Abstract: A smoker or grill ash management system includes a fire pot, generally cylindrical in shape, with a top flame opening, a bottom discharge opening, and combustion air openings adjacent the top flame opening. A mesh floor is located in the fire pot near the bottom of the fire pot below the combustion air openings and proximate the discharge opening. The mesh floor is connected to an ash dump handle that is journaled into the fire pot for rotation. The ash dump handle rotates the mesh floor from a horizontal fuel pellet support position to a vertical dumping position. An ash cup is removably connected to the discharge opening of the fire pot below the mesh floor. The mesh floor allows the ash to drop out of the fire pot into the ash cup away from the air flow created by the combustion of the fuel pellets.