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.
It’s just as capable as a full-size kettle at searing and grilling food to perfection. We liked the consistent heating and thoughtful features on the Q1200. At 189 square inches, the Q1200’s cooking surface isn’t the largest, but it is certainly above average. Weber has a reputation for building grills that gracefully blend cooking performance and reliability, and that tradition is rolled into a portable package with the impressive Weber Q 1200. Simply put, this model let us grill with more precision, predictability, and control than most of the other models we bought and tested. Cast-aluminum fireboxes are durable, corrosion resistant, and excellent at evenly absorbing and reflecting heat, so you have fewer hotspots.
Cuisinart’s Venture portable gas grill looks like something Apple would make if Apple got into grills. It’s really a two-part grill that packs up into a lightweight, easy-to-carry package. The base comes off and features a flip-out propane bottle holder (we discourage you from using those; see why below) as well as serving as a place to cut.
Whether it’s the salty sweetness on that lightly charred corn or the rich smoothness of smoked meat, warm weather begs us to get outside and light a fire. Burns way hotter, lasts much longer, and produces less ash than just about every other charcoal I’ve tried. Cuisinart® bakeware, baking tools and equipment allows you to bring the bakery home. Try your hand at homemade cupcakes, bundt cakes, mini pies, or mini loafs.
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.
Since the area of the basin exactly matches the surface area of the grill, we were then able to spread out those coals to create targeted heat zones. Once the grill is going, the Camp Chef Portable Pellet’s internal thermometer and the computer then take over to regulate the flow of pellets into the burner. This process keeps the grill temperature remarkably close to the weber genesis 2 chosen setting. If all this tech hasn’t impressed you yet, this model also has two digital meat thermometers so that you can watch temperatures in real time. With this grill, barring some sort of unexpected mishap, you will likely never overcook a tri-tip again. Our lone soldier pellet grill, the Camp Chef Portable Pellet, took a bit longer than expected to heat up.
In our tests, this grill quickly cooked a steak and four chicken thighs, all of which were juicy and tender. You can probably find charcoal en route to your destination, while propane might take slightly longer to locate. Electric grills don’t require you to make space for a heavy bag of charcoal, but you’re not likely to find an electric outlet at the beach. You can easily grill up your favorite foods while camping using the Coleman Gas Camping Stove, which has a number of useful features. This grill uses TRU-Infrared technology to prevent flare-ups and provide even cooking every time.
Well, it is and these GoSun solar-powered grills actually work pretty well. When I tested it, it got scorching hot and cooked chicken thighs, sausage, fish and veggies all in under 25 minutes or less. Carrying a dusty, dirty charcoal grill around isn’t usually an attractive proposition, but the creators of the GoBQ have mostly solved the issue through intelligent design.
Thanks to its dual-vent system , you get the same fine-grained level of temperature control you’ll find in Weber’s full-size kettles. It has two magnetic vents which, when set to half open, allow the grill to stay at 250°F for an hour. I checked the grill every 20 minutes and was able to keep it at that temperature on less than a full chimney of charcoal. The tiny Cuisinart CGG-180T Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill suffered major flare-ups when cooking burgers, and turned into a raging grease fire when cooking chicken pieces. Everything we cooked on this grill had a dark, sooty film and tasted like torched fat. Always use your grill—gas or charcoal—outside, in a well-ventilated spot.
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. The Davy Crockett requires electricity to operate the hopper, and it comes with a plug for a standard wall outlet, a plug for a car accessory outlet, and clips for a 12V battery.