For grills that lack this feature, you’ll need to use extra-long matches or a match holder to ignite the propane and get the burner started. Some portable grills are meant for tabletop use—they can also be used on the ground if you’re comfortable with that, but it may not be as convenient. Grills with tall legs let you work at a comfortable standing height, but the legs add weight and bulk, so they’re not as convenient to carry. This grill uses TRU-Infrared technology to prevent flare-ups and provide even cooking every time.
The compact design is easy to bring to a sporting event or out camping, yet the porcelain-enameled cooking grate can still fit up to eight burgers at a time. 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 portable bbq six people at once. There’s nothing else quite like the Nomad on the market today. When closed, this portable grill is easy to carry one-handed thanks to a soft, grippable handle. When opened it has 212 square inches of cooking space—that’s enough for a whole chicken with room to spare, a rack of ribs, or close to a dozen turkey burgers.
Often, but not always, if you purchase a product after clicking a link on our site we get a finder’s fee. We recommend products based on quality and price, not on fees. These fees do not add to the price of purchase but they do help keep this site alive. Secondly, you need to look out for the grill size with these portable units – as well as how much they weigh if you really are after something you can carry down to the beach. Equally, you don’t want something you can carry but you can’t cook what needs to be cooked – especially if it means you need to do two or three batches of cooking. For two-person picnics, this natty barbie-in-a-case is a better bet than the disposable variety.
It is a US federal crime to publish or distribute anything on this website without permission. Try to get one with a cover for the best temperature control and to prevent burning thicker meats. Try to get enough surface area so you can set up for 2-zone cooking.
For gas grills, we used slices of white bread to cover the grilling surfaces to identify uneven heating. For charcoal grills, we used a glowing bed of charcoal directly underneath food, and then placed bricks to one side to see how well the grill body distributed heat. We also noted if it was easy to load up and move charcoal around inside the grill, and whether vents provided sufficient airflow. Regarding this gas grill’s performance, it gets hot quickly, cooks food evenly, and is easy to clean when you’re done. It’s a little bit heavy for a portable option, weighing in at over 43 pounds, but most of the weight is actually its cast-iron grates, which can be carried separately for easy transport. Plus, our tester appreciated how solid and sturdy it felt for a portable grill.
Here’s what we learned about how to pick one while cooking with them in Food Network Kitchen. Smaller than a briefcase and less than 10 pounds, this foldable grill more closely resembles a waffle or panini maker rather than a grill. You can carry it by its handle or stash it in a backpack to transport it to the beach or picnic site. Of course, you also have to bring along a one-pound propane tank. With its four-burger capacity, this is a model for feeding up to four people but not for a large family or entertaining a crowd. This grill has two side tables, which give you a place to rest your tongs or a package of buns; they fold up so the grill fits neatly in your trunk.
It has some other nice design touches, like the ability to transition the grill from folded to cook-ready with one hand, and a lid that locks automatically for transport and storage. The Weber Traveler heated up quickly, and I met no resistance when turning food on the porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates. Of all the grills I tested, the Traveler was the easiest to set up and use. Like most portable gas grills, it uses small propane canisters, but it can also use a full-size propane tank with an adapter, so it’s backyard ready if you want to use it as your primary grill. There’s so much to love about this lightweight, versatile portable gas grill.
Use of the grill with charcoal on non-heat resistant surfaces such as wood, plastic or other combustible surfaces may cause damage or fire. The grill exterior surfaces may reach temperatures exceeding 600º F (315º C) when used with charcoal. We were impressed with the high-heat grilling performance of the Weber Go Anywhere Charcoal Grill. But when the firebox got hot, the side vents that regulated airflow stuck in place, rendering us powerless when it came to heat control—critical for slow-cooking things like chicken and sausages.