Along with the base, the starter package ships with a grill grate, legs, two elevation bars, and a seasoned cast iron pan. The Q2000 doubles the cooking area of the 1000 and 1200 with the same folding side tables. In our tests, the Jumbo Joe produced the best seared burgers, barbecued chicken, and grilled bratwurst. The two adjustable vents, in the lid and firebox, allowed the quickest and easiest temperature control of all the grills we tested. Even after loading the Jumbo Joe with a full chimney starter’s worth of red-hot embers , we could still tamp down the temperature to medium heat. We couldn’t do that with the 14-inch Weber Smokey Joe, where the one vent and the lack of airflow caused the coals to extinguish while we were cooking.
After giving the Grill2Go about 20 minutes to heat up, we recorded a surface temperature of 550 degrees Fahrenheit. Though not the extreme heat that’s advertised with infrared technology, 550 degrees Fahrenheit was more than enough to create a sear on our burger patty. The Grill2Go’s clamshell lid was easy to operate and created even heating when closed. Though the Grill2Go reached a good heat level and cooked well, we found that the food was not as flavorful as that which came off the other gas grills we tested. Choosing a portable grill can often come down to ease of use and the amount of heat produced.
You can boil water on any type of grill as long as you have a pot or kettle with no wooden or plastic parts. Simply place the water over the grill’s burner and turn it on high—if you’re able to shut the grill’s lid over it, you’ll be able to speed up the process. If you can’t shut the lid, it will take significantly longer, but the water will eventually reach its boiling point. This grill delivers cooking power up to 20,000 BTU, and it has a pressure-regulator for consistent performance, even in extreme conditions. It also has built-in wind panels to keep your flame going on blustery days. The Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Gas Grill stands out from the crowd thanks to its unique design, which converts from a freestanding model into a tabletop model in seconds.
Whether you’re hosting a 4th of July party at home or picnicking in a park, you can fire up a delicious feast from anywhere with a portable grill. The best time to buy a portable grill is right now while the summer is heating up. For our favorite portable grills, we consider the grill’s size and durability to be easily packable and withstand the weather. The Camp Chef has a stable cooking surface that weber genesis 2 prevents any wind from getting through to the grilling grate. Scores in this metric were determined by the size of the cooking surface, the surface material, and any coatings, whether the grill has any side tables or any other added features. Additional features and functions include a grill grate that can be turned over and made into a skillet, or bonus features like a warming rack or smoker tray.
The Cuisinart Grillster has the power you need to sear steaks, but due to its lower-end price point, it lacks the overall control of better grills. The Char-Broil Grill2Go is slightly more expensive but cooks weber charcoal grill with the quality of an infrared burner and includes additional features like a thermometer built into the lid. The value of your portable grill depends on your cooking needs and and your intended usage.
Per Weber’s recommendation, we used a chimney starter to light the coals, which gave us an even burn across all the briquettes. Size and weight don’t necessarily correspond, either, so it may be possible to end up with a small, heavy grill or a large, lightweight one. Do your research and know your limits if you want to keep things comfortable for the long haul. Because a Traeger can be set for low and slow, roasting, or direct grilling, you can use it to make anything from the morning’s biscuits to a slow-cooked stew in the evening.
This design allowed us to create three possible heat zones, which is impossible to do on most other portable grills. This capability allowed us to grill a burger at sear temperatures on one side while cooking our chicken and vegetable kabobs at a lower temperature on the other side. The Coleman roasted well with the lid closed, although we found the lid’s latch a bit hard to operate. Portable gas grills that work with natural gas operate similarly to propane units, but the gas nozzles that control the fuel are different. They’re efficient, easy to light, and controlling the temperature is almost intuitive.
Whether you want to slow cook ribs, fire up some burgers — or both — you can do it on a Traeger with the flip of a switch. Most portable charcoal grills have a very small cooking area, so they are only good for direct grilling of items like steak or burgers. To do any smoking, you’d need a 2-zone fire with the briquettes on one side and food on the other.
But the position of the side handles helps to evenly distribute its 30-pound heft and lessens the burden of hoisting and moving the grill. Grills equipped with an accessible coupling for 1-pound liquid-propane weber q canisters are a must. One-pound canisters are lightweight, inexpensive, and available at most hardware stores. Lugging around a 20-pound propane cylinder isn’t our idea of portability.