There is a broad range of prices in this category, but two of the lower-priced models stand out. The Cuisinart Grillster has the power you need to sear steaks, but due to its lower-end price point, it lacks the weber genesis 2 overall control of better grills. The Char-Broil Grill2Go is slightly more expensive, but cooks with the quality of an infrared burner, and includes additional features like a thermometer built into the lid.
This is an important factor to consider when choosing a grill, particularly considering the cost of replacement fuel. You don’t get this uncompromising high-heat cooking performance without some drawbacks. First, the grill top is small, with space for only one or two steaks on it at a time.
Carrying a dusty, dirty charcoal grill around isn’t usually an attractive proposition, but the creators of the GoBQ have mostly solved the issue through intelligent design. The entire unit folds out and up in about 20 seconds and then wraps up again after you’re done, securing all the nasty cooked charcoal. No matter how mobile your lifestyle, there’s a great small grill to make it that much tastier. And vegetables on each to see how the portable grills performed in their most critical of duties. Portable grills are perfect for campers, city folks living in apartments and anyone without a big backyard or who’s often on the move. Finding the best portable grill that works for your limited space or nomadic lifestyle takes a little research and not all mobile grills are created equally.
Unless we were aiming for blackened chicken or blistered peppers, we rarely found ourselves using anything more than the lowest gas setting. Although it is compact and portable, there is a tradeoff with its smaller grilling space. Petite and sure-footed, the Grillster is the perfect companion for a picnic for two, no matter the location. The fact that this grill is on wheels already makes it an ideal option for on-the-go outdoor cooking. Plus, the stand also offers additional counterspace, which most of the other portable grills do not. Not only will this free up space on your outdoor table, but it’ll make sure you always have a place to rest your spatula between flipping burgers.
One thing to love about this model, however, is the damper adjustments that allow you to control airflow and, in turn, the heat for more precise grilling. The Akorn Jr. charcoal grill got hotter than any other grill I tested, which is not surprising since charcoal grills often do. The shape and style of this grill make it very good for heat retention, heat distribution and evenness of grilling. With 189 square inches of cooking surface, this grill was not the biggest on the list, but it’s plenty big enough to cook burgers, chicken, fish, and veggies for a group of six hungry people.
For charcoal, we assessed how easy it was to maneuver the coal bed to create heat zones. We also considered if the grilling surface presents a consistent temperature throughout, whether it includes a thermometer or push-button ignition, and how well both perform. There are advantages and disadvantages to a grill surface that naturally presents different temperature zones.
Keeping coals lit in the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14″ was a challenge for us. This smaller Weber kettle comes equipped with only one vent, located in the lid. The lack of airflow meant we couldn’t keep the coal bed lit throughout a single cook, leaving us with pale burgers and undercooked chicken.