Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Having become a big fan of the Weber Q line, I have always been curious about the CharQ. This was a relatively short-lived (2008-11) version of the Q that uses charcoal instead of LP or electricity. I have never seen anyone here post about using one, and I have to admit I have had my doubts. But, typical me, I was still very interested. I have been following one for months listed in the Tampa area for $50. A very long round trip. I have contemplated trying to make it a multi-grill pickup to justify the distance, but I already have too many projects...
Yesterday, I was perusing Letgo which I don't always follow as closely as OfferUp and CL. What do I see but a CharQ for $25 and not all that far from me
! The seller said it was "dirty" and for sale "as is" just "get it out of here." I was happy to oblige
! I finished another boring tax return and shortly after was out to get it.
These date back over ten years, so I wasn't expecting a lot. Scuffed and dirty, but intact:
The cool thing for me is that I have the identical sized Q2200 that rests on a cart from which it can be readily removed. So, now I have the option to swap out gas or charcoal in the same limited deck space:
A quick inspection of this new find was enlightening. The dome shaped hood/lid is higher than a gas Q. Naturally, it has an air vent. No thermometer. This one is begging to be turned into a redhead, but that will be a little trickier than with a gas Q due to the riveted air vent on top.
Inside, I was happy to find a certainly redeemable set of cast iron grates. A good thing, because they are different from the gas version. They lack the special grease deflection shields that protect the burner on a gas Q. Two pieces.
Underneath is a "aluminized steel" tray that holds the charcoal allowing airflow underneath. A quick search reveals that this part could prove impossible to replace and thereby become the long-term Achilles heal of this otherwise simple grill. I suppose you could fabricate some type of replacement when that becomes necessary. Fortunately, other than some sagging, the original still looks pretty usable:
Bottom airflow is controlled by a lever on the front that opens a singular vent above the same drip tray the LP version of the Q uses.
This is clearly a charcoal grill for high heat, quick grilling of stuff like burgers, steak, chops, etc. I look forward to putting that to the test soon, so stand by. There is some celebrity chef that mentions using them favorably. Here is a short positive review from another source:
https://www.bonfeu-bbq.com/weber-char-q.html
Here is a 9-year old archived thread from our board back when the Char Q was for sale. Some pretty interesting discussion:
https://tvwbb.com/archive/index.php/t-3397.html
What the CharQ is NOT is a replacement for the PK charcoal grill. There is superficial similarity because of the aluminum construction. I have never used a PK and only seen one once. However, the PK is larger and capable of fully adequate 2-zone cooking. Thus, you can both do high heat searing and indirect low-n-slow bbq on the PK. The CharQ would not be able to duplicate that, I think, since the charcoal tray is small and would not hold enough fuel for a long cook. PKs are nice but not seen for sale used very often.
https://www.pkgrills.com/
I will update this post with actual real use pictures and feedback.
Yesterday, I was perusing Letgo which I don't always follow as closely as OfferUp and CL. What do I see but a CharQ for $25 and not all that far from me
! The seller said it was "dirty" and for sale "as is" just "get it out of here." I was happy to oblige! I finished another boring tax return and shortly after was out to get it. These date back over ten years, so I wasn't expecting a lot. Scuffed and dirty, but intact:
The cool thing for me is that I have the identical sized Q2200 that rests on a cart from which it can be readily removed. So, now I have the option to swap out gas or charcoal in the same limited deck space:
A quick inspection of this new find was enlightening. The dome shaped hood/lid is higher than a gas Q. Naturally, it has an air vent. No thermometer. This one is begging to be turned into a redhead, but that will be a little trickier than with a gas Q due to the riveted air vent on top.
Inside, I was happy to find a certainly redeemable set of cast iron grates. A good thing, because they are different from the gas version. They lack the special grease deflection shields that protect the burner on a gas Q. Two pieces.
Underneath is a "aluminized steel" tray that holds the charcoal allowing airflow underneath. A quick search reveals that this part could prove impossible to replace and thereby become the long-term Achilles heal of this otherwise simple grill. I suppose you could fabricate some type of replacement when that becomes necessary. Fortunately, other than some sagging, the original still looks pretty usable:
Bottom airflow is controlled by a lever on the front that opens a singular vent above the same drip tray the LP version of the Q uses.
This is clearly a charcoal grill for high heat, quick grilling of stuff like burgers, steak, chops, etc. I look forward to putting that to the test soon, so stand by. There is some celebrity chef that mentions using them favorably. Here is a short positive review from another source:
https://www.bonfeu-bbq.com/weber-char-q.html
Here is a 9-year old archived thread from our board back when the Char Q was for sale. Some pretty interesting discussion:
https://tvwbb.com/archive/index.php/t-3397.html
What the CharQ is NOT is a replacement for the PK charcoal grill. There is superficial similarity because of the aluminum construction. I have never used a PK and only seen one once. However, the PK is larger and capable of fully adequate 2-zone cooking. Thus, you can both do high heat searing and indirect low-n-slow bbq on the PK. The CharQ would not be able to duplicate that, I think, since the charcoal tray is small and would not hold enough fuel for a long cook. PKs are nice but not seen for sale used very often.
https://www.pkgrills.com/
I will update this post with actual real use pictures and feedback.
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), so my wife didn't object. I am looking forward to seeing what it can do and eventually what I can make it look like. If I don't like it, I will clean and paint it and then flip. But, based on reading the old posts, I think it might be a dark horse winner
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