After giving the Grill2Go about 20 minutes to heat up, we recorded a surface temperature of 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Though not the extreme heat that’s advertised with infrared technology, 550 degrees Fahrenheit was more than enough to create a sear on our burger patty. The Grill2Go’s clamshell lid was easy to operate and created even heating when closed. Though the Grill2Go reached a good heat level and cooked well, we found that the food was not as flavorful as that which came off the other gas grills we tested. Choosing a portable grill can often come down to ease of use and the amount of heat produced.
A portable grill should be light and compact while also offering enough cooking surface to handle meals for your family. As one of the lightest portable grills on the market, the Cuisinart CCG190 Portable Charcoal Grill is one of the easiest grills to take to a park or tailgating event. It weighs just 2 pounds and features latches that hold the lid to the base, allowing it to be carried by the lid handle. The Davy Crockett is portable, but at 63 pounds, it requires two people for transportation and setup, something that the manufacturer emphasizes in its instructions. While a weight of just under 60 pounds may seem heavy, considering that most smokers weigh well over 100 pounds, it’s actually fairly light as smokers go. In terms of size, it was compact enough to fit into the trunk of our SUV with plenty of room to spare.
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. After cooking for a little more than an hour, I noticed fraying in the piece of fabric immediately weber genesis 2 below the charcoal basket where I had used a firestarter. If food drips on to the coals, causing a flare-up, I’d also expect some fraying. The company suggests covering that piece of fabric with aluminum foil.
We’ve been testing grills for decades in the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliance and Culinary Innovation Lab. We’ve tested more than 60 grills, including gas grills, charcoal grills, pellet grills and smokers and more. 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.
In such event, your total payments will equal the amount of the promotional purchase amount. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. Scott Gilbertson is a senior writer and reviewer for WIRED, specializing in portable technology. weber charcoal grill He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED’s Webmonkey.com, covering the browser wars, web standards, the independent web, and all aspects of internet culture. Seven tips and 28 products for making at least one household chore less miserable. This tool can take your home pizza game to the next level—we tried top-rated models to find the best in each category.
Similar to other gas grills, the Coleman uses 16-ounce propane tanks. After preheating the grill, the Coleman registered temps approaching 600 degrees Fahrenheit on the surface despite having weber q one of the largest cooking surfaces of any portable grill we tested. Coleman uses three burners, including a central circular burner that’s accompanied by two C-shaped burners on either side.
You can boil water on any type of grill as long as you have a pot or kettle with no wooden or plastic parts. Simply place the water over the grill’s burner and turn it on high—if you’re able to shut the grill’s lid over it, you’ll be able to speed up the process. If you can’t shut the lid, it will take significantly longer, but the water will eventually reach its boiling point. This grill delivers cooking power up to 20,000 BTU, and it has a pressure-regulator for consistent performance, even in extreme conditions. It also has built-in wind panels to keep your flame going on blustery days. The Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Gas Grill stands out from the crowd thanks to its unique design, which converts from a freestanding model into a tabletop model in seconds.
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. Char-Broil claims its “TRU Infrared cooking system” eliminates flare-ups, but we still had to manage moderate flares while cooking burgers, chicken, and brats. Of all the portable propane grills we tested, the Weber Q 1200 grilled foods the most consistently, with a cast-aluminum firebox that evenly held and reflected heat throughout. It had the fewest hotspots of all the grills we tried, due in large part to the U-shaped burner, which evenly heated the grate.
Those who host frequent backyard cookouts tend to have firm opinions about what kind of grill keeps mouths watering. Picking the right portable grill to satisfy taste buds on the go—like for a camping trip or in a parking lot before the big game—means considering the same variables and then some. To find the grill that best suits these demands, we tested a variety of different portable grills, including gas, charcoal and electric-powered models.