With all this knowledge in hand, Lesley and Tim spent 16 hours, over the course of two days, testing nine portable grills. No grilling experience is complete without the necessary Weber grilling tools and accessories to get the job done. If you do not already have tools and accessories from your Weber charcoal grill or gas grill, load up to tackle any BBQ job. If you are looking for a portable propane grill to use in a small space, this device from Cusinart is a great choice.
If you’ll be tossing the grill in the back of a pickup truck, any of these models will work. But if you’ve got a conventional car, make sure the grill will fit your trunk’s unique size and shape. The Petit Gourmet has telescoping legs that fold up neatly, and it’s easy to carry in one hand. Models like this are easy to carry into the park to find your ideal picnic spot.
A basic, more affordable grill might get you through a backyard bash, but a more expensive product will tend to last longer, even under more rigorous or extensive use. Simple grilling, like burgers and portable bbq dogs, can be done on any portable grill. But if you would like the option to sear a steak and slow-cook chicken on the same grate, you’ll likely only find such features on higher-quality models.
With any grill, cleaning them before transporting them will lead to less mess. To determine scores in this metric, we loaded each product into vehicles, took them to picnics and campsites, and grilled gratifying culinary concoctions. When on these excursions, we took into account things like the overall size, weight, construction materials, and availability of wheels, stands, or lid latches. We also evaluated how secure or not secure they were, noisiness during transport, and cleanliness on the ride home. Charcoal grills are the top choice for many grill enthusiasts, but this type of cooking can take years to master.
One-pound canisters are lightweight, inexpensive, and available at most hardware stores. Lugging around a 20-pound propane cylinder isn’t our idea of portability. If you wind up wanting to use a larger tank, you can purchase an adapter with a Type 1 connector for a 20-pound refillable propane tank. The compact size also created issues when we attempted to roast our kabobs. Closing the lid seemed to stymie airflow to the charcoal, which struggled to stay lit even with both vents wide open. This issue required us to remove and replace the lid periodically, allowing oxygen into the cooking chamber to keep the grill going while cooking our kabobs.
There is a broad range of prices in this category, but two of the lower-priced models stand out. The Cuisinart Grillster has the power you need to sear steaks, but due to its lower-end price point, it lacks the overall control of better grills. The Char-Broil Grill2Go is slightly more expensive but cooks with the quality of an infrared burner and includes additional features like a thermometer built into the lid. If you’re looking for a larger propane grill, the Coleman Roadtrip 285 is more of an investment but performs on par with many non-portable patio grills. If you’re ready to jump into the pellet world, it’s going to cost you – these types of cookers are not cheap.
There are more types of small grills now using every fuel source imaginable, including the sun. Portable grills are perfect for campers, city folks living in apartments and anyone without a big backyard or who finds themselves often on the move. Single-use grills exist, and while they may not be the most practical option for everyday use, if you have one long hike planned and want to do some grilling, this is a good option. The Casus grill can only be used once, of course, but it actually gets fairly hot in about five minutes and stays lit for over an hour.
Surely you’ve seen — and possibly owned — one of these little guys in the past. The Weber Smokey Joe is a staple at park cookouts and on camping trips and that’s for good reason. David lives in Brooklyn where he’s logged more than a decade writing about all things edible, including meal kits and meal delivery subscriptions, cooking, kitchen gear and commerce. These days, he’s likely somewhere trying the latest this or tasting the latest that – and reporting back, of course.
Out of the box, this can be powered by 1-pound gas canisters, but Weber does sell an attachment if you want to use 20-pound tanks. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support our work. Learn how we create the weber charcoal grill world’s most carefully tested and objective gear reviews on our About page. A family event, comparing grills and eating good food in March in Drictor, Wydaho. The Cuisinart All Foods Roll-Away scored the lowest in wind resistance.