Customer Reviews

Weber 87886 Chimney Starter

5 star:		(457)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Get a coffee can, and cut off the bottom with a can opener. With a bottle opener, use the pointy end for opening juice cans to make openings all around the bottom on the side. Get a double-sheet piece of newspaper and roll from the edges toward the center to make sort of a doughnut, and place in the bottom of the can. Do the same with another sheet of paper, but roll it smaller and place it inside the other doughnut. Poke holes through the center of the doughnuts for air flow. Place your charcoal briquettes on top of the paper. Push the whole stack up so the paper doesn't block the holes (the friction of the paper against the can will hold up the stack). Set the can on your grill or cooking spot, and light the paper through the holes in bottom. It may be beneficial to stack another can with the bottom cut out on top to improve the chimney effect. Now let it sit for 10-20 minutes while the briquettes light up. Come back and find out it blew out. Light it again. Watch it longer this time. When the briquettes in the bottom and sides are gray with ash, use tongs to move them around so the unburned ones can light. When ready, use your Vise-Grips to remove the can. Do not leave the can out in the rain, or it will rust (more easily).

...OR...

Just spend the very reasonable about of money and buy this product! No rolling the paper JUST right - just wad it up and stick it in the bottom. No concern with keeping the air holes uncovered - a grill inside holds the charcoal. Put the Vise-Grips back in the tool box - this has nice handles. And don't worry about mixing the charcoal - it all lights up evenly.

When I first opened the box, I thought, "Wow! This thing is huge!" Made my two coffee cans seem small, but it is supposed to light a grill-full of charcoal at once. I got the Weber because with all of my research on grills and accessories, Weber products are always recommended above all others. This item seems well-built, and I expect it to last a very long time. After using my homemade charcoal chimneys, which I got pretty good at, I was ASTOUNDED at how quickly this lighted, how quickly it got the charcoal up to temperature, and amazed at the orange inferno it created!

I've been around charcoal grills my whole life (but don't have one myself. Yet. I got this for Dutch oven cooking.) and have never seen a charcoal chimney! I've seen people nearly kill themselves with charcoal starter and ate plenty of charcoal-starter burgers. I don't know why everyone with a charcoal grill doesn't use one of these.

Get rid of storing the starter in your home and transporting it in your car. Get rid of the explosion when you light your grill. Get rid of the starter by-products in your food. Do get this charcoal chimney and get the most easily-lit, most consistently-burning charcoal you can.

I have used other chimney starters, and in fact have even written favorable reviews for another model on this site. Well that was before I broke down and bought the Weber model.

I love this chimney starter, it really is better than the others.

- charcoal capacity seems greater than other brands

- The coals get going an glowing faster than with the other model

- Fire has not yet "gone out" (sometimes with other brands I have had to put in more newspaper and start over, or relight the newspaper.)

- the extra handle that swings up to make it more stable when you are dumping the hot coals is a nice feature.

All in all I wish I had gotten this model of the starter much sooner, it would have saved me a few headaches. Add in the fact that it is actually cheaper (at least on amazon.com) than the other brand of chimney starter, and I think you have to admit it is a win-win.

I've been using this style of starter for 14 years now going through 6 including many "Brand Names". I grill or BBQ on a weekly basis. Recently I stepped up to the Weber 87886 Chimney Starter. This is the best I've ever used. It has a heavy duty convex wire cone in the bottom that makes for an easy start with two sheets of newspaper no need to add paper as I used to do with the brand names. Capacity is there is you need it more than with the competitors but it will also do a great job with a small amount of charcoal. The Plastic handle is bonus and stands up to the weather better than wood. The only way I can see melting the handle is using lighter fluid or self starting charcoal or having it too close to flammable material. The barrel is made of a heavier gauge of metal than the competition and others thinner metal gets weak with repeated heating and cooling. The lifting handle is a nice to have feature with a full load of briquettes. Although do yourself a big flavor treat and try Lump Charcoal, also if using briquettes adding unlit ones to a grill in use gives a flavor to the food I don't care for.

Just like everyone else has said, this is a winner.

I've owned a few different chimney starters over the years and just never could get them to work reliably. I always ended up going back to lighter fluid. Yes, it stinks and it's expensive and it can ruin the taste of your meal if you don't let the charcoal burn down for a long time but it worked every time. Those Brand X chimney starters didn't always get the charcoal going.

The Weber is larger and the design is well thought-out. Instead of a few holes in the bottom of the charcoal section, it has a grate. And the grate is kind of reverse-cone shaped so more charcoal comes in contact with the burning newspaper. The result--it lights pretty much perfectly every time. All it takes is two broadsheet pages of newpaper stuffed in the bottom. That's two broadsheets--the equivalent of eight pages of your morning newspaer. You can also use paper towels--they create less ash. If you want, you can lightly spray the newpaper or towels with a little Pam or the like. That's gets the paper to burning quickly.

Don't bother with those small, poorly designed, no-name (or even big-name) chimney starters you see around. The Weber is the one to get.

The 87886 Chimney Starter is nothing short of a miracle. I first saw one at a friend's house. We were about to grill some hamburgers and my friend went to start the fire. He pulled out this contraption and filled it up with charcoal. I watched with some amusement, thinking to myself that this will never work. He placed two crumpled sheets of newspapers under it, lit the paper, and left it alone. Much to my amazement, 15 minutes later the charcoal was perfect. No lighter fluid, no re-lights, no fuss. Being an avid griller, this product consumed my thoughts for the next several days. Finally, I had to have one. After buying one of my own, I was so proud. Honestly, everytime someone would come over to my house, whether we were grilling or not, I would show them the Chimney Starter. I recommended it, and still do, to anyone that would listen. This is literally the best thing since sliced bread. My dad was so impressed with mine, that I gave it to him, thinking that I would just goto the store to buy myself another. The store I went to was out of the Weber version (I guess people were actually taking my advice) so I bought a "generic" version, thinking it would be the same. I couldn't have been more wrong. The middle section of the weber is cone shaped wire, the middle section of the others I have seen is flat sheet metal with some holes cut into it. Apparently the design of the middle section makes a HUGE difference. The "generic" version I bought didn't work well at all. I was constantly having to babysit it and add more paper. The first time I used it, I was so accustomed to the Weber that I lit the paper and left it alone, expecting to start grilling when I returned 15 minutes later. Unfortunately, the coals weren't ready, in fact they weren't even warm, the paper underneath burned and the charcoal didn't. I thought this must be an isolated case, but it wasn't. Moral of this story is DON'T be fooled by imitations. I finally found another WEBER after a couple of months, and chunked the other one (I wish I would have known that I could have bought one off of AMAZON) The design of the Weber is what makes it such a great product, as I said earlier, it must have something to do with the middle section where the fire and charcoal meet. It is slightly larger than the others I have seen, which means it will hold more charcoal for those "big" cook-outs (if you have a smaller grill, don't fill it up). The best part is the meat you cook won't even have a hint of lighter fluid taste to it. That's because you will NEVER use lighter fluid again. I don't even use my gas grill anymore. The chimney starter makes grilling so convient, why settle for anything less than that great Charcoal flavor that only Charcoal can produce. Another reviewer commented about the handle melting, I've used mine well over 100 times (I grill almost daily) and I have never had any such problems (DO NOT USE lighter fluid in this thing, it doesen't need it and it is a SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD to do so). Also, after you dump the charcoal into your grill, the Chimney Starter is VERY HOT so have a safe place to set the Chimney Starter while it cools. Bottom Line is: I GUARANTEE you will love this product, or give it to your Husband or Father (or anyone else you know who loves to grill) for Christmas and this will be their FAVORITE gift, and the one they will actually use for years to come. And all for (a good price). Nothing Short of a Miracle.

I am a huge fanboy of these chimney charcoal starters.

Here's why: I didn't start out grilling. I started out smoking, smoking on a brinkman SNP to be exact. The direction for smokers is that you can never, ever use lighter or starting fluid. I bought a nice, but somewhat small version of this from W*LM*RT for 7 dollars. That model worked nice, but it was just too darn small. Maybe good for the Weber Smokey Joe 14 inch grill. Anyhow, the original chimney starter was good, except it started to get rusty. I gave that to a good friend (who is a starting fluid junky) and bought the Weber model because Weber brand is coated with aluminum which will reduce the rate of corrosion and rust. When I opened the box, I was like, "damm!!" It is twice the size of my old one. It easily holds enough to start my smoker (which I add logs to later) or the Weber 18 1/2 Gold I have. My neighbor has the 22 1/2 and I can tell you that it will hold enough for that too.

Anyhow, I can taste lighter fluid a mile away, and this product will prevent that taste. Also, it is faster. Yes, as of may 2006, Kingsford did a slight change to the shape of their charcoal and it takes exactly 16 minutes (with less than 3 MPH breeze) to get all the coals ashed over and ready for grilling. Although my lighter fluid friends think they are faster, I timed one of them and it takes over 30 minutes for them. I guess the chimney starter is so simple (it does 99% of the work) that it is boring to them. Well I will tell you that their burgers taste like a little Exxon or Mobil was added, and mine do not.

Bottom line: Get this--

1) Faster

2) Easier

3) Cheaper (never buy starting fluid again)

4) Better for the environment

5) More even charcoal burn rate

6) Light it and set the stove timer for 16 minutes

7) Big

8) High quality

9) No oil taste in food

10) Did I mention it's faster?

I have to admit that I am not great when it comes to outdoor cooking. I ALWAYS have trouble getting the charcoal to light, so I usually end up drowning the briquets in lighter fluid. Then of course, everything that I cook ends up tasting like lighter fluid (even if I use the "tasteless/odorless" kind). But I saw a recommendation for the chimney starter when I bought my Weber grill, so I figured that for the price, I might as well give it a try. My husband was a little skeptical, but after just one use, we both are totally SOLD. Just follow the simple directions, light the crumpled paper, and walk away. I really was expecting to be disappointed (only because I am no genius at outdoor cooking), but the thing REALLY WORKS. Just remember to use oven mits when you are ready to dump out your coals, because the unit will be very hot, and somewhat heavy. I can't tell you how long it has been since I have totally enjoyed the flavor of food cooked over charcoal, and with NO lighter fluid taste. I think I am ready to start perfecting my grilling skills!

Once again, Weber provides a product that is superior to its less expensive counterparts, this time in the form of the Weber charcoal chimney.

With a capacity of six pounds of Kingsford charcoal briquettes, this chimney is larger than most and features high quality construction and materials to prevent burn-through, providing many years of reliable service. The durable handle and fold-away secondary handle provide for secure handling of the hot coals.

Buy this one, and you won't be buying a replacement for a long time. "Buy the best, and only cry once."

Hello. I'm ...the unofficial "griller/smoker" in the family. My old, much used, half rusted chimney starter is OFFICIALLY retired. This Weber Starter not only works far better than described here, it rocs, and it is also a beautiful thang to set near your grill (must have been designed for one of those high-falut'n $2500 jobs that I don't own). It is large, both in size and capacity. However, the moving "leverage" handle allows you to handle it with ease. The "plastic" main handle allows my large hands a good grip without burning my knuckles on the chimney, while giving my Wife (and her tiny, tiny hands) the confidence to handle its' size with ease and grace (you know how "Wives" are). It should stand up well in the weather and does a good job of not transfering heat. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS! Two pieces of newspaper WORK! I use natural wood lump charcoal. Within 7 minutes of lighting the paper, I had rip roaring red ashed-over coals. But this thing smokes like...well you know (;-O). The next time I use it (tomorrow), I'm going to stick a couple of hot links on my que-fork and smoke/cook them at the same time. I'm a Firefighter; safety is ALWAYS my main concern. NO starting/lighting fluids! NO "starter" blocks (with chemicals)! NO chemical laced briquets! And God forbid, NO GASOLINE! The metal part does get HOT! Please use some kind of heat resistant gloves (I use my long gauntlet welder's gloves). And WATCH the children! At this price, you couldn't beat it with a peach switch ;-) Oh yeah, did I mention that it's a beatiful thang to look upon? ...--the grilling man...yeah baby, it's a good thing!

I've been divorced for several years, and one of the rare times I think of my ex (not a bad guy- this is not a slur review) is when I grill. I'm a pretty fab BBQ-er; however, he could ALWAYS get the charcoal lit without lighter fluid. I can't. Lately, no matter how I try, no fire. Then I opened my new favorite grilling cookbook (Weber's Big Book of Grilling- LOVE IT!) which mentioned the chimney starter. So, off to Amazon I go to read all these wonderful reviews. IT WORKED! What an amazing, quick, easy blaze! I was able to spend more time experimenting on sauces and less time begging the Fire Gods to give me a break! DEFINITELY WORTH THE MONEY AND MORE! Everyone, buy this and have a fabulous grilling season!