The 240-square-inch grilling grate can accommodate up to seven 6-ounce burger patties at a time. As for the weight, the Q-series grills are a bit heavy for moving around often. If you prioritize portability over cooking performance, consider our runner-up pick. Our top pick is the Weber Q2200 Liquid Propane Grill because of its quick and even heating and easy assembly.
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, 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.
The Char Broil Grill2Go is unique in that, for transport, you can carry fuel cans inside the lid. This grill proved its portable capability, performing nearly anywhere on any surface. Though slightly lacking on space, this grill has ample power to cook up any meal you can dream up. Push-button ignition is either by a manual or battery-operated ignition button, which causes a spark that then ignites the gas.
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 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.
The ash catcher at the bottom makes cleaning less of a hassle by allowing you to dump the excess without removing the grill grates. To set it up, all we needed to do was unfold the legs and attach a standard 20-gallon propane tank or 16-ounce canister to its gas line. This makes the Pit Boss Grills more versatile than other portable grills, which are typically limited to a canister. Some portable grills may come with additional features to make them easier to operate, more convenient, and more useful. An example of a built-in feature might be hooks for hanging grilling tools, keeping tongs and a spatula within easy reach.
Some of the grills we reviewed are best moved with a pickup truck, while others could fit in an SUV or in the corner of the trunk of a small car. If you’re going to be cooking for a larger group you might want to consider one of the larger capacity grills reviewed here. Also in the running is the Cowboy Cauldron Urban Cowboy Model, which is no less a statement piece than the other. Where the Sea Island design is a bowl that sits on a stand, the Cowboy Cauldron is a bowl suspended from a tripod system on a chain.
The Weber Smokey Joe 14-inch is a kettle design that features most of the features found in Weber’s larger kettle models. The dual damper system provides the ability to easily control the heat inside the grill for slow cooking or high-heat searing, and the porcelain enamel finish provides excellent portable bbq heat retention. Wirecutter’s Michael J Kennelly used the Weber Q 1200 we tested to grill on his roof in Brooklyn from 2019 to 2020. They said the two-part grate was a little more annoying to deal with than the one-part grate on older Weber Q models, but it made up for it in ease of cleaning.
That made it impossible to achieve a dark brown crust on our burger patty, though our burger was still juicy and tasty. Its large clamshell lid circulated heat well, resulting in evenly cooked chicken and veggie kabobs. Portable wood pellet grills have a few major advantages over portable charcoal or gas grills. Wood pellet grills don’t have an open flame, so there’s no risk weber charcoal grill of dangerous flare-ups. For this reason, wood pellet grills are often permitted on patios or balconies — while gas and charcoal grills, which do use open flame for cooking, are prohibited. Preventing grease and fire contact is especially important since the cooking grates on portable gas grills sit very close to the heating element (usually a 1- to 1½-inch clearance).