Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
My CharQ and Henry the Green Engine
When my sons were young boys, we spent many hours watching Thomas the Tank Engine. On one episode, Henry the large green engine was having a terrible time trying to make enough steam. He wasn't able to do his job and Sir Topham Hat, the railroad controller, said Henry might have to be replaced. Then, the fireman explained to the controller that Henry's firebox was small and that the poor coal they had been getting wouldn't allow Henry to make enough steam. "If Henry had Welsh coal he would be a different engine!" the fireman suggested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPRun2jkzi0
This old children's story reminded me of my first tryouts with the somewhat rare Weber CharQ I picked up for $25. There are some really nice things about this grill. I especially like that I can swap it out with my Q2200 on the same cart or take it to a picnic or short trip. However, much like Henry the engine, the CharQ has a pretty small area for charcoal and maybe less than optimal airflow. On my first grilling sessions, I used my favorite Weber charcoal briquettes. They don't heat up as fast but are great for long burn time. It might be partially that mine were a little stale, but they took their time getting fully hot and didn't quite deliver the high heat searing I was hoping for. I think that Weber's briquettes are great for low and slow BBQ but not for this situation.
Costco is running a sale on Kingsford Professional (formerly Competition) briquettes. I watched a video Chris did comparing these briquettes with Weber and two other types. When I saw how the Kingsford Professional did in getting to a very high heat the quickest, I realized this might be the "Welsh coal" my CharQ needed. I bought the two pack on sale $6.00 off at Costco for just $13.98.
CAN'T FIND THE VIDEO CHRIS DID COMPARING CHARCOAL BURN TIMES. CAN ANYBODY HELP WITH A LINK?
I did my real BBQing on Saturday (ribs on my Rec Tec), but Memorial Day seemed like a good time to put my theory to the test. Wow! This charcoal does get up to high heat fast! I will stick with Weber for my kettle barbecuing, but for the CharQ this is it. If anything my fire was a little too hot, so I will have to keep practicing. But the CharQ I think has earned a keeper spot at my house.
(One additional plug for this unusual Q is that just like it's LP brothers, it is stingy on fuel use. I think you can get several cooks out of one small batch of charcoal.)
When my sons were young boys, we spent many hours watching Thomas the Tank Engine. On one episode, Henry the large green engine was having a terrible time trying to make enough steam. He wasn't able to do his job and Sir Topham Hat, the railroad controller, said Henry might have to be replaced. Then, the fireman explained to the controller that Henry's firebox was small and that the poor coal they had been getting wouldn't allow Henry to make enough steam. "If Henry had Welsh coal he would be a different engine!" the fireman suggested.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPRun2jkzi0
This old children's story reminded me of my first tryouts with the somewhat rare Weber CharQ I picked up for $25. There are some really nice things about this grill. I especially like that I can swap it out with my Q2200 on the same cart or take it to a picnic or short trip. However, much like Henry the engine, the CharQ has a pretty small area for charcoal and maybe less than optimal airflow. On my first grilling sessions, I used my favorite Weber charcoal briquettes. They don't heat up as fast but are great for long burn time. It might be partially that mine were a little stale, but they took their time getting fully hot and didn't quite deliver the high heat searing I was hoping for. I think that Weber's briquettes are great for low and slow BBQ but not for this situation.
Costco is running a sale on Kingsford Professional (formerly Competition) briquettes. I watched a video Chris did comparing these briquettes with Weber and two other types. When I saw how the Kingsford Professional did in getting to a very high heat the quickest, I realized this might be the "Welsh coal" my CharQ needed. I bought the two pack on sale $6.00 off at Costco for just $13.98.
CAN'T FIND THE VIDEO CHRIS DID COMPARING CHARCOAL BURN TIMES. CAN ANYBODY HELP WITH A LINK?
I did my real BBQing on Saturday (ribs on my Rec Tec), but Memorial Day seemed like a good time to put my theory to the test. Wow! This charcoal does get up to high heat fast! I will stick with Weber for my kettle barbecuing, but for the CharQ this is it. If anything my fire was a little too hot, so I will have to keep practicing. But the CharQ I think has earned a keeper spot at my house.
(One additional plug for this unusual Q is that just like it's LP brothers, it is stingy on fuel use. I think you can get several cooks out of one small batch of charcoal.)
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or at least B&B or Kingsford Professional fuel) is a great grill for high heat searing and grilling. I would never personally try anything that required low temperatures or longer cooks because it just isn’t designed for that. That’s where a kettle (or I am sure, though no experience with, a WSM) really shines. 
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