Finally burned my small amount of scrounged black cherry and I'm loving those big square coals it makes.
black cherry coals
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Yep, coals well and the smoke smells good. But if I burn a full load of it on low, it gunks up the glass. Stuff never seems to get quite dry. I guess it absorbs water in the ends of the splits (it's top-covered.) Even if I have it sitting totally under cover for weeks, there always seems to be a little moisture in it. It's been split and stacked two years. Usually I'll just put a couple splits on the front of the load so that they're long gone by the time the stove starts to drop from peak temp.
I might try cooking a bunch off next to the stove for a couple weeks, then see what a full load does.
I might try cooking a bunch off next to the stove for a couple weeks, then see what a full load does.
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Coals are great if you're grilling meat but are the bane of my existence when I'm trying to get a lot of heat out of a small fire box. 
Yessir. I can hold 350 on the stove top when burning down coals to make room in the box, but when it's super-cold out I need fresh smoke to get that combustor cranking and the stove up around 450 or 500. I've still got some air leaks to seal up in this place, so that should help me hold room temp longer when I'm burning coals.
The Cherry coals do seem to burn down a bit faster than, say, Oak or BL but I guess with the shorter high-heat time of Cherry, it's pretty much a wash....
Ralphie Boy
Minister of Fire
Coals are great if you're grilling meat but are the bane of my existence when I'm trying to get a lot of heat out of a small fire box.
Good idea. Think I'll save the rest for the grill.
Ralphie Boy
Minister of Fire
Wow, I can't get my stove top that high without frying the CAT! Or maybe I am getting it that hot and don't know it. My 80 is an insert and the only place I have to put a stove top meter is on the front and to the left of the bypass handle. There doesn't seem to be enough of the stovetop protruding to put it on the top and get an accurate reading.
Ralphie, measuring the temperature of inserts is a challenge for sure. You probably do reach those temperatures but just are not aware of it.
Tell me about it. I have a IR gun and even when I point into the top opening, I still don't get an accurate reading.
Ralphie Boy
Minister of Fire
That's what I've been thinking, just no way to get an accurate reading on an insert.
To make matters worse, there is no horizontal surface on my main stove. It's a flush mount.
I've got a surface meter on the front of the Buck, about where I figure the stove top intersects the front. It generally reads about 350-400. I've seen 500 when the cat is really cranking.
I've also opened the door and shot the stove top from inside when ramping the heat up for a reload. Reads around 600 and the meter on the front might only be 350.
Coals from cherry are nice but hate the ash, I end up with some good coals covered in ash that I have to stir up to get some heat from them.
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