Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. All that now stands between you and mobile grilling is your final choice and a big pile of grillable grub. Crack that first tailgate can, ponder our comparative assessments, and pull the trigger on an excellent portable delicious-making machine. None of our choices are poor options, and all can facilitate memorable dining experiences.
A great grill for camping and tailgating, and for apartment dwellers with limited outdoor space. Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s weber genesis 2 Kitchen Appliance and Culinary Innovation Lab where she oversees all kitchen appliance content and testing. This is her third season testing grills for Good Housekeeping and has had her hands on at least 35 grills and counting.
Of all the grills I tested, the Traveler was the easiest to set up and use. Like most portable gas grills, it uses small propane canisters, but it can also use a full-size propane tank with an adapter, so it’s backyard ready if you want to use it as your primary grill. When closed, this portable grill is easy to carry one-handed (as easy as something that weighs almost 30 pounds can possibly be) thanks to a soft, grippable handle. When opened it has 212 square inches of cooking space—that’s enough for a whole chicken with room to spare, a rack of ribs, or close to a dozen turkey burgers. And the design of the grill surface—made of small hexagons instead of slim bars—is incredibly effective at keeping food from sliding down into the coals.
This Cuisinart grill features a 5,500-BTU burner, a twist-start electric ignition, and a temperature gauge. The grate gives you 145 square inches of cooking space, accommodating four to six people at once. The sturdy Weber Q 2200 has a number of high-end features usually reserved for full-size grills, such as a built-in lid thermometer, electronic ignition, and infinite control burner valve. When it came to the gas grill’s performance, it gets hot quickly, cooks food evenly, and is easy to clean when you’re done. The unit has a cast aluminum body and ergonomic side handles to make it easy to move from one place to another.
For pellet grills, we studied the user interface and considered the details of the startup and shutdown process. We also considered if the grilling surface presents a consistent temperature throughout, whether it includes a thermometer or push-button ignition, and how well both perform. There are advantages and disadvantages to a grill surface that naturally presents different temperature zones.
If it’s hard to move, it isn’t actually a portable grill; it’s just a grill that’s smaller than you’d like it to be. The design of the Camp Chef Portable Pellet is practically unaffected by wind. The burner is deep within the tub of the grill body so it’s protected by the walls of the grill, the heat distributor, and the lid. We smoked a rack of ribs on a pretty nasty fall day at an elevation of 7,000 feet in central Utah and had absolutely no issues with wind.
It’s also a champ at keeping a constant, even heat in pretty much any weather conditions. A storm blew in one afternoon, but it just kept on cooking despite the high wind and rain. Ahead, find the perfect portable grill for weber charcoal grill your next adventure this spring and summer. Vent holes in the base and lid provide ample air flow to keep the fire hot. Bottom vents are positioned on the sides so embers and ash don’t spill out of the grill while cooking.
This propane grill has a 280-square-inch porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grate and delivers 12,000 BTUs of heat per hour when connected to a 14.1-ounce or 16.4-ounce liquid propane cylinder. It comes with a push-button starter and removable catch pan, and it’s even compatible with the 1000-series Weber griddle. Two spacious tables provide extra space for prepping and serving, while the ergonomic side handles ensure easy transport. Since the grill has cast-iron grates, it is a bit heavy, weighing over 43 pounds, but it’s a small sacrifice if you want a grill that’s extremely reliable and simple to operate. Portable gas grills are generally designed to be used with small 1-pound propane tanks, and with these, a regulator is not needed.
This barbecue is light as a feather and easily portable, but pretty solid and durable too. It’s really easy to pack away – the coal sits in a small bowl inside the base of the barbecue so all you have to do is remove this, throw away the remains and give it a quick wipe. Once in the box, it would easily fit under patio furniture or could be stored in a small cupboard. Whether you’ve got a courtyard garden or just a small balcony, you should be able to enjoy summer in style. At 64.8cm wide and 47.6cm deep, this rectangular barbecue works really well if you’ve got limited outdoor space but still want to enjoy al fresco cooking and entertaining in the warmer months.
Plus, you won’t get any of that flame-grilled goodness since there’s no, well, flame. The Grill2Go has a maximum 9,500 Btu output, versus the Weber Q 1200’s 8,500 Btu. After we preheated it for five minutes on high, the Grill2Go reached over 600 degrees Fahrenheit, while the Weber Q 1200 never broke 525 °F.