A grill with telescoping legs is ideal in this situation, but if you have a tabletop grill, consider whether there will be a picnic table or other suitable surface to place it on. Finally, the beach is often windy, so you may want to look for a grill that has a wind guard—otherwise, the grill may struggle to maintain its temperature. Whether you’re an avid tailgater or off-roading enthusiast, the HitchFire Forge 15 is a worthwhile splurge for those who are always grilling on the go. This heavy-duty propane grill can be used on a table, but what makes it special is its included mount, which attaches to a 2-inch vehicle hitch. Once installed, you can drive, off-road, and cook with the grill mounted to the rear of your car. Our tester was truly impressed at how secure the HitchFire felt when mounted to her truck, and she said it never budged on a 350-mile drive.
The 300-square-inches of rectangular cooking area can fit about ten burger patties at a time, and the grill folds down to make it easy to store and wheel to tailgating events. The grill’s four vents promoted air flow suitable for direct or indirect heat cooking methods, and the grill grate hinged in half to allow plenty of access to the coals underneath. The portable design of the Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 was spot-on. The lid locks shut, and it’s light enough to carry it by the handle from place to place. Other than that, your money would be better spent on a better portable gas grill. We didn’t love the infrared grates, which got way too hot to cook the chicken through without burning it on the outside.
It made great steak quickly and nicely browned chicken thighs in under 20 minutes with no noticeable flareups. Grease drips into a disposable drip pan, which weber charcoal grill makes cleanup easy. The lid, cook box and cast iron grates are all porcelain enameled for added non-stickability, easier cleanup and good heat retention.
Winner of the National BBQ Association’s product of the year award. This 8.5″ x 11″ magnet contains more that 80 benchmark temperatures for meats , fats and oils, sugars, sous vide, eggs, collagens, wood combustion, breads, and more. Although it is not certified as all-weather, we have tested it outdoors in Chicago weather and it has not weber genesis 2 delaminated in three years, but there is minor fading. This is one of the most versatile charcoal-fired mini barbecues on the market and one of the most efficient. Invented in South Africa, the sturdy, kettle-style Cobb is a small, portable cylindrical unit that can grill, fry, bake and even roast a whole chicken, albeit a small one.
Beneath the shelf, we found that the one-pound propane tank attached easily. Weber claims that the grill is designed to optimize gas usage, which we didn’t actively test but we did notice anecdotally that it lasted longer than the other portable grills we tested. The beauty of this pick is it functions as a portable fire pit and charcoal grill, which makes it great for camping. It has two oversized handles for carrying and its legs fold up to make moving it even easier.
This larger version of our pick offers more cooking area and higher heat output. We enlisted fresh bratwurst links to gauge each grill’s ability to handle a grate full of fatty meat. Food grilled over charcoal has that coveted backyard-grill smoky flavor.
The KettlePizza add-on kit ($250) is fun, but way more expensive than the grill itself; there’s a cheaper basic version, but it’s currently out of stock. Do yourself a favor, throw away your lighter fluid and get a charcoal chimney starter ($27). Of all the charcoal grills I tested, the Weber weber q Jumbo Joe strikes the best balance of affordability, features, and ease of use. This versatile portable grill is pre-assembled and perfect for use in picnicking, tailgating, camping and the backyard. It is easy to move and store and comes with locking bowl and hood and folding legs.
Then updates editor 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. They also noted that the burner tubes needed to be wiped down occasionally to make sure the grill would light effectively, especially if it’s only used occasionally. It was easy to clean out the grease tray underneath, and they found they didn’t need to buy Weber’s specialty tins—instead, they just lined the catch pan with aluminum foil and pulled it off when done. But, they said, investing in the bonnet cover and the collapsable cart were both well worth it.