom]

11. my next suggestion would have been to

'blow' on it ;)

[khashka]

8. Like nnns said

cut off the oxygen and the fire will go out. Basic chemistry. Even with the grill completely shut, it'll take a little while for the remaining oxygen to be used up. So the coals will smoulder for a little while.

As for using old charcoal...well, you can. But not as effectively. And the end result doesn't taste as good IMHO.

As for water, I wouldn't go there. Why bother? There are easier ways. And you end up with a mess.

Khash.

[Road Scholar]

9. No air, no fire, period. I have found that water makes the charcoal

mighty smooshy even after drying.I wouldn't douse it with water.

[yvr girl]

12. I never considered that

Messy isn't good.

[Road Scholar]

13. Water just makes it into a big fat mess. Correct, messy isnt

good.
PS: I like your byline

[Redstone]

14. Except sometimes.

Redstone

[Road Scholar]

16. Ok Ok, mind outta th' gutter. LOL

[Redstone]

17. Nah. down here in the gutter is where all the fun is.

Redstone

[Road Scholar]

20. LOL you're probably right.

:rofl:

[Bucky]

15. It's usually pretty effective to just drown the charcoals in lighter fluid

If you dump enough of it on the charcoals and use a wide spray pattern, the reddened coals don't have time to access oxygen and then the spark is "snuffed out". Here, let me demonstrate...

[Road Scholar]

18. Eggzakley!! Hey Y'all watch this here!!!!!!

[In_The_Wind]

19. Suffocate the fire. I never tried to reuse the coals.

:shrug:

[yvr girl]

22. My frugal streak runs deep

I only have vague memories of a charcoal bbq. I just thought you could reuse parts of the coals, and add new ones.

[Road Scholar]

23. You can. And the're ain't nuttin wrong with your frugal streak nt

[no name no slogan]

24. That's what I usually do

keep reusing the charcoal until they're burnt to ash. Of course you have to keep adding new ones in each time, because eventually you'll just burn them all up.

[In_The_Wind]

25. I don't see anything wrong with relighting it. I never put out the fire.

So it consumed most of the coals.

[RebelOne]

21. Simple, just let the coals burn out.

They can't be used again anyway.

[AnneD]

26. My dad had a special technique he used to douse BBQ fires

after all those beers he consumed...but you may not be able to do it yvr girl.;)

[yvr girl]

27. Ya....I don't drink very much beer!

BTW, that's just gross. I hope he sanitized the BBQ afterwards.

[AnneD]

28. Just red neck funnies...

BTW, it is actually fairly clean (remember, you use ammonia to clean)-not much grows in it. I never witnessed it but I do remember we went out camping and he didn't want to waste the good water to put out the fire. Sent us to pack up and when we got back the camp fire was out and we still had water.