Bradley Mack
TVWBB Super Fan
Makes sense, While it was under $20 here locally, I was advised that once it’s gone, they don’t usually stock up again until the next year. So, I took that as a warning to buy a few. Here‘s hoping.
Weber Charcoal
- Thread starter BenGatchell
- Start date
Makes sense, While it was under $20 here locally, I was advised that once it’s gone, they don’t usually stock up again until the next year. So, I took that as a warning to buy a few. Here‘s hoping.
Kyle in Woodstock
TVWBB Guru
I've only paid full price for it, never was able to get the discounted price ever
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
Bob's right it found plenty of love when someone posted on here a few years ago that HD was blowing it out for $4.10 a bag. Before then not so much really was a crazy deal at the time.
Michael Richards
TVWBB Emerald Member
I am with Kyle, no crazy good deals. $15 for a 20 lb bag and I loved the stuff. Now paying a little less for RO Chefs Select ($12.50 per 20 lbs at my local bbq store) and it is closest to Weber I have found, but I would gladly pay the few extra bucks if Weber were to come back out.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
So your happy with the RO Chefs Select it was rumored that they made Weber's Charcoal among others. Just curious are the briquettes the same size the RO has ridges or maybe they don't but does it burn as long just curious good for now. Honestly $12.50 for 20 lbs seems more than reasonable and if you were buying the Weber at 15 bucks you were getting a deal.
Bob Correll
R.I.P. 3/31/2022
Took me awhile to find it, but here's what Chef's Select looked like 5 years ago, before the Ridges.
The size, best I can recall, was the same as Weber.
The size, best I can recall, was the same as Weber.
Michael Richards
TVWBB Emerald Member
Here is RO Chefs Select from two of my resent cooks. They have the big indent in the middle. They are not as big as Weber. They don't burn as hot or long, but they burn clean and I really like them. With less than three bags of Weber left, this is my daily charcoal and I am ok with it.
Brian B Atlanta
TVWBB Gold Member
I got 16 bags left and you will have to pry them from my cold dead hands, maybe I need to rewrite my will I am 67 and leave the remaining bags to my wife and kids. Not that they would have any clue about using charcoal probably throw them in the trash.
Bradley Mack
TVWBB Super Fan
Granted this was 5 years ago, they certainly look similar to today‘s Weber briquettes.
Michael Richards
TVWBB Emerald Member
I'll try to get some pictures of the current RO Chefs Select next to the Weber here soon and post it.
Michael Richards
TVWBB Emerald Member
This morning I grabbed 3 Weber briquettes and 3 RO Chefs Select briquettes to take some pictures. Weber is on the left side in all pictures and RO Chefs Select is on the right.
I hope you can see from the photos that the Weber is larger in all dimensions. The Weber is also smoother and denser then the RO Chefs Select. The RO Chefs Select also has a few chars of wood through it.
I lit some Weber last night for the first time in a while for a pork shoulder and it reminded how different these two products are. When lighting the two Weber has a much stronger charcoal smell in the chimney, it's like there is chucks of wood in the chimney with it. RO Chefs Select when lit has an extremely mild charcoal smoke smell, this was one of the first things I noticed about the first time I ever used it. Still today when I lit it I think this is a clean burning charcoal.
When I am using the two in my WSM 14, (either with water in the pan durning warm weather, or dry water pan since it has gone below 40 degrees) to get Weber to run around 250 I have to shut down 2 whole vents and the 3 mostly shut down and a about a 6 briquettes minion method to start. With RO Chefs Select to run at 250 I have to leave all vents almost completely open and start with a 10 briquettes minion method.
In the kettle the biggest difference is that when I am do doing a hot and fast and shut everything down I am almost always able to reuse the Weber charcoal because it is so large and dense that their is still big hard pieces left to use, most of the time the RO Chefs Select is to small and breaks apart after one use.
As I said in an above post, if Weber was still being sold I would be getting it, but since it is not RO Chefs Select is the next best I have found. I have tried 7 different briquette and 3 lump and the only thing I will keep in my shed besides Weber now will be RO Chefs Select, RO all natural, https://www.royaloak.com/products/all-natural-hardwood-charcoal-briquets/,
and RO lump. I can't believe that I am a RO guy, but I am...
I hope you can see from the photos that the Weber is larger in all dimensions. The Weber is also smoother and denser then the RO Chefs Select. The RO Chefs Select also has a few chars of wood through it.
I lit some Weber last night for the first time in a while for a pork shoulder and it reminded how different these two products are. When lighting the two Weber has a much stronger charcoal smell in the chimney, it's like there is chucks of wood in the chimney with it. RO Chefs Select when lit has an extremely mild charcoal smoke smell, this was one of the first things I noticed about the first time I ever used it. Still today when I lit it I think this is a clean burning charcoal.
When I am using the two in my WSM 14, (either with water in the pan durning warm weather, or dry water pan since it has gone below 40 degrees) to get Weber to run around 250 I have to shut down 2 whole vents and the 3 mostly shut down and a about a 6 briquettes minion method to start. With RO Chefs Select to run at 250 I have to leave all vents almost completely open and start with a 10 briquettes minion method.
In the kettle the biggest difference is that when I am do doing a hot and fast and shut everything down I am almost always able to reuse the Weber charcoal because it is so large and dense that their is still big hard pieces left to use, most of the time the RO Chefs Select is to small and breaks apart after one use.
As I said in an above post, if Weber was still being sold I would be getting it, but since it is not RO Chefs Select is the next best I have found. I have tried 7 different briquette and 3 lump and the only thing I will keep in my shed besides Weber now will be RO Chefs Select, RO all natural, https://www.royaloak.com/products/all-natural-hardwood-charcoal-briquets/,
and RO lump. I can't believe that I am a RO guy, but I am...
Bradley Mack
TVWBB Super Fan
I have to say I noticed the same thing with the Weber briquettes as mentioned above. I used the Weber briquettes to make wings 2 weekends ago, and then ribs last weekend. When I went to fill up the charcoal bowl, I was actually amazed on how much of the Weber briquettes were remaining. For fun, I filled my chimney with Kingsford original, but the cook was mainly Weber. Good stuff. And I concur about the heat. Without the water pan holding any water (just wrapped in foil in these frigid temps) I had to close 2 of the 3 vents to keep the heat down.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I always felt that Weber charcoal was the go to for doing lower temperature barbecue with a kettle. In my CharQ it didn’t work so well, whereas Kingsford Professional which gets very hot very quickly worked wonderfully. The CharQ holds a small amount of charcoal and airflow is not the best. With KF Pro, though, it works great. I have been using B&B since I don’t have a source for KF Pro near me. Reading the above, I will definitely try Royal Oak Chefs Select.