The two-piece grates are made of cast iron and coated with porcelain, covering three burners that yield 20,000 BTUs. The burners all sit under the solid center sections of the grates, which our bread test revealed to be the hottest area on the grill. You will need to carefully manage indirect heat when cooking thicker things like chicken on the bone—we kept it over the open grates around the edges of the grill. The 25 x 12-inch cooking surface will hold a lot of burgers, dogs, or whatever your preference. And, if you want to mix things up, the grill grates swap out for griddle or stove grates .
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It’s small and simple—fitting about six burgers—but we’d rather upgrade to the Jumbo Joe to get the extra ease-of-use features. Be the grill master at your next tailgating party with the Campchef weber q Grill. The portable size, convenient locking lid, and carry handle help you move the grill from tailgate to barbecue. Using propane fuel, the grill can be hooked up to a portable propane canister or even a 20lb propane tank. Nickle plated grates, as well as porcelain coating on the base of the grill and a removable grease tray make clean up fast and easy once the grilling is over. The Char-Broil Portable Grill2Go X200 Gas Grill is a solid compact grill for remote cookouts because it’s rugged, lightweight, and easy to carry.
In our tests, the well-placed vents in both the lid and the firebox provided precise temperature control that no other grill we tried—including two other portable Webers—could match. The Jumbo Joe’s 18-inch-diameter cooking surface is enough to grill weber charcoal grill a complete meal for two or the main course for a small party . We also like the Jumbo Joe’s tripod base, which automatically stabilizes on uneven terrain. The simple ash catcher is a nice touch and keeps hot embers from falling on the ground.
While we didn’t test it on low-and-slow smoking temperatures, we anticipate this hopper capacity should be able to produce smoke for five to six hours before needing a refill. We also loved that the Traeger is easy to clean, especially if you use Traeger’s drip tray and bucket liners. As with its larger Weber kettle grills siblings, the Jumbo Joe’s stainless steel grates were easy to clean, as was the large ash catcher bucket clipped in underneath the grill. Being able to control the airflow is important when cooking over charcoal; the bottom vents control the heat of the fire, while the top exhausts hot air and smoke out of the grill. And while it’s size may have made it bulky and hard to transport, Weber’s round, kettle design kept it from being intimidating. If you prefer that smoky charcoal flavor, the lightweight Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″ matches the searing and grilling abilities of a full-size kettle.
We were really impressed by how easy it was to cook with either direct or indirect heat. The charcoal tray is adjustable, hanging from a ladder rack that can quickly raise or lower the coals as needed. The burgers came out with fantastic coloring and that “cooked over charcoal” taste. To cook chicken more slowly, we shuffled the coals to one side, put it in away from them, and closed the lid.
The grill’s internal fans disperse the heat and smoke created by the burning pellet fuel around the grill, surrounding your food and heating the inside of the grill similar to a convection oven. For the price, you really can’t go wrong with this portable charcoal grill. It’s large enough to use as your primary grill if you have a small outdoor space and portable enough to bring with you to tailgating events or camping. Because of that, we have no hesitation in naming it our Best Portable Charcoal Grill. This portable model features a 14.5-inch stainless steel grill grate, an adjustable air vent on the porcelain lid and an integrated carry handle that won’t scorch your hand when you grab hold of it. At 20 pounds, the Char-Broil Grill2Go is 10 pounds lighter than the Weber Q 1200, even though it has a larger, 17¼-by-11¾-inch grilling grate.
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. Most products within Portable Grills have 1 Burner followed by 2 Burners. Lindsay D. Mattison is a professional chef, food writer, and amateur gardener. She is currently writing a cookbook that aims to teach home cooks how to write without a recipe. Weber’s Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill is almost as functional as their full-sized models. Either way, dragging a heavy clunky grill through sand sucks, so bring your GoBQ, some kabobs, a 6-pack of Corona, and enjoy life.
The 320-square-inch grilling surface is big enough to grill for a crowd. It’ll still fit in the trunk of most cars, but it definitely takes up a considerable amount of space. Finally, portable bbq for those that enjoy the ease of use, precise control, and smokey flavor that cooking or smoking with a pellet grill can provide, we recommend the Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill .