Charcoal doesn’t “expire” with a date stamp, but it definitely has a performance peak. Keep your bag sealed, store it in a dry place (preferably indoors), and use it within a year. If you find a bag from 2019, treat it like a museum piece—interesting to look at, useless for cooking.
So, did I use my garage charcoal? I tried. I spent twenty minutes coaxing it with a hair dryer (yes, really) and got a sad, smoldering pile of disappointment. Lesson learned. Now I just buy fresh bags and pretend the old one never existed. Ignorance is bliss, and my burgers are finally crispy again.
