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.
Plus, our tester found the grill easily reached high temperatures with both burners running, delivering plenty of heat for cooking all types of food. Strictly speaking, the Firedisc isn’t a grill—it’s a portable outdoor cooker. The 22-inch portable bbq “disc” sits on a sturdy, two-piece stand made of thick steel bar stock. The pieces come apart without tools, lay flat, and easily slide in the back of a car or truck. We prepared burgers and marinated chicken on the bone in our test unit.
For the gas grills, we also placed slices of white bread over the entire surface to map out the heating pattern. Grills with even heating really shined here, creating predictable patterns without noticeable hot or cold spots. The Biolite’s grill surface is only about 130 square inches, so it isn’t as large as some of the other portable grills we tested for this guide.
It’s just so easy to use and so reliably good at grilling without burning everything to a crisp. This exquisite folding model from Weber is one of the best folding portable barbecues on the market. Yes, it’s large when folded and, at 28.141kgs, it’s extremely heavy too – at least for a portable. But on the plus side it can be transported like a shopping trolley on its large wheels with the whole barbecue section locked into place.
When it comes to features, the Q 1200 was one of the few portable grills we tested that had side tables that were sturdy enough to hold a plate full of food. The grill’s plastic side tables fold in to keep the grill compact for portability, although you will want to let the grill cool down before stowing them away to keep them from melting. It’s a good idea to stow the tables when the grill isn’t in use; these grills are light enough that weber q the wind can catch the tables and blow the whole thing over! That lightweight came in handy when it came to carrying the grill, and its handles were cool enough to hold even after cooking over high heat. In our tests, the Jumbo Joe produced the best seared burgers, barbecued chicken, and grilled bratwurst. The two adjustable vents, in the lid and firebox, allowed the quickest and easiest temperature control of all the grills we tested.
The frame was surprisingly sturdy and did a great job at high-heat cooking, but because there are no vents or lid, it didn’t do well on the chicken tests. There was no way to control the heat, so the chicken either burned over direct heat without cooking through inside or it was still undercooked after an hour over indirect heat. You also can’t move the grill until it completely cools down, and the ashes blow around everywhere because it lacks an ash catcher bucket. It’s a great grill if you’re looking for a cheap way to cook hotdogs at the beach, but we wouldn’t recommend it for heavy-duty use. If our top gas pick is out of stock, or you’re looking for a portable grill that’s well suited for cooking for a crowd, we recommend the Weber Traveler Portable Gas Grill.
They’re built with #8 high polished 304, 18-8 stainless steel, which is ideal for resisting the extra corrosion brought on by saltwater exposure. This Cuisinart grill features a 5,500-BTU burner, a twist-start electric ignition, and a temperature gauge. The grate gives you 145 square inches of cooking space, accommodating four to six people at once. What makes this grill special is that the telescoping VersaStand holds the grill at ideal cooking height, yet shrinks down for easy transport and storage. Our tester did find the grill was a bit wobbly at its full height, but it put great sear marks on a variety of food with minimal sticking. This propane grill has a 280-square-inch porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grate and delivers 12,000 BTUs of heat per hour when connected to a 14.1-ounce or 16.4-ounce liquid propane cylinder.
If you have enough space for a full-size grill, you’ll probably be happier with one of our full-size picks . Their capacity and their compact size aren’t ideal for cuts of meat that require slow or indirect cooking, such as roasts or pork shoulder. Our products, such as the Weber Premium 14-Inch Smokey Joe, which is a powerhouse despite its compact nature, is ideal for smaller outdoor spaces that can’t accommodate the larger counterparts. With porcelain-enameled layering and triple nickel plating, it’s backed by a 10-year warranty and designed to thrive in nearly all outdoor environments. Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. No matter how you measure it, the Traveler’s 13,000-BTU burner gets plenty hot and really shines when searing.
New for this year, a keenly priced single-burner gas offering from one of America’s favourite barbecue manufacturers. For a snip under £300, this barbie is a great choice, especially if you’re looking for a product that’s built better than most no-name brands. Although Traeger says its maximum temperature is 230˚C, we noticed that the actual highest temperature reaches about 241˚C and with a roaring flame beneath the heat shield. This means it could feasibly be used to sear steaks, too; something pellet grills usually don’t excel at. Although portable, you wouldn’t want to carry this model too far and, of course, you will need an electricity supply to operate it.