00:00Most people think burning a kiln of charcoal means lighting a fire and waiting a few hours
00:04Sounds reasonable, but the truth is a proper kiln takes at least 7 to 8 days
00:08Charcoal isn't burning wood to ash, it's smothering wood into carbon
00:11Too much air and it becomes ash
00:13Too little air and temperature never rises
00:15First step isn't burning hard, it's controlling oxygen
00:18Kiln sealed tight, wood stacked closely, only the smallest air opening left
00:22First few days almost no visible flame, temperature held around 200 degrees
00:26Slowly roasting, moisture driven out little by little, wood gradually drying completely
00:29This step causes the most problems
00:32Fire too strong, outside charred, inside still wet
00:35Fire too weak, never dries completely
00:38Once wood is fully dry it releases combustible gases, kiln temperature naturally rises to 300 to 500 degrees
00:43Wood turns black, structure collapses, only the carbon skeleton remains
00:47At this point the kiln is sealed, let it continue carbonizing in oxygen depleted conditions
00:52Wait a few more days, ordinary black charcoal is basically complete
00:56Seal all air inlets completely, natural cooling for over 10 hours before opening
00:59For white charcoal, temperature must go higher, increase airflow, push temperature above 1000 degrees
01:05Hold for another 10 plus hours, then remove while still glowing red and rapidly seal for cooling
01:09That rapid temperature contrast makes the structure denser, taps like metal
01:12A few minutes of mistakes and the entire kiln is ruined
01:16Charcoal isn't because expensive it's black, it's expensive because it survived 7 to 8 days of fire
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