The charcoal keeps going out

Each cause below lists the signs that point at it rather than at the others. Start with the signs, not with the fix.

1. The bottom vent is closed or blocked, so the fire has no air.

   common

   Signs it is this one

   • The bottom vent is shut, partly shut, or clogged with ash from previous cooks.
   • The fire revives briefly when the lid comes off and fades again when it goes back on.

   Why it happens: A charcoal fire draws air in at the bottom and exhausts at the top. Closing the bottom vent starves it, and ash accumulating in the bowl blocks it just as effectively as closing it.

   What to do

   • Open the bottom vent fully and clear ash out of the bowl. — during cook, reliable

   Next time

   • Empty the ash before every cook. It is the commonest cause and the easiest to avoid.

2. Too few coals to sustain each other.

   common

   Signs it is this one

   • A thin, spread-out single layer of coals rather than a heaped bed.
   • The vents are open and the fire is still fading.

   Why it happens: Charcoal burns by keeping its neighbours hot. Below a critical mass, each piece loses heat to the air faster than it gains it from the others, and the fire cannot sustain itself however much air it gets.

   What to do

   • Heap the remaining lit coals together and add fresh fuel next to them rather than on top. — during cook, reliable

   Next time

   • Light more than seems necessary and bank it. A small fire in a heap beats a large one spread thin.

3. The charcoal absorbed moisture in storage.

   occasional

   Signs it is this one

   • The bag was stored outside, in a shed, or over winter.
   • The coals hiss, steam, or are slow to take from the chimney.

   Why it happens: Damp charcoal spends its energy driving off water before it can burn properly.

   What to do

   • Nothing rescues damp fuel mid-cook. Start again with dry charcoal. — during cook, cannot be recovered

   Next time

   • Store charcoal somewhere genuinely dry and sealed.