She’s personally tested several grills and smokers, including our top pick for a portable grill, the Weber Q2200 Liquid Propane Grill, and the splurge-worthy HitchFire Forge 15. While researching portable grills for this article, she spoke with Jess Pryles, grilling expert and author of “Hardcore weber charcoal grill Carnivore” for tips on grilling on the go. You can probably find charcoal en route to your destination, while propane might take slightly longer to locate. Electric grills don’t require you to make space for a heavy bag of charcoal, but you’re not likely to find an electric outlet at the beach.
While the Firedisc was capable with our test menu, its best use is as a wok or cast-iron frying pan—in fact, it’s seasoned just like cast-iron cookware. Fajitas, fried chicken, pancakes, stir-fry, cheese steaks, and bacon are all fair game in the Firedisc. With the weather warming up, we took our taco Tuesday out on the patio for a change—cooking out doesn’t have to mean burgers or barbecue. The Crossover is a modular, portable cooking system with a base Firebox containing a single propane burner. The Crossover is designed for portability—you can close up, latch, and easily carry or store the Firebox and cooktop.
You can control the grill via its digital dial, and while the model is compact, keep in mind it weighs a substantial 42 pounds. After rigorous testing by our experts, the Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill is the clear overall winner due to its ease of use, large cooking area, and exceptional heat output. If you’re looking for a budget pick, go for the Weber Smokey Joe 14-Inch Portable Charcoal Grill which is lightweight, sturdy, and offers a portable bbq nice sized cooking space. This multifunctional charcoal grill doubles as a wood-burning fire pit, and it even features a small fan attachment to blow smoke out of your face for comfort. You can also use the lower fan setting to help get charcoal going or kindling lit and save yourself some excessive fanning and blowing. This is the best option on this list for transitioning from a barbecue dinner to a post-meal fire pit session.
For fire-prevention reasons, many campsites in Britain and France forbid the use of charcoal-based barbecues. Gas versions, though, are invariably fine; which is where Weber’s excellent kettle-style travel grill comes in. The Q1000 is light enough to carry some distance and features a porcelain-enamelled, cast-iron cooking grate big enough for three or four, a tall aluminium lid and push-button Piezo ignition. Welcome to our summer roundup of the best small barbecues and best portable barbecues you can buy in 2022. Portable barbecues are brilliant at this time of year because in most cases you can take them with you – on a picnic, to a campsite, a beach or possibly straight to the top of a mountain.
The ceramic construction retains heat and turns it into a portable oven as well. The MiniMax Big Green Egg is identical to its larger cousin in nearly every way, but smaller. It weighs 75 pounds, making it by the far portable bbq the heaviest grill I tested, but the double-handle carrying system makes it easy for two people to carry it. The problem is that the 13-inch grilling surface of the MiniMax can only grill for about four people.