While we liked the idea of its pull-out drawer to add coals, the door stuck badly and was frustrating to use. And because the drawer’s grates ran vertically, it was difficult to rake the coals from side to side to create an indirect heat pattern. The grill itself was easy to clean and sturdy as we used it, but it was difficult to see inside the grill and the rounded lid design funneled the smoke straight into your face. Add in the fact portable bbq that the carrying handles got extremely hot as you used it and it was a touch on the heavy side at 30 pounds, and this one fell to the bottom of our list. This portable grill has foldable legs and only weighs 17 pounds, making it easy to carry around but also simple to prop up for grilling. The spacious cooking surface is designed to be large enough to prepare food for four to six people, so you everyone can eat at the same time.
Carrying a dusty, dirty charcoal grill around isn’t usually an attractive proposition, but the creators of the GoBQ have mostly solved the issue through intelligent design. The entire unit folds out and up in about 20 seconds and then wraps up again after you’re done, securing all the nasty cooked charcoal. Use a high-quality hardwood charcoal to ensure you get a good fire. Charcoal briquettes made from maple, oak, birch, or elm woods burn cleanly with very little smoke or unpleasant odors. Use long-handled tongs to arrange the charcoal in a single layer across surface. Never move or transport the grill when in use or not fully cooled.
The Gonzo Grill is another stand-out for its unique cooking area. It boasts a dual cooking surface that consists of a grill on one side and a griddle on the other. The Gonzo Grill can also be converted into a stove-top by removing the griddle.
You’ll need to look elsewhere if you want to cook using low-and-slow smoking temperatures. Pellet grills consume wood pellets similar to the ones used to fuel indoor pellet stoves. Pellet fuel is made by compressing sawdust into small spheres The ones used in pellet grills are usually made with 100% hardwood or contain food-grade oils to add flavor.
There are four vents to regulate airflow, as well as an aluminum ash catcher down below. This portable grill comes with a 10-year warranty, and it’s the clear choice for anyone who loves Weber’s full-size kettle grill. In general, gas or propane grills make for the best portable grills since they’re clean, easy and fast to get fired up.
You don’t get this uncompromising high-heat cooking performance without some drawbacks. First, the grill top is small, with space for only one or two steaks on it at a time. Finally — and this is the most significant issue — the low-heat performance is virtually nonexistent. The heat options are adjustable, but they would best be described as “High” to “Extremely High.” Further, the lid is only for portability; you cannot close it while cooking.
With 200 square inches of cooking space, you can grill for a tailgating crowd or a backyard BBQ. Weber has a reputation for building grills that gracefully blend cooking performance and reliability, and that tradition is rolled into a portable package with the impressive Weber Q 1200. Simply put, this model let us grill with more precision, predictability, and control than any other weber charcoal grill model we bought and tested. We tested five propane models, and the Weber Q 1200 Gas Grillis the best portable gas grill for most people. In our tests, the Q 1200 outperformed the competition at both high-heat searing and low-and-slow grilling, with the fewest flare-ups. The Q 1200 has a cast-aluminum firebox that evenly distributes heat across its 189-square-inch grilling grate.
She’s an expert on all things home, including kitchen appliances, grills, and other cooking gadgets. Keep in mind that this is a little different than normal grilling, since it cooks from the top and bottom, which means your food cooks faster. Make sure you preheat your grill until the green light clicks.