This model is really heavy compared to the others, and it has a short handle. You also have to lay it on its back to convert it from travel to cooking mode, which is not ideal. But if you want a pellet grill for tailgating or base camping, this is still your best option. Building an intensely hot coal bed, that can later be spread out to create individual heat zones, is a critical skill in mastering the art of charcoal grilling. To illustrate this, we cooked plain white bread and photographed the result to help visualize the distribution of heat across these grill tops.
The Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Pellet Grill differentiates itself from standard portable grills with its ability to smoke as well as barbecue, making it the most versatile grill we tested. George Foreman’s extensive line of indoor electric grills have a great reputation for the ability to grill food while extracting unhealthy grease. This model extends that tradition while providing the option to grill outdoors. Cleaning the Jumbo Joe, as with cleaning the smaller version, is pretty straightforward; simply remove the grates and flip the entire grill over to dump the ash and charcoal bits into a trash can. While this is decidedly low tech, it’s easy enough, though we ended up creating a cloud of charcoal dust every time. The Pit Boss Grills Portable Grill is clearly designed to go on the road.
Our home tester tried it out both at home and on the road to grill hot dogs, steaks, and veggies and was impressed with the final results each time. Control is the criteria that most distinctly separates the highest performers from the rest of the contenders. For gas and electric, this metric was scored based on how many burners each product has and whether they can be adjusted to high, medium, and low temperatures. For charcoal, we assessed how easy it was to maneuver the coal bed to create heat zones.
The Traveler’s design is much smarter for someone who needs to take their grill on the go. This would be a good grill for someone who had a smaller outdoor space and needed something stationary, but smaller than a typical home gas grill. Like the Traveler, the Weber Q2200 can also accommodate weber charcoal grill a full-size propane cylinder with an adapter. The push-button ignition is battery powered, which I actually found slightly easier to use. The Lodge Cast Iron Sportsman’s Grill L410 was a longtime favorite of Wirecutter senior staff writer Lesley Stockton for its intense heat.
If you can’t face the prospect of going without your Big Green Egg for a weekend, the MiniMax Big Green Egg is much smaller, but it still isn’t terribly portable. However, if you want weber q to smoke, grill, and bake outdoors, this ceramic cooker is a strong choice. Not everyone has a yard, and it’s increasingly common for apartments to ban open flame grills on balconies.
The fire and fuel source is contained, so there’s no risk of hot embers falling on the ground. This grill folds up like a suitcase, weber charcoal grill and you can carry it with one hand. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice.
We also ensured our winning portable grills could be transported easily by one person. 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.
She’s an experienced product tester and recipe creator, trained in classic culinary arts and culinary nutrition. She has worked in test kitchens for small kitchen appliance brands and national magazines, including Family Circle and Ladies’ Home Journal. This grill delivers cooking power up to 20,000 BTU, and it has a pressure-regulator for consistent performance, even in extreme conditions.
There are four vents to regulate airflow, as well as an aluminum ash catcher down below. This portable grill comes with a 10-year warranty, and it’s the clear choice for anyone who loves Weber’s full-size kettle grill. You should clean your portable grill the same way you would clean a full-size gas grill. Once you’re finished cooking, allow the grill to cool down slightly, then brush grease and food pieces off the grates with a damp grill brush.
That said, the Camp Chef Portable Pellet’s price is fairly reasonable considering its top-notch performance. There is no mystery as to why – pellet grills offer the control of a household kitchen oven but produce the flavor and texture of charcoal grills and wood smokers. Traditionally, they are not the type of grill that you’d want to tote along with you on an RV trip or to tailgate the big game, but the Camp Chef Portable Pellet changes that.