The following method is useful today for making small batches of charcoal:

1. Twigs from nearly any type of tree, many woody shrubs, and woody vines may be used. Avoid twigs from growth less than one year old; they usually produce soft, powdery charcoal. Two-year-old growth is generally reliable. Dowel sticks and scrap lumber are also good sources of material. Nearly any kind of wood will make charcoal. (Important: Do not use treated lumber because of toxic fumes emitted during the roasting process.)

2. Twigs may be of any diameter. Very thin twigs, however, will be too weak for drawing. Try twigs at least 1/4 to 3/8 inch (7 to 10 mm) in diameter. Lumber scraps may be ripped to one-fourth inch (7 mm) squares or larger. The wood will shrink as it turns into charcoal.

3. Cut the twigs to the desired length (five to seven inches is good). Cut off forked joints, and peel away all the bark. If the twigs are cut from fresh, living tissue, they should be allowed to dry for a few days before going on to the next step.

4. Wrap several dry sticks tightly in Extra Heavy aluminum foil so that no air may infiltrate the package. Air entering the package would reduce the sticks to ash rather than charcoal. If the aluminum comes in contact with open flame a hole could be burnt through the foil, spoiling the charcoal; so you might wrap a second layer of foil tightly around the package for security. (But don't overdo it; each layer of foil reduces the amount of heat reaching the wood.) Experiment first with five or six sticks per bundle. If the bundle contains more sticks, higher heat and longer roasting time will be required to completely carbonize the wood. Soft wood species, such as pine and cedar, will require less roasting time than hardwood species (such as birch, ash, oak, walnut).

5. Place the package in the coals of a fireplace or a barbecue pit. It may take several hours (or overnight) in the coals for the sticks to carbonize and then cool down. Do not open the package until it has cooled enough to be handled comfortably. You must be willing to experiment beyond the first attempt. Too much heat will melt the foil. Insufficient heat will produce brands; you should get consistently good results after a few experiments. Charcoal can also be made in a ceramics kiln, which should be vented outdoors. If you use a ceramics kiln, experiment cautiously with temperatures above 300 degrees Celsius (572 degrees Fahrenheit). Hotter temperatures cause rapid carbonization and are hard to control.

6. You may find that some charcoal sticks did not char completely. These are known as "brands", and they occur when there is insufficient heat for the quantity of wood in the bundle. Remember: larger sizes and hard wood species will require much more heat to char completely to the core. Brands may be saved and included in the next batch.

Although making a few sticks of charcoal has been reduced here to a very simple process, a complex chemical reaction goes on inside the airtight bundle of twigs. As wood is heated above 250 degrees Celsius (482 degrees Fahrenheit), it decomposes more rapidly. Without an adequate supply of oxygen, the combustion of the wood is incomplete. Gases, vapors and solids are formed, some of which go up in smoke and manage to escape from the foil bundle. Most of what remains is the carbon, which originally made up about 75 to 95 percent of the wood. When the bundle has cooled and you open it, you will recognize the smell of various tars, oils, and other organic compounds. You will see some small patches of dark, sometimes sticky, residue adhering to the foil. This is what remains of smoke that did not manage to escape.