Charcoal is a fine alternative but it’s heavier, a bit messier and takes longer to light. Small electric grills are also an option and while they sound great, remember you might not portable bbq always have access to power, especially if you’re camping or spending a day in the park. Plus, you won’t get any of that flame-grilled goodness since there’s no, well, flame.
Units that are welded will have greater stability than those held together with nuts and bolts or cotter pins. And one with low BTUs may take longer than usual to preheat, or it may have slow recovery times after loading the grate with food. To answer that question, let’s have a look at some of the features to consider in smaller sized gas barbecues.
The auger made a high-pitched screeching noise when in use, and it kicked on every two to three minutes when used at high-heat searing temperatures. The Traveler comes built into a rolling cart that stands at the perfect height for most grillers. It has one large, sturdy side table that had no problem holding a plate full of food.
This model performed exceptionally well, grilling everything we threw at it with consummate aplomb. It’s also built like a brick outhouse so it should easily withstand the bumps and scrapes of outdoor living. We tried a number of ingredients on it – burgers, sausages, chicken legs – and they all cooked perfectly well with only one visit to turn the food over. We even took a flier and lobbed on a whole medium chicken which was more succulent than any we’ve cooked in the indoor oven. We calculated that one fully loaded hopper lasts well over an hour at about 200˚C – much longer if cooking low and slow. Welcome to our roundup of the best small barbecues and best portable barbecues around (commonly referred to as ‘BBQs’, ‘barbies’, ‘braais’, etc).
The best portable grills can be set up anywhere, be it a picnic table, a lawn, or the beach, and can be used to cook everything from hotdogs to veggies to fish. The Broil King Signet 320 is a modestly priced, 3-burner gas grill that packs a lot of value and power under the hood. Broil King’s proprietary, dual-tube burners get hot fast and are able to achieve high, searing temps that rival most comparatively priced gas grills. The quality cast aluminum housing carries a Limited Lifetime Warranty. One grill we’re looking at is the Napoleon TravelQ 285, which has strikingly similar specs and body design as the Weber Q2200.
Aside from being compact for easy transport, a portable grill should be a functional home grill for folks with small outdoor spaces. Grills that evenly distribute the heat across the entire grate cook food more consistently. Extreme hotspots and flare-ups cause patchy charring and require you to babysit your dinner. Excessive flare-ups are annoying and can make food taste like burnt oil.
Cooking grate will hold approximately 12 burger patties (based on an average patty being roughly 4 x 4”) with adequate room left between them for proper cooking. Or, this is enough space for a meal consisting of 8-10 ounce steaks, with baked potatoes and corn on the cob for two. Per person is a good guesstimate to help you to determine how portable bbq much space you might need. As most portable grills don’t have a large warming tray or holding area, predetermine how much surface area you’ll typically need. If you plan to cook your entire meal on the grate, you’ll need more space than you might for grilling up some burgers. And of course, the larger the size, the more expensive they get.
It is also subject to change based on shipping address, shipping method, partial shipments and taxes. Your minimum payment amount will not change and the purchase will not reflect on your statement until the order ships. If you have a balance or are making a multiple item purchase, see the Existing Balance Payment Chart. Before putting the grill away for the season, give the inside a good scrubbing with lots of hot soapy water and rinse well.
If you want a model that is very well made and that will last you for many years, this is your model. Lightweight materials and parts are important for transporting portable grills; however, sometimes lightweight can also mean flimsy in terms of construction. Because we’re dealing with flammable liquids, safety is a top concern.
The Coleman does lack a thermometer and a latch on the lid to let you carry it one-handed, though these omissions don’t stop me from recommending it. That’s a lot of hype, and I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but the Takibi lives up to the hype and then some. It folds flat, leaving more room in your trunk; the grill top is a grid so small things won’t fall through, and when you’re done cooking it turns into a fire pit. There is an add-on cast iron coal bed ($26) that holds charcoal, but I don’t see it as necessary . No thermometer is included, and Weber does not make a storage cover for the Jumbo Joe.