To illustrate this, we cooked plain white bread and photographed the result to help visualize the distribution of heat across these grill tops. We also took into consideration whether the lid was big enough for closed grilling, how easy the grease trap was to use, remove, and clean, and if the regulator provided a snug or loose fit. While the all-natural allure of charcoal might be viewed as a more sustainable option than propane, these grills tend to burn through coals pretty quickly. This is an important factor to consider when choosing a grill, particularly considering the cost of replacement fuel. You don’t get this uncompromising high-heat cooking performance without some drawbacks.
Grilling doesn’t necessarily require a backyard; portable grills make it easy to take the cookout with you to the pre-game tailgate, beach, lake, local park, or campground. The Cuisinart CCG-100 GrateLifter Charcoal Grill has a convertible cooking grate that lifts when you open the lid for easier access to the coal bed. Levers on the sides of the grill adjust to keep the grate in the up or down position. During our tests, one side of the grate would get stuck in a different position than the other about a third of the time, forcing us to wrestle with hot metal. The porcelain-coated cast-iron grates reduce flare-ups by shielding the flames and channeling grease and drippings around them while still allowing ambient heat to brown between grill marks. In our tests, burgers from the Q 1200 had the most seared surface area of all the burgers we grilled, and more browning means better flavor.
At 27 pounds and measuring 23 inches wide, it was manageable to lift and carry for short distances, and it fit easily into the trunk of our SUV. With our burgers just inches away from the burning coals, we were able to achieve the Maillard reaction that produces weber q that sought-after tasty brown crust much more easily than on any gas grill. As a result, our burger had a nice crispy crust while remaining juicy on the inside. With all of the above considerations in mind, we chose and tested the following grills.
The liquid propane canisters are also disposable, so they create a lot of waste for not much cooking time. The top and base combine to form an attractive prep surface that clips alongside the grill. The single 9,000-BTU burner is fueled by a 16-ounce propane canister that conveniently stores in the base.
At just 13 inches tall by 20 inches wide, the Traeger Scout wood pellet grill won’t take up much room in the car and has enough cooking surface for 10 hot dogs, 6 burgers, or a rack of ribs. Our thorough testing process began with scouring the internet for the latest and greatest products across the portable grill market. Next, we narrowed our selection to create a manageable, yet comprehensive list of the best products available. We bought all these products at retail cost to allow us to conduct an extended, objectively honest, and comparative review. These review editors rigorously assessed these grills, distributing them to friends to offer a fresh perspective. For the fans of pit-cooking out there, we offer up the Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill.
One thing to love about this model, however, is the damper adjustments that allow you to control airflow and, in turn, the heat for more precise grilling. The Akorn Jr. charcoal grill got hotter than any other grill I tested, which is not surprising since charcoal grills often do. The shape and style of this grill make it very good for heat retention, heat distribution and evenness of grilling. While slow-cooking on the Takibi would be challenging, you can at least adjust the grill height to control temperature. But, crucially, the GoBQ also performed quite well during the cooking tests.
That’s because the RoadTrip folds flat and has wheels on one end, allowing it to roll behind the user like a piece of airline luggage. However, we should note that lifting it into the car trunk and converting it from cart form to grill form can be awkward without two people. Portable grills pack the basic weber genesis 2 functionalities of their standard counterparts into a more compact design, but reduced size and price tag don’t necessarily indicate reduced quality. Whether you’re craving juicy burgers, hot dogs, seasoned vegetables, or some other barbecue favorite, there’s a portable grill to meet your needs.
There’s also the potential for it to come apart in transit, dumping leftover charcoal bits and ash into the trunk. Weber does make a premium version of the Smokey Joe that has a lid-locking mechanism, but you’ll pay more for it. The Smokey Joe comes with a loose lid that doesn’t attach to the base, which is a little inconvenient if you’re looking for a place to put it when it’s blazing hot. The three-hole vents located on the top and bottom of the grill provide ample airflow through the kettle, giving us a surprising amount of control over the Smokey Joe’s internal temperature.
We set the burner on low for the 100 percent beef burgers we grilled, flipped them once, and then turned up the heat to imprint sear lines from the cast-iron grate. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a portable grill that’s easier to tote around town than the Weber Go-Anywhere Gas Grill. The top-rated design weighs 13.5 pounds and features push-start ignition as well as porcelain-enameled grates specifically designed to combat flare-ups while grilling. Each Go-Anywhere grill also features a glossy porcelain-enamel lid and bowl to ensure durability on all your adventures. Time Magazine called the COBB portable BBQ grill one of the best inventions of the year. Our ranking of heat output also considered each manufacturer’s BTU reporting, grill surface area, and lid sealing and construction.