The 7 Best Portable Grills of 2023 Tested by Food & Wine

3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50°F so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time weber genesis 2 and temp questions. For everything you’ll ever need for a flame-side session, visit our barbecue hub… For over 400 buyer’s guides, visit our reviews section and find reviews of charcoal, gas and budget barbecues and much more.

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The porcelain-coated cast-iron grill grate is quite non-stick, with even delicate fish filets releasing pretty easily. The only part about using the Nomad that I didn’t love was emptying it. Because it needs to be emptied while completely open, it was hard to lift when attempting to dump the ash into a bin. On its website Nomad suggests using a shop vac to get all the spent charcoal out.

It even comes with a preparation board and food storage tray, so you can prep, grill and serve from one device during all your spring adventures. Don’t let Eureka’s compact size fool you, there’s still more than enough room to grill your veggies, burgers and buns. Grate rest brackets keep the grilling grate in position within the base so it doesn’t slide around while you’re flipping burgers.

Lined with enamel and clad in lightweight steel, the Cube’s built-in heat shield should also protect inquisitive fingertips while you fry. And because wood pellet grills don’t have an open flame, you won’t need to worry about dangerous flare-ups ruining the party. One of the best parts of tailgating is avoiding a meal of overpriced, over-processed stadium food (that you have to wait 30 minutes in line to buy). With a top-notch portable grill, you can fill your tailgating zone with the irresistible aroma of low and slow ribs, grilled steak, or smoked chicken. You’ll definitely want cooking grates that can stand up to some heavy weight; this allows you to put pans or other cooking implements right on the grates and widens your grilling options. Some portable grills have removable or foldable legs that make them easy to pack up and transport.

We also took into account how simple or challenging each contender was to clean. The Cuisinart Petite Gourmet is one of the smallest grills in our tests, and the size does affect control. To illustrate this, we cooked plain white bread and photographed the result to help visualize the distribution of heat across these grill tops. We also took into consideration whether the lid was big enough for closed grilling, how easy the grease trap was to use, remove, and clean, and if the regulator provided a snug or loose fit. If you’re cooking only one type of food that covers the entire grilling surface, then you will want to have consistent heat throughout.

The char lines produced were good, but we definitely saw better from some of the other models in this list. That said, we found this barbecue easy to set up, save for the fiddly regulator valve. A wood pellet grill is the best option for living spaces with small yards, patios, or balconies — often, it is the only permissible option.

This model cools down almost as quickly as it heats up for a quick get-away, with a locking lid and enough space to store one-pound gas canisters. If you’re looking for a compact model to fit in the trunk of a smaller car or one that’ll take up minimal space while it’s not in use, the Coleman Roadtrip 285 is not the grill for you. This grill is bulky compared to many other portable grills we’ve tested, and relies heavily on its wheels for transport. At 47 pounds, it’s not very fun to lift much further than in and out of a truck bed. But this grill makes up for deficiencies in portability with top-tier grilling performance and easily earns our recommendation for a large-sized portable grill.

We got good results with both delicate fish and medium-rare steak, though the stainless-steel grate doesn’t hold heat quite as well as the cast-iron most similar models use. We got some pretty wild swings in temperature when opening the lid and adding food. Camping trips, road trips, tailgates, closet-size outdoor spaces—there are a lot of scenarios that call for a portable grill. But unfortunately, many of the factors that make a grill portable can also keep it from working well.

This grill folds up like a suitcase, and you can carry it with one hand. BBQGuys does more than test and sell grills — we show you how to use them, too. Our experts provide the recipes and skills you need to be a grill master. Our outdoor kitchen design experts have helped thousands of customers transform their backyards at no extra cost. Our customer service reps are real people offering great service, backed by 8 weeks of hands-on training with all of our products. Sign up to receive new product news, exclusive offers, grilling tips & recipes, and more from Weber and its affiliates / subsidiaries!