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.
Despite its portability, the Traveler has plenty of cooking space, with 320 square inches (enough for about 15 burgers at a time), plus a small prep table attached to the side. That whole grate has just a single burner to heat it up, but it was able to reach 660 degrees in testing, hot enough to get a good sear on larger pieces of meat. The unit is designed to use camping-style 1-pound propane tanks, but it does include an adapter hose to accommodate the standard 20-pound cylinders, too. After testing this in our Lab and on an apartment patio, the Weber Q 1400 Electric Grill is one of the best tabletop electric grills around.
Temperatures range from smoking levels (225 degrees Fahrenheit) up to direct grilling temps (450 degrees). Whether you want to slow cook ribs, fire up some burgers — or both — you can do it on a Traeger with the flip of a switch. The fuel source for a portable gas grill is usually a small liquid propane canister that attaches to the grill. These canisters are light and inexpensive, but they also only last for about 90 minutes of cooking. If you do a lot of cooking with your portable gas grill on a camping trip or day-long tailgate, it’s likely the canister will run out of fuel while you’re in the middle of making something. This is a larger portable charcoal grill that has 333 in.² of cooking space, pushing the absolute limit for what most portable charcoal grills get away with.
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.
But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we don’t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us. There are no bells and whistles with this barbecue – it’s simplistic in design and there are no additional functions. This is a versatile bit of kit, which can be used with or without the stand, making it completely portable, whether you’re in the garden or on the beach. Others have handles on their sides that also assist with transportation. Anything with more surface area won’t usually be considered portable and might be too unwieldy for your needs. Then you should look at what portability features the manufacturer has included.
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.
We’ve also tested a slew of portable grills as part of our typical grill testing over the years. Each time we test, we use the same testing methodology and ingredients to make sure our results are comparable. We also update our tests as needed to ensure they’re still relevant and we’re keeping up with the trends and latest innovations. We tested popular models side-by-side, assessing each one on everything from how easy it was to set up to cooking performance to the final cleanup. Some of the things we love the most about the Camp Chef Portable Pellet tie directly to its weaknesses. Not only is the ignitor electric, but so is the auger that feels pellets from the hopper into the grill, which means that this grill needs to be plugged into an AC outlet.
Steaks are prepared very, very nicely, but other foods are nearly impossible to cook well. It’s big enough to roast a chicken, sear a couple of large steaks at a time, or fit about six 12-inch skewers. But if you’re doing meat and veggies for a family of four, you’re going to be cooking in batches. Most meats need to rest when they’re done cooking anyway, giving you time to do your veggies.
This lets you carry the grill from the lid handle and prevents you from having to place the lid on the ground or on another table when you need to get at the cooking area. It’s easy to clean and you can fit plenty of food on its 18″ grill rack. Thanks to some clever design touch from Weber, the Jumbo Joe manages to pack a lot of the quality weber charcoal grill and features you expect from a full size Weber Kettle into a portable package. Full sized grilling capabilities in a portable package – cook anything from roasts to burgers. Keeping coals lit in the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14″ was a challenge for us. This smaller Weber kettle comes equipped with only one vent, located in the lid.