Often, we grill after hours on a Friday while we’re also trying to set up a tent, inflate a mattress, and wrangle hungry children. The Coleman Roadtrip 285 just felt flimsier than the Weber Traveler. And though it was on wheels, folding and unfolding the legs of the grill weren’t intuitive. The grates were also mostly closed, making it more like a grill pan than a grill. I tried to cover both the “portable” part and the “grill” part in my testing. For those grills with wheels, I walked them around a large, uneven lawn with plenty of divots to see how they rolled.
Despite being light and very portable, the Venture features a heavy-duty cast iron grilling surface that cooks evenly and sears well. In fact, I rarely turned this one up past medium, because it gets plenty hot on low. Conversely, don’t plan on cooking slow and low with this; it’s a “sear things and weber q be done” sort of grill. Wirecutter’s Michael J Kennelly used the Weber Q 1200 we tested to grill on his roof in Brooklyn from 2019 to 2020. They said the two-part grate was a little more annoying to deal with than the one-part grate on older Weber Q models, but it made up for it in ease of cleaning.
Similarly, the least expensive grills don’t offer the maximum heat output nor the control to cook more complicated foods. For the size and price, it may be tough to find a compact grill more powerful than the Cuisinart Grillster. Not only is it incredibly fuel-efficient, but this portable powerhouse reaches peak temperature within a matter of minutes after clicking the piezo lighter. A lightweight steel lid and three insulating walls give it the ability to both block wind and retain heat, allowing you to cook in less-than-ideal weather.
After grilling 65 burgers, 30 pounds of chicken, and 25 pounds of bratwurst on nine portable grills, we found the best ones for both small backyards and outdoor adventures. The Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill is our pick for the best portable gas grill because of its no-fuss convenience and stellar grilling performance. For charcoal purists, we recommend the Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″.
This electric grill features porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, as well as a cast aluminum lid and body. You can adjust the temperature via the infinite heat control settings, and the unit is easy to move around thanks to its ergonomic side handles. For those restricted from using charcoal grills, it’s easy to replicate the smoky flavor by using a smoke tube with the Weber Q. Grill size isn’t necessarily tied to value — in fact, some of the smallest grills in our review are among some of the most expensive. When considering carrying dimensions, grilling surface, and overall performance, the more average-sized grills tend to fall into a more reasonable price bracket.
Unlike a standard grill that’s open on at least three sides, the Davy Crockett has a single panel that grants access to the cooking surface, which is hard to access with a spatula or tongs. It was especially awkward to flip a burger patty or adjust our kabobs while crouching down. Green Mountain Grills does suggest removing the legs and using the Davy Crockett as a tabletop grill. While we didn’t have a chance to test it as a tabletop, raising it to table height would certainly make using it for grilling much easier. With our burgers just inches away from the burning coals, we were able to achieve the Maillard reaction that produces that sought-after tasty brown crust much more easily than on any gas grill.
Between the main grill and the upper shelf, this model offers 500 square inches of cooking space. If you like the idea of grilling large hunks of meat on one shelf while roasting veggies on the other, this is the grill for you. Our ranking of heat output also considered each manufacturer’s BTU reporting, grill surface area, and lid sealing and construction.