Charcoal Starter Chimneys: Char-Broil Half Time vs. Weber Compact

[fzxdoc]

Last week, I asked, on this topic , whether anyone had experience with the new (to me at least) Char-Broil Half Time chimney. I have the Weber Compact, which I like using with my PBC especially because of its 8 inch height. However, it takes the charcoal almost twice as long to heat up as it did when I was using my large Weber chimney, which I have since given away. It used to take 15 minutes for 42 coals to be ready to pour on my large Weber chimney; with the compact chimney it takes sometimes 20-25 minutes or more. That extra 10 minutes was beginning to bug me.

The main design differences between the chimneys is the diameter: 8 inches on the Char-Broil vs 5.75 inches on the Weber, and the fact that the Char-Broil chimney has many more slits in it compared to the Weber Compact.

They are both the same height, 8 inches.

The Char-Broil holds 80 KBB briquets; the Weber Compact holds 40.

The Char-Broil:

The Weber:

Today I set the chimneys side-by-side with 42 coals KBB in each of them. I lit them at the same time, using a Weber wax starter cube.

The Char-Broil won, far and away.

At 18 minutes, the Char-Broil (on the left) was ready to pour over the unlit coals in my PBC, since the topmost coals were just beginning to ash over.




The Weber Compact chimney did not reach this same point until 26 minutes had elapsed.




So for $11 for the Char-Broil Half-Time Chimney Starter vs. $14 for the Weber Compact Chimney Starter, I guess I'm ready to "trade down", dollarwise, to using the Char-Broil chimney.

Kathryn

[Jon Solberg]

Love the head to head testing! Thank you.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, Jon Solberg . Love the new avatar, BTW. It's great.

I think the point is that the Char-Broil Half Time Chimney, while perhaps not living up to its name as being able to produce good lit coals in half the time, is nearly as good as the full-size Weber and certainly much better than the Compact Weber chimney.

So, especially for PBC folks looking for a more manageable chimney dimensions with the same heating capabilities as the full size Weber chimney, the Char-Broil Half Time is, for me at least, the clear winner.

Kathryn

[Jerod Broussard]

Well without any standard deviations or coefficient correlations I guess we can call that a test.

I don't know why some folks thought those slits wouldn't help since more openings equals more oxygen which equals more fuel.

Now I'm glad I waited so long to get a compact Weber.

Thanks!!!!!

[Jerod Broussard]

fzxdoc the slits "are the draw"

[HawkerXP]

Just wondering if a little modification to the Weber Compact could help speed things up. Maybe continue drilling more holes in line with the 3 that are showing on your pic. I don't have the short one. I do the rake coal basket insertion method on my PBC.

[bardsleyque]

I'm thinking the larger diameter has more to do with it.(same as the big weber)

[ecowper]

Well, for us WSM types and Hasty-Bake fuse method types that looks like a darn good option! Thanks fzxdoc

[Nate]

Thanks for the write-up doc! Great info to know.

[morganjim]

I always thought the full sized Weber I bought was just too unruly to handle. This one seems like it does a similar amount of coals and is easier to use. Would you use that with a Weber kettle?

[fzxdoc]

I just checked. The Char Broil chimney holds 80 coals just fine, fuzzydaddy and morganjim .
K.

[fuzzydaddy]

Thank-you fzxdoc! That is great.

[bardsleyque]

Char Broil for Char Broil,Weber for Weber,that's the only way it can work!!!
(lol)

[fuzzydaddy]

Thanks for the comparison. Much appreciated, but you're not helping my Amazon "saved for later" list.

[Tim E]

LOL. This sounds way too familiar.

[Thunder77]

Hey that's my line! LOL. I guess probably all people with GAS use that line.

[Northside Brian]

fzxdoc since finding this site my wife now makes me do most of the cooking. the trade-off is that she lets me buy almost any cooking gadget i want (as long as i tell her it will make my food taste better or easier to cook)

[Steve B]

fzxdoc Hey. Thanks for the help on the call outs issue I had. I'm very surprised that the char-broil 1/2 time chimney starter with all those vents actually got the coals fired up faster. I think for $11 it's definitely worth giving it a shot. That to is now on my have to get list. Where does the (MCS) end????

Lets keep the smoke coming.

[Potkettleblack]

The MCS usually ends in either bankruptcy or a shuffle off the mortal coil. There is no cure.

[Elgine]

I don't know where it ends but just started with me and wife is already like you want to do what. But since she is going back to work at least part time gives me a reason to smoke and freeze a bunch so they can have easier meal times when I'm not home.

[Steve B]

Potkettleblack I hear what you're saying. My wife is totally disgusted with all the stuff I'm buying. I may just bankrupt my self at some point. LOL.

[fzxdoc]

I always thought the full sized Weber I bought was just too unruly to handle. This one seems like it does a similar amount of coals and is easier to use. Would you use that with a Weber kettle?

I'll for sure be using it with my WSCGC, which as you know is both kettle and kamado.

Kathryn

[ecowper]

It's a Kett-amado

[billg71]

ecowper, I think it's a Kamettle. Whatever you call it it works real good!

[Obi-Dan]

What is the height difference? I have both the full size and compact Weber chimney because like you, I found the full-size to be unwieldy in the PBC. I do like it for my Webber Kettle however. In the pics it looks taller. Also, you must know more about the PBC than anyone but Noah and Amber. When are they just going to hire you?

[fzxdoc]

There is no height difference, Obi-Dan . The dimensions of the Char Broil chimney are listed in inches as 8x8x8 not including the handle. Basically they are the dimensions of the cylinder. The dimensions of the Weber Compact chimney are listed as 5.75 wide (diameter of the cylinder) x 8 high (height of the cylinder) x 10.5 long which includes the handle.

Thanks for the compliment. Every time I use my PBC, I learn something new. It's such a great smoker.

Kathryn

[DWCowles]

Thanks fzxdoc but I will save my 11 bucks for some brew or some watermelon shine

[billg71]

And exactly how much watermelon shine can you get for 11 bucks? Around here that'd be a couple of shots, just enough to get you wanting more.

[DWCowles]

billg71 I shoulda said put the 11 bucks toward some brew and shine

[Old Glory]

What is this Watermelon shine you speak of?

[MBMorgan]

I think I'll just stick with my Weber large chimney and keep the short one on the bench for now ...

[fzxdoc]

Short folks often end up on the bench, hahaha. That's where I, a 5'2" non-athletically-inclined woman (dare I say klutz?) spent most of my high school gym class years.

Seriously, though, I think Jerod Broussard trimmed down his Weber large to fit his PBC. It's a thought.

K.

[Tim E]

Thanks for the test results fzxdoc . The weber small chimney was shelved after 2 uses because I was also annoyed about how long it took to get ashed over coals. I will be getting half-time for my PBC cooks. Awesome!