This baby is a gem of a gas grill as it sat in the top spot across nearly every expert list we consulted. These gas grills are designed to cook your outdoor foods to perfection, but perhaps the best part is they’re built to last. While the grill is hot, scrape the debris and stuck-on food from the hot grates with a wire grill brush. We prefer to do this when the grill is preheating and the embers are their hottest. Wipe the grates with a wet rag to remove the soot, and then brush them with vegetable oil. We immediately ruled out collapsible models because they’re made from thin steel and probably not durable enough for regular use.
Its primary cooking area and warming rack can’t take more than eight to ten burgers at a time. Although it’s an outdoor unit, the Performance 300 grill doesn’t take up much space. However, we also found that youcan add exciting flavors with wood chipswhen cooking or grilling on it.
We grilled bone-in chicken to test for flare-ups and how well both the gas and charcoal grills could sustain a medium-low cooking temperature over 45 minutes. In spring 2017, Tim and Wirecutter writers Lesley Stockton and Michael Sullivan spent over 40 hours testing full-size gas and charcoal grills, as well asgrill accessories. With all this knowledge in hand, Lesley and Tim spent 16 hours, over the course of two days, testing nine portable grills. The Char-Broil burner cabinet gas grill comes with porcelain-coated cast-iron grates which are rust-resistant.
And if you’re not content with the basics Char-Broil offers a variety of accessories like nylon cleaning brushes, pizza pans, and beer can chicken roasters. If you have the space for something weber spirit 2 bigger, check out our guide to full-size charcoal grills. 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.
You can simply turn on the gas and fire up the grill, thanks to the electronic ignition system, which is easy to light and requires the simple push of a button. The back of the grill was much hotter than the front, so we continually re-positioned the food to prevent it from overcooking. Overall, grilling on the Dyna-Glo was more hands-on and a less pleasant experience than it was with the Char-Broil and Weber. If you’re looking for an inexpensive grill, we recommend the far superior Char-Broil – Performance instead. There was almost no difference between the Spirit and the Char-Broil in cooking results.
Flare-ups should rarely happen, if at all, with this grill, especially with the convection cooking system, which reduces flare-ups and ensures even heat distribution. We’ll also look at the pros and cons, ease of assembly, use, and cleanup of this grill, so you can decide if this is the right grill for your next big cookout. Overall, we were impressed by the Spirit’s design and can understand why Webers have a passionate following. It maintained and evenly distributed heat over its entire 475-square-inch cooking area during our tests. Learn to replace the burners on your Char-Broil grill in a matter of minutes.
Grills in this category should be light, small, and comfortable enough to carry from a car into a park or campground. While a 5-year warranty backs the stainless-steel burner, a 2-year warranty covers the firebox and lid. All other parts have a 1-year warranty from the time you buy the grill. Therefore, it will light when you push and hold the electronic ignitor button while turning the burner knobs. The grill can take a bit of time to heat up, but it’s good to go once it does.
The Jumbo Joe’s 18-inch-diameter cooking surface is enough to grill a complete meal for two or the main course for a small party . We also like the Jumbo Joe’s tripod base, which automatically stabilizes on uneven terrain. The simple ash catcher is a nice touch and keeps hot embers from falling on the ground. And the heat-resistant lid handle stays cool enough to grasp without a towel or oven mitt.
Though cast iron adds an extra 5 to 10 pounds to the total weight of a grill, we think the flavorful dark crust on burgers and steaks makes it worthwhile. We also prefer an open grate design that allows ambient heat from the firebox to brown the areas in between the grill marks. We found that stainless steel solid grates with small perforations don’t let enough ambient heat through to brown the food properly. Summers are meant for grilling, but you may not have the space or budget for a full-size grill.
We couldn’t do that with the 14-inch Weber Smokey Joe, where the one vent and the lack of airflow caused the coals to extinguish while we were cooking. British thermal units are a measure of maximum heat output over the course of an hour. The output on portable gas grills ranges from 4,000 to over 13,000 Btu. But more heat alone doesn’t equate to better grilling performance, as a grill’s performance is based on a combination of output, design, and quality of materials.