They’re commonly constructed from thin porcelainized steel with thin wire-rod grilling grates. Charcoal grills’ simple construction is what makes them budget friendly. A great portable grill offers consistent heat, minimal flare-ups, a generous cooking area, and an easily totable design. Aside from being compact for easy transport, a portable grill should be a functional home grill for folks with small outdoor spaces. Grills that evenly distribute the heat across the entire grate cook food more consistently. Extreme hotspots and flare-ups cause patchy charring and require you to babysit your dinner.
This will ensure that your food doesn’t stick to the grill plates. I haven’t used the fancier models, but this basic four-serving one served me well for years. You can pull the grills out for easy cleaning, there’s a drip pan to catch all the grease, and if you’re not in the grilling mood, it doubles as a Panini weber q press. We barbecued for weeks to find the right charcoal and propane grills for road trips—or just for smaller homes. Heavy and not very portable, the Davy Crockett’s lack of wheels and handles made it difficult to move around. But our biggest complaint was that the grill was extremely noisy during use.
This model performed exceptionally well, grilling everything we threw at it with consummate aplomb. It’s also built like a brick outhouse so it should easily withstand the bumps and scrapes of outdoor living. In fact, if you’re a family of four, it might just be the only barbie you’ll ever need.
In our tests, this grill quickly cooked a steak and four chicken thighs, all of which were juicy and tender. Time Magazine called the COBB portable bbq grill one of the best inventions of the year. Barbeques Galore stocks up on portable grills from a barrage of trusted brands such as Weber, Turbo, Green Mountain, American Muscle, Broil King, Blaze, and Twin Eagle. So, you can rest easy knowing you’re getting value for your money. Camryn Rabideau is a freelance writer and product tester for The Spruce Eats who’s an expert on all things grilling.
Unfortunately, while you can arrange the coals inside of it for indirect heat cooking, the Solo Stove’s lack of vents means that you can only use the grill at one temperature. You’ll need to look elsewhere if you want to cook using low-and-slow smoking temperatures. weber q In the eternal debate over whether a gas, charcoal, or pellet grill is better for outdoor cooking, there is no wrong answer. You can purchase a portable cart to raise the grill to standing level, which comes complete with wheels to roll it around.
We’ve also noted some models we’re interested in for our next round of testing in 2022. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. With a body made from two powder-coated sheets of carbon steel, it turns from a closed form to a grill in seconds.