To transport it, simply pull out the legs and clip them underneath the chassis. There’s a good reason why most Weber barbecues are kettle shaped – the curved interior helps circulate the hot air within for perfect indirect convection grilling. And that means less likelihood of food scorching to a cinder – as long as the lid is left on without too much peeking. The porcelain-coated cast-iron grates reduce flare-ups by shielding the flames and channeling grease and drippings around them while still allowing ambient heat to brown between grill marks.
At just 4kgs, it’s also easy to carry a fair old distance without your arms falling off. For a single burner barbecue that’s being advertised as portable, this handsome devil comes with a 2,065cm cast-iron grilling area and that’s big enough for 20 drumsticks or around three dozen sausages. The porcelain-enamelled lid, meanwhile, provides typically reliable indirect grilling without flare ups. In general, a charcoal grill and bags of briquets cost less than a gas grill and propane canisters.
They’re commonly constructed from thin porcelainized steel with thin wire-rod grilling grates. Charcoal grills’ simple construction is what makes them budget friendly. A great portable grill offers consistent heat, minimal flare-ups, a generous cooking area, and an easily totable design. Aside from being weber charcoal grill compact for easy transport, a portable grill should be a functional home grill for folks with small outdoor spaces. Grills that evenly distribute the heat across the entire grate cook food more consistently. Extreme hotspots and flare-ups cause patchy charring and require you to babysit your dinner.
The unique COBB design creates an oven heating effect when cooking with the Frying Pan and the Dome Lid closed. This allows for even circulation of heat and consistent temperature. Sign up for all the news you can use, including product launches, tasty recipes, your weekly grilling forecast, special offers, and the occasional deep cut. Yes, these grills are all portable, but that doesn’t mean they’ll all fit your transportation needs. 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.
A 16.4-ounce propane tank attaches to the back of the grill with a sturdy, easy-to-secure attachment. It has two plastic temperature knobs on the front of the grill; one knob controls in the inner flame ring and the other controls the outer. The cast iron grates are easy to scrub clean with a grill brush and the drip pan removes so you can wash it before storing. This portable gas grill has been a Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab favorite for years.
Lastly, whether you’re tailgating or having a picnic at the park, one thing is certain; you want a swift and easy cleanup, and our portable grills deliver just that. These small appliances help you make a tasty meal anywhere, from the shore of a lake to your own backyard. They also lend additional firepower to your main grill when you’ve got a big cookout going. To help you select the right one, we tested the cooking capabilities of a range of grills and then ate everything we made, to make sure the fruits of our labor was up to snuff.
To evaluate these grills I assembled each one from scratch and then cooked an array of foods at various temperatures to see how they performed. Foods cooked included steak and burgers, which do best with a hot sear. While the Weber Original Kettle may have taken the top spot in CNET’s list ofbest charcoal grills, this newcomer is my pick for the best portable charcoal grill. A smart and solid build allows you to take this small grill anywhere, including on a long hike. Setup was a snap — you simply unhinge the sides and the entire thing opens up like a clamshell.
The Grill2Go latches tightly and keeps the lid, firebox, and grate from jostling during transport. Like the Weber models, this Char-Broil grill has a thick cast-aluminum body for even heat distribution. But unlike its Weber competitors, the Grill2Go is incapable of searing food beyond grill marks, because its perforated grate blocks a lot of ambient heat from the firebox.
Wipe the grates with a wet rag to remove the soot, and then brush them with vegetable oil. We immediately ruled out collapsible models because they’re made from thin steel and probably not durable enough for regular use. Portable kamado grills are gaining popularity, but we think their 12- to 14-inch grilling surfaces are too small to justify the high price. We didn’t focus heavily on hibachis because they’re lidless, primarily for high-heat grilling, and limited in performance.
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. The entire unit folds out and up in about 20 seconds and then wraps up again after you’re done, securing all the nasty cooked charcoal. Keep in mind that this is a little different than normal grilling, since it cooks from the top and bottom, which means your food cooks faster.