It is important to keep the Dome closed if possible at all times to ensure an even heat distribution. We loved the novelty of George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor grill for its ability to cook an entire meal outside, portable bbq and then move onto the table for a fajita night. The Eureka Gonzo Grill on the right, with close competitor Cuisinart Petite Gourmet in red. For cooking, the difference doesn’t seem as profound as it looks.
Next, we fired up the grills and did a quick, but thorough, evaluation of cooking-surface temperature. For gas grills, we used slices of white bread to cover the grilling surfaces to identify uneven heating. For charcoal grills, we used a glowing bed of charcoal directly underneath food, and then placed bricks to one side to see how well the grill body distributed heat. We also noted if it was easy to load up and move charcoal around inside the grill, and whether vents provided sufficient airflow. Cast-aluminum fireboxes are durable, corrosion resistant, and excellent at evenly absorbing and reflecting heat, so you have fewer hotspots. This means you don’t have to obsessively babysit your barbecued chicken to prevent excessive charring.
Vents should remain easily accessible and swivel freely for fast temperature adjustments. In addition, you don’t want a grill with bottom vents that sit above the coal bed; this design reduces airflow and can extinguish the fire prematurely. If you have enough space for a full-size grill, you’ll probably be happier with one of our full-size gas or charcoal picks. Their capacity and their compact size aren’t ideal for cuts of meat that require slow or indirect cooking, such as roasts or pork shoulder. The wood pellet grill can get up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and in addition to its main grilling area, it also has a removable upper rack.
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 portable bbq guard—otherwise, the grill may struggle to maintain its temperature. Yes, these grills are all portable, but that doesn’t mean they’ll all fit your transportation needs. If you’ll be tossing the grill in the back of a pickup truck, any of these models will work.
A portable grill should be light and compact while also offering enough cooking surface to handle meals for your family. As one of the lightest portable grills on the market, the Cuisinart CCG190 Portable Charcoal Grill is one of the easiest grills to take to a park or tailgating event. It weighs just 2 pounds and features latches that hold the lid to the base, allowing it to be carried by the lid handle. The Davy portable bbq Crockett is portable, but at 63 pounds, it requires two people for transportation and setup, something that the manufacturer emphasizes in its instructions. While a weight of just under 60 pounds may seem heavy, considering that most smokers weigh well over 100 pounds, it’s actually fairly light as smokers go. In terms of size, it was compact enough to fit into the trunk of our SUV with plenty of room to spare.
You already have yoursunscreen, swimsuits,beach chairs and umbrellas ready for a day at the beach or a camping trip. Still, there’s something about the long summer days and clear skies that makes us want to grill outdoors. Even though the Weber Q 1200 neatly folds up (albeit into a not-so-compact package), the lack of a lid latch is perhaps more annoying than anything when considering the portability of this grill.