Burning bones

[postroad]

Found out today that fresh pork bones burn hotter than wood. Who woulda thunk it?

Had some bones left over from pig butchering in the greenhouse. I had all the smoked bones I needed already and didn't want the neighbors dogs dragging them around. So I figured why not throw them on the coals I had going in the woodstove. Well it wasn't long before things started getting hot. The raw bones where burning fiercely. I had to dampen the stove down completely and those bones still gave off heat for ages.

So now I'm thinking the local abattoir pays someone good money to haul away their bones so why wouldn't he burn them in an outdoor boiler and heat his shop?

The ashes left over would make some pretty decent fertilizer I bet.

[Paumon]

What do they smell like when they're burning?

[RichNC]

Originally Posted by Paumon

What do they smell like when they're burning?

I have sawed bones for buttons and such, and let me tell you the stink will almost run you out of the house, but maybe a hot fire is would be less stink??

[postroad]

Originally Posted by Paumon

What do they smell like when they're burning?

Couldn't really discern much of any smell at all. By the time I caught on that the woodstove was pumping out unheard of amounts of BTUs it was time to close all dampers tightly. The stove isn't very airtight so it was sucking air through the cracks. Couple hours later when it had cooled down to normal levels I checked and the bones weren't burning anymore. They were still some bone shaped pieces but they were completely devoid of any organic matter. They crumbled when I hit them with a fresh piece of wood.

It actually reminded me of those Holocaust pictures with the burned bones in the crematoriums. A little weird for sure.

[postroad]

Originally Posted by RichNC

I have sawed bones for buttons and such, and let me tell you the stink will almost run you out of the house, but maybe a hot fire is would be less stink??

I know that smell from sawing antlers and there was none of that in the greenhouse where I had the stove going.

Who knows what it smelled like downwind outside though?

[Paumon]

Originally Posted by RichNC

I have sawed bones for buttons and such, and let me tell you the stink will almost run you out of the house, but maybe a hot fire is would be less stink??

I was thinking of that too, having sawed and sanded bones I know the smell is sickening, worse than burning hair. Also I've unintentionally scorched beef bones a few times when roasting them preparatory to making soup stock and that scorched bone smell was so bad I didn't dare use them for the stock. But maybe if they're in open fire and the fire is really hot it's not so bad.

[postroad]

Hey check out my new method of collecting "firewood"

[Rustaholic]

I would smash them to bits and put them on the garden.
check out the price for bone meal.

[postroad]

Originally Posted by Rustaholic

I would smash them to bits and put them on the garden.
check out the price for bone meal.

I am thinking that all the phosphorus and calcium would remain with the ashes??

The ashes were easy to crumble but those raw bones would need something fairly powerful to break them into bits

[Paumon]

Originally Posted by postroad

I am thinking that all the phosphorus and calcium would remain with the ashes??

The ashes were easy to crumble but those raw bones would need something fairly powerful to break them into bits

This article says what the bone ash chemical/mineral composition is, it also mentions the several other uses for bone ash: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_ash

I think putting the ashes and remaining bits of charred bones on the garden or in a compost pile is a good idea. I guess it might depend on where a person lives and what kind of wild-life is there. I would prefer to do bone ash instead of putting bits of raw bone on a garden. If I put raw bone in my garden I think the carrion smell would attract insects, rats and other carnivores to dig up the garden. I wouldn't want my garden smelling like a charnel pit.

[postroad]

Originally Posted by Paumon

This article says what the bone ash chemical/mineral composition is, it also mentions the several other uses for bone ash: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_ash

I think putting the ashes and remaining bits of charred bones on the garden or in a compost pile is a good idea. I guess it might depend on where a person lives and what kind of wild-life is there. I would prefer to do bone ash instead of putting bits of raw bone on a garden. If I put raw bone in my garden I think the carrion smell would attract insects, rats and other carnivores to dig up the garden. I wouldn't want my garden smelling like a charnel pit.

Heat and a high quality fertilizer. Hmmm maybe time to back up to the abattoir's bone bin for myself? He's got mostly beef bones though. Wonder if they would burn as well as the pork bones?

[postroad]

I have been thinking about what type of bones I was burning. It was mainly the large leg bones from deboning the shoulders and hams. So it must have been the marrow as well as residual fat that caused them to burn so hot. The bed of hot coals must have begun rendering these fats and set them on fire. After that the burning fats would have kept up a chain reaction.

[kasilofhome]

I have been burning the bones for years now...odor no big deal now burning kitty litter there is an odor. The kitty litter is wood pellets and cat leanings. I do not have weighs to complain and I burn it once a week when I know they are not home.

It is all organic and the ash is put to use.

Cooled in metal cans poured into feed sacks and layed down in the Dan walk way to the barn.

Now I burn bones, wood, coal, kitty litter, those sacks of ash turn rock hard and keep my feet out of muck come spring break up. They are like stones..the bag wears away from my walk in on the .. just need six more and I am done with that path.

[1shotwade]

That's a new one to me. I like it. In the past I have seen people butchering that would dry the bones,crush them with a sledge and grind them to make their own bonemeal. They also captured and dried their own blood for fertilizer. We always grind fish scapes from cleaning fish and freeze it to be used as fertilizer or trapping lure.

[Paumon]

Originally Posted by postroad

I have been thinking about what type of bones I was burning. It was mainly the large leg bones from deboning the shoulders and hams. So it must have been the marrow as well as residual fat that caused them to burn so hot. The bed of hot coals must have begun rendering these fats and set them on fire. After that the burning fats would have kept up a chain reaction.

You are probably right about that. I think my biggest concern about burning raw bones with fat and marrow in an indoors woodstove would be the possibility of a build up of grease accumulating inside the stove and the stovepipe - rather like creosote - that might cause a chimney fire. I'm thinking that could happen because I know the smoke from burning fat is very greasy smoke and the grease and soot adheres to surfaces that the smoke comes in contact with. It's a hassle to clean it off surfaces and you have to use a heavy duty cleaning solution that will cut through the grease. If you had a heavy layer of grease accumulating inside the stove pipe I do think there might be the risk of it catching fire. Just something to think about anyway and maybe there's some way to prevent that or to clean it off.

[postroad]

Originally Posted by Paumon

You are probably right about that. I think my biggest concern about burning raw bones with fat and marrow in an indoors woodstove would be the possibility of a build up of grease accumulating inside the stove and the stovepipe - rather like creosote - that might cause a chimney fire. I'm thinking that could happen because I know the smoke from burning fat is very greasy smoke and the grease and soot adheres to surfaces that the smoke comes in contact with. It's a hassle to clean it off surfaces and you have to use a heavy duty cleaning solution that will cut through the grease. If you had a heavy layer of grease accumulating inside the stove pipe I do think there might be the risk of it catching fire. Just something to think about anyway and maybe there's some way to prevent that or to clean it off.

I think if burned in an efficient stove where the fire could be kept at a low burn there would be a chance of residue build up.

My stove is far from that and the fire was burning so hot that it was sucking air through the cracks. At one point I was considering dousing the fire. I don't think any residue was created at that heat.

The stove is homemade quarter inch steel with some kind of large round cast iron for a door and at the far end. Here's a picture it is to the left of my 45 gallon hot water cauldron.