CharQ Tryout

[Jon Tofte]

Time to try out my CharQ find...I did just briefest of cleaning, really just cleaned the cast iron grates. (Because other people's seasoning is crud while your own crud is seasoning!) Otherwise, just added a disposable drip pan.

This grill is shallow, so it can only be loaded with a single layer of charcoal, as the instructions make clear. Underneath air flow is from a movable vent that isn't all that large. Also the fit between the vent and the drip pan doesn't leave much room. I haven't tried really dissecting, so maybe there is something that needs to be adjusted. On my first cook I learned that there the air flow is slow enough that you really need to keep the hood open until you are ready to grill. I did a couple burgers to try it out. Taste was classic charcoal, results were not all I hoped but that was because the grill really didn't get hot enough.

Today we had a basic sirloin steak, and my wife agreed to let me use the CharQ even though she really doesn't like any smoke taste. I made sure I got a good fire going this time and that ALL the coals were completely covered with gray.

The cast iron grates are spectacular. In my opinion way better made than the current LP Q grates Weber offers. No sign of rust and in really nice shape. Not bad for $25!

These grates are tightly spaced so no crosshatch sear pattern. Nonetheless, I thought the look was quite decent. The mixed look is the result of trying to please my wife (seasoned salt only) and my older son & I (lots of Longhorn Prairie Dust) and my younger son (some Prairie Dust) all on the same single steak:

Someone commented that using a CharQ was a lot like using a really nice Hibachi. My Dad used to grill sirloin steaks on one of those almost every Summer Saturday or Sunday when I was a kid growing up on Long Island. I have to say that when I brought this steak in the house I had one of those flashback memories triggered primarily by the charcoal grilled steak smell!

 

[Jason in CA]

That steak looks really good. But not exactly a ringing endorsement of the Q.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Jason,

I do like it, but the air flow is a little disappointing. I also think it is the kind of grill with a learning curve (as a member here commented in a discussion I found in the archives). I will keep experimenting and update this post.

So far, I especially like charcoal grilling on cast iron. I know there ways to do that with a kettle or other grill, but I have never really used my kettles for high heat grilling because the grates on my kettles - even the ones with thick stainless - don't really inspire that for me. The CharQ is simpler to get going than a kettle. Also, just like the LP Q's, this grill is stingy on fuel consumption. Those are pretty strong positives.

With some elbow grease and caliper red paint, it could look almost better than new. Stay tuned.

 

[Bruce]

Jon, I saw a CharQ pop up near me, but they wanted $100. It looked like it was in really good shape, but I am not a coal burner kind of guy and it was too expensive IMO so I just let it pass. I still have a Q1xx, Q2xx and Q3xx grill to rehab, and am not anywhere close to getting to them, so it is probably a good thing it was priced high.

 

[Dave in KC]

With a fellow WKC member brokering a Jr for me this weekend, the Char Q
moves up to #3 on my wish list. Steaks look great, Jon.

 

[Jon Tofte]

With a fellow WKC member brokering a Jr for me this weekend, the Char Q
moves up to #3 on my wish list. Steaks look great, Jon.

Dave,

I am glad you found a way to get a Jr.! CONGRATS! We will all want to see pictures. I also will be interested in your opinion of it as a GRILL if you decide you are willing to at least it. So many give it bad reviews for its grilling ability, and it makes no sense to me looking at the design on paper. Of course, the big thing is really the rarity of it as part of the early days of Weber gas grills.

 

[Jon Tofte]

Jon, I saw a CharQ pop up near me, but they wanted $100. It looked like it was in really good shape, but I am not a coal burner kind of guy and it was too expensive IMO so I just let it pass. I still have a Q1xx, Q2xx and Q3xx grill to rehab, and am not anywhere close to getting to them, so it is probably a good thing it was priced high.

$25 was a no-brainer steal to me, but I have to admit I would have stayed home and kept on working on taxes if it had been a hundred bucks. That’s way too much. One listed recently in Tampa for $50. That seems a reasonable valuation, but it has been listed for a long time.

 

[Sam Bee]

Wow Jon, that steak looks great! I missed out on a brand new Char Q a couple of months ago for $40, the seller left it in her brother's car and her brother took it thinking she brought it for him...what a bummer! I wanted to get it and use it as a grill for yakitori/kebabs.

 

[Milt DuCharme]

I purchased a CharQ when they first came out. After a few uses I made two modifications. I added a second vent on one side of the lid and shortened the charcoal grate so that it sits deeper in the body for more room for charcoal. The charcoal grate was shortened by cutting off the ends 1/2 of the distance from the middle, sliding the ends towards the middle, and bolting them in place. For indirect cooking I put the charcoal on the side away from the second vent in the lid. Then I leave the top vent closed and control the temperature with the second added vent. I use lump charcoal so being able to just dump in a pile of charcoal works for me.

 

[Dave in KC]

Milt, we love to see a few pics of that grill.

 

[George Curtis]

I would love to find one on the cheap side. Someone adapted the charcoal holder to lower it a bit.

 

[Jepprey P]

Jon, nice cook and I look forward to your future cooks on this grill. I just picked up a Char-Q this past weekend from a gentleman that only used it three times. The Char-Q was part of his RV kit and he didn't use the grill much. The grill is in practically new condition and for $80, I couldn't complain.

I'm interested in seeing how the Char-Q cooks for grilling, considering your initial observations. I'm also planning on doing some indirect cooks, too, maybe a Boston butt or a small packer brisket with a snake setup around the perimeter of the charcoal tray and using Weber's trivet or a small toaster oven roasting pan/rack set up on the middle of the cooking grate.