The Kudu has its roots in South African design for open fire grilling. The standard model features a cast-iron vessel at the base on which to build and manipulate the fire, allowing for the creation of hot or cool zones for offset cooking. Two pole-mounted racks hang above the fire pit, one for grilling and one ostensibly for holding pots or pans but can be manipulated for other purposes. The elevation bars for the racks provide both vertical and horizontal positioning to move them closer or further from the direct heat of the fire.
We analyzed how well each grill produced grill marks and was able to create the Maillard reaction that produces the tasty dark-brown crust on meat. For our kabobs, we looked at how evenly the grill roasted when the lid was closed, checking for even cooking in the meat. Like other charcoal portable grills, the Cuisinart reached well above the required heat needed to sear meat.
The big drawback with this nifty portable oven is its cooking capacity. Since food has to be loaded into a tube, you can’t really cook many of the traditional barbecue meats such as ribs. weber q Setup was a snap — you simply unhinge the sides and the entire thing opens up like a clamshell. The grilling space is large too with 226 square inches of ceramic-coated nonstick grates.
And unlike a full-size grill, it folds down small enough to stash in a garden shed or on a utility shelf. The Q 1200’s small fold-out side tables are handy for keeping grill tools within reach, though we wouldn’t feel confident resting a large tray brimming with meat or other heavy things on them. The thermometer in the dome lid is nice, but it isn’t necessary other than for weber q letting you know when the grill is hot and ready. Food grilled over charcoal has that coveted backyard-grill smoky flavor. Gas grills are better for people who want to grill more than once a week and can sacrifice a little heat and the classic taste of charcoal for convenience. A great grill for camping and tailgating, and for apartment dwellers with limited outdoor space.
Because it needs to be emptied while completely open, it was hard to lift when attempting to dump the ash into a bin. On its website Nomad suggests using a shop vac to get all the spent charcoal out. I have no doubt that that would do the trick, but if you’re off on an adventure an hour from an electrical outlet, a shop vac might not be practical. That said, I’m hard pressed to imagine a better camping grill than this. The Nomad does cost more than anything else I tested, but it was unparalleled both in how it cooked and how easy it was to move.
A basic, more affordable grill might get you through a backyard bash, but a more expensive product will tend to last longer, even under more rigorous or extensive use. Simple grilling, like burgers and dogs, can be done on any portable grill. But if you would like the option to sear a steak and slow-cook chicken on the same grate, you’ll likely only find such features on higher-quality models.
Lining up grills side-by-side to test the backyard ultra-classics, hamburgers and portabella-burgers. Beneath those head-sized ribeyes you can see the glowing orange Solaire heating element. It depends on whether you have a small cylinder (typically 1-pound) or a 20-pound tank, which are the type that you can find at home improvement or convenience stores for swap-out.
In addition to performance, we test ease of use and score each grills on the types of features they have like shelves, storage space, amount of wheels, etc. We also ensured our winning portable grills could be transported easily by one person. Like most of Weber’s grills, the Q1200 has a disposable drip tray below the grill, which makes clean-up much easier than some portable grills with drip trays that need to be washed out periodically.
Perhaps the best thing about the FirePit is that when dinner’s over, you can lower the fuel rack and turn it into, well, a fire pit. And of course it can recharge your devices, but there’s something vaguely sacrilege about sitting around the fire charging your phone. Fans have added thermometers, fastened knobs to make it easier to open and close vents, attached hanging ashcans, and come up with creative ways to cook taller items, like beer-can chicken. We scrubbed the two nonstick plates in a kitchen sink and removed the large oval shape to wipe out the grease trap.
The Weber Smokey Joe is a staple at park cookouts and on camping trips and that’s for good reason. Youwillneed a proper hitch to attach it, however, and I’d suggest taking a short test drive to ensure it’s properly installed. And worth noting you’ll also want two small propane tanks to get the whole grill lit. There’s also an adapter sold separately to rig it up to a full-sized tank if you prefer.