Plus, it’s heavy , and it doesn’t have a lid, making it impossible to turn it into a mini smoker without jerry-rigging it with aluminum foil. Pellet grills consume wood pellets similar to the ones used to fuel indoor pellet stoves. Pellet fuel is made by compressing sawdust into small spheres The ones used in pellet grills are usually made with 100% hardwood or contain portable bbq food-grade oils to add flavor. The high tech design of the plated steel charcoal basket elevates the coals above the side vents for excellent air flow. It folds open and closed while attached to the base so no tools are required, the GoBQ is ready to go right our of the box. In addition our Pitmaster Club is a huge thriving community of cooks who love to share.
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. At under 10,000 BTUs, it didn’t get quite as screaming hot as my top pick — the Weber Q — but it weber q is decidedly more compact and easier to transport. For the charcoal options, I also smoked ribs, pork, and brisket, If you’re planning to smoke, I highly recommend investing in some kind of thermometer system. It has adapters based on your grill and offers one temp probe and three food probes.
The fan not only kept smoke from billowing up in our faces while we were burning with wood, but it also stoked the coals. This made it possible to light the Biolite grill in half the time of a traditional charcoal grill. The fan has several settings, so you can turn it on low to preserve the coal bed when cooking chicken over indirect heat or crank it up to high portable bbq to get a hard sear on burgers and steaks. That high heat was useful for searing vegetables when using the grill with its included cast-iron griddle, too. For tailgating, camping, or a barbecue in the park, the RoadTrip 285 is easy to haul and set up. It runs on 16-ounce propane canisters—bring spares if you’re cooking for a crew or making multiple meals.
The Cuisinart portable grill also runs on any small propane tank you can find at camping or hardware stores. 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. The integrated bamboo cutting board fits on top of the base, which gives you somewhere to prep your meal even if there’s no picnic table around.
But whether the wheels make it tough going on beach sand is open for debate. Based in Dallas, Texas, Coyote Outdoor Living specializes in the design, development, and production of high quality outdoor kitchen equipment. After testing more than 90 tools from spatulas to tongs to grill gloves and more, we have recommendations for everything you need to have an amazing barbecue. Lesley Stockton is a senior staff writer reporting on all things cooking and entertaining for Wirecutter. Her expertise builds on a lifelong career in the culinary world—from a restaurant cook and caterer to a food editor at Martha Stewart. She is perfectly happy to leave all that behind to be a full-time kitchen-gear nerd.