Remember that a larger cooking space also (usually) correlates to a larger grill body to store when it’s not in use. Propane grills are lightweight (although the containers add some weight), easy to transport, and (generally) easy to light. However, trouble with fuel lines can add a level of intricacy to cooking while camping, so be sure to read up on your owner’s manual. Gas grills are easy to regulate and adjust for direct heat and indirect heat, so most folks prefer it for their cooking options.
The MiniMax Big Green Egg is identical to its larger cousin in nearly every way, but smaller. It weighs 75 pounds, making it by the far the heaviest grill I tested, but the double-handle carrying system makes it easy for two people to carry it. The problem is that the 13-inch grilling surface of the MiniMax can only grill for about four people. But the Q2200 is a tabletop grill and it is so wide, even with the two side tables folded, that I wouldn’t want to carry it too far. (There is a smaller version, the Q1200, which I did not test, but has a similar design) The Traveler’s design is much smarter for someone who needs to take their grill on the go. This would be a good grill for someone who had a smaller outdoor space and needed something stationary, but smaller than a typical home gas grill.
With this grill, barring some sort of unexpected mishap, you will likely never overcook a tri-tip again. 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. In our tests, the Jumbo Joe charcoal grill made the best seared burgers, barbecued chicken, and grilled bratwurst. Plus, cooking with charcoal gives your food that smoky flavor that you can’t get from a gas flame.
Portable gas grills work with 1-pound liquid-propane canisters that are small, packable, and available at most hardware stores. When you’re done cooking, the grill cools quickly, and you don’t have to worry about dumping out ashes. If you want a lighter, more compact propane grill, the Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable Grills Portable Grills Gas Grill is designed for one-handed toting. It’s slightly larger than a briefcase and weighs 10 pounds less than our top pick, but it holds the same amount of food—about six burgers. The cast-aluminum firebox evenly distributes heat across a grilling grate big enough to fit six large burgers or a whole cut-up chicken.
This lets you carry the grill from the lid handle and prevents you from having to place the lid on the ground or on another table when you need to get at the cooking area. Thanks to some clever design touch from Weber, the Jumbo Joe manages to pack a lot of the quality and features you expect from a full size Weber Grills Portable Grills Kettle into a portable package. (Camp Chef claims the heat diffuser plates vaporize grease drippings.) I didn’t experience an overload of grease in my testing, but I could see it being an issue cooking a large number of fatty burgers. This somewhat simple, unassuming grill turned out to be the sleeper in our test.