But the things that made the Rambler a great grill are also the things that made it harder to move. Carrying it two blocks was not impossible but it required more exertion than any of the other charcoal grills. It also required more assembly of the wrench and screwdriver type, though it still only took about 30 minutes. 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 thermometer in the dome lid is nice, but it isn’t necessary other than for letting you know when the grill is hot and ready. This larger version of our pick offers more cooking area and higher heat output. A great grill for camping and tailgating, and for apartment dwellers with limited outdoor space. Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Kitchen Appliance and Culinary Innovation Lab where she oversees all kitchen appliance content and testing. This is her third season testing grills for Good Housekeeping and has had her hands on at least 35 grills and counting.
The Cuisinart portable grill also runs on any small propane tank you can find at camping or hardware stores. The GoBQ also performed well, cultivating a steady and hot fire, and has a robust 185 square inches of grilling space. There are no bells and whistles on this grill, so you’ll have to adjust and maintain the fire as you would most charcoal fires or campfires — with a careful flow of oxygen and good charcoal management. It’s a little more expensive than some on the market, but it’s built to last.
To use, simply unclip, fill the titchy charcoal grate with a very small amount of charcoal and a couple of firelighters, and rest the steel grill on top. The Smokey Joe is a doddle to control, large enough to accommodate about 16 sausages, and light enough to carry to a beach, campsite or picnic spot of your choice (as long as it’s not too far a walk). It’s also perfect for small patios or as a second standby barbecue. We tried a number of ingredients on it – burgers, sausages, chicken legs – and they all cooked perfectly well with only one visit to turn the food over. We even took a flier and lobbed on a whole medium chicken which was more succulent than any we’ve cooked in the indoor oven.
Having a permanent grill with a kitchen built around it will help to attract plenty of different buyers, which could ultimately make your grill a great investment for your property as well. If you are thinking about getting an outdoor barbeque grill, you will find that there are many different options to choose from. One factor that you will need to decide early on is whether you should get a permanent outdoor grill that is installed or should you get one that is more portable. When choosing between permanent grills or a portable propane grill, it is important that you carefully consider the benefits of each option. The Cuisinart CCG-100 GrateLifter Charcoal Grill has a convertible cooking grate that lifts when you open the lid for easier access to the coal bed. Levers on the sides of the grill adjust to keep the grate in the up or down position.
We prefer 1-pound liquid-propane tanks because they’re small and lightweight enough to stash in a backpack or tote bag. In spring 2017, Tim and Wirecutter writers Lesley Stockton and Michael Sullivan spent over 40 hours testing full-size gas and charcoal grills, as well asgrill accessories. With all this knowledge in hand, Lesley and Tim spent 16 hours, over the course of two days, testing nine portable grills. The Napoleon TravelQ is perhaps the best portable propane grill out there.
The Weber Q 2200 Gas Grill offers the same high-quality build and stellar grilling performance as our top pick, the Weber Q 1200, but with a 48% bigger grilling grate and 41% higher Btu output. However, this 40-pound portable grill isn’t lightweight by any stretch of the imagination. And, you can rely on it to preheat quickly and cook evenly, so you won’t need to move all those patties around to have them all ready and weber q nicely browned at the same time. Just like larger grills, these models are powered by either gas or charcoal. In addition to the weight of the grill, you should also factor in the weight of a bag of charcoal or a tank of charcoal to take with you. Portable gas grills work will small, one-pound propane tanks that provide enough fuel for about two hours; some can be used with a hose adapter to connect to a larger tank.
Scrape the hot grates with a grill brush, wipe them with a wet rag to remove the soot, and brush them with vegetable oil. The propane coupling juts out the side, and attaching 1-pound liquid-propane canisters is easy. An adapter for the Char-Broil Grill2Go allows you to use a Type 1 tank connection for 20-pound propane tanks. The Grill2Go’s cooking grate can grill up to six large burger patties at a time. Weighing over 40 pounds , the Weber Q 2200 stretches the meaning of “portable” to its limits. However, the Q 2200 is still an excellent grill for small backyard spaces.
This heavy-duty propane grill can be used on a table, but what makes it special is its included mount, which attaches to a 2-inch vehicle hitch. Once installed, you can drive, off-road, and cook weber charcoal grill with the grill mounted to the rear of your car. Our tester was truly impressed at how secure the HitchFire felt when mounted to her truck, and she said it never budged on a 350-mile drive.