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It’s small and compact, which makes it quite portable, yet sturdy and powerful for good, fast cooks. We’ve tested both this model and the larger stand-up model with shelves, and were impressed with the sear marks we got on chicken, steak, burgers and hot dogs. Like most of Weber’s grills, the Q1200 has a disposable drip tray below the grill, which makes clean-up much easier than some portable grills with drip trays that need to be washed out periodically. We especially liked that the shelves that were big enough to hold tools, plates and cutting boards. Grill up your favorite foods when you’re away from home with a Weber portable grill.
While we didn’t test it on low-and-slow smoking temperatures, we anticipate this hopper capacity should be able to produce smoke for five to six hours before needing a refill. We also loved that the Traeger is easy to clean, especially if you use Traeger’s drip tray and bucket liners. As with its larger Weber kettle grills siblings, the Jumbo Joe’s stainless steel grates were easy to clean, as was the large ash catcher bucket clipped in underneath the grill. Being able to control the airflow is important when cooking over charcoal; the bottom vents control the heat of the fire, while the top exhausts hot air and smoke out of the grill. And while it’s size may have made it bulky and hard to transport, Weber’s round, kettle design kept it from being intimidating. If you prefer that smoky charcoal flavor, the lightweight Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill 18″ matches the searing and grilling abilities of a full-size kettle.
One grill we’re looking at is the Napoleon TravelQ 285, which has strikingly similar specs and body design as the Weber Q2200. We also want to look at a couple of fancier-looking portable grills like the BioLite FirePit+ that, as the name suggests, can be used as a grill weber charcoal grill and a fire pit, and burns wood and charcoal. It’s on the pricier side, but this model folds up into a suitcase for portability, and it can be used open as a high-heat grill or closed as a smoker. We’re curious if its build and functionality could be worth the cost.
The grilling space is large too with 226 square inches of ceramic-coated nonstick grates. Like the Q above, Weber’s Traveler uses a single burner that wraps around the entire bottom of the grill. That’s covered by a two-piece cast iron grill grate that’s solid where it runs over the burner, which acts as a heat diffuser and keeps the burner from getting covered in grease. Speaking of grease, it has a slide-out grease trap that’s easy to empty. It also has a built-in thermometer that’s reasonably accurate, but I still suggest getting a separate instant-read thermometer. The Nexgrill Portable 2-Burner Stainless Steel Tabletop Grill is equipped with two push-and-turn ignition burners for quick and easy start-ups.