And the simplicity of wood pellet combustion and total temperature control means your food will cook perfectly; just like it would on your stove or oven at home. No need to worry about disposing of hot charcoals or gas canisters. Unlike gas or charcoal, wood pellet grills don’t have an open flame. You don’t need to worry about dangerous sparks or flare-ups that could spread fire.
Skip the neck and back pain and treat yourself to a portable grill that meets you where you are. The Weber Traveler Portable Outdoor Grill stands tall and collapses with ease on folding legs; you can set up and break down the grill with just one free hand. Rubberized all-weather wheels make transport easy across all terrains, while a generous 320-square-inch cooking area provides ample space to prepare for a crowd. The built-in lid thermometer helps you achieve the perfect grill every time and an integrated side table makes the perfect resting spot for your fresh-grilled goodies. The Char-Broil Portable Liquid Propane Gas Grill is a fan favorite with over 4,200 raving customer reviews. The top-rated, 10-pound grill earns its glowing reputation honestly with an impressive 11,000 BTU burner and a 187-square-inch cooking grate designed to grill eight burgers at one time.
They also noted that the burner tubes needed to be wiped down occasionally to make sure the grill would light effectively, especially if it’s only used occasionally. But, they said, investing in the bonnet cover and the collapsable cart were both well worth it. And they liked that the propane canisters can be bought at any hardware store for about $6. In addition, we promptly dismissed gas grills equipped with a coupling for a 20-pound propane cylinder. We prefer 1-pound liquid-propane tanks because they’re small and lightweight enough to stash in a backpack or tote bag. You can probably find charcoal en route to your destination, while propane might take slightly longer to locate.
(I was able to get up to 592 degrees off a digital thermometer.) There’s very little smoke, though I do suggest using it in a well-ventilated area if you’re indoors. I grilled everything from pork chops to asparagus and was quite happy with the results. If you want to expand the City Grill’s capabilities, you can buy a flat top surface for $135 that you can use to cook up a pancake breakfast.
Finally, we assessed the grill’s portability by physically carrying each grill to our vehicle and attempting to place it in the trunk. The Cuisinart uses a kettle style that’s notably shallower than other kettle-style grills. On the plus side, the shallow kettle required just 12 briquettes to heat the entire 14-inch cooking surface. The Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Pellet Grill differentiates itself from standard portable grills with its ability to smoke as well as barbecue, making it the most versatile grill we tested. Like its little brother, the Jumbo Joe heats evenly and can reach temperatures well above what’s needed for searing.
Our team of editors cast a wide net to test several of the most popular small and portable charcoal and gas grills on the market. The ones we feature were assessed for everything from quality of materials to temperature accuracy to ease of setup. Top brands like Cuisinart, Blaze Grills, Solo Stove, Weber and more have great go-anywhere grills that don’t take up too much space in your car or backyard.
We also took into account how simple or challenging each contender was to clean. If you’re cooking only one type of food that covers the entire grilling surface, then you will want to have consistent heat throughout. If you are cooking a variety of foods all at once, you might prefer different temperature zones. To test the distribution of heat across a grill, we grilled different food types in different corners of the grill. The Petit Gourmet is lightweight with a small footprint that is great for packing in small spaces, making it great for camping.
Find out how each of them performed in our tests and why they’re considered some of the best portable grills on the market. This section will outline some of the most common fuel sources and grill types, highlighting the pros and cons of each type as well as important considerations of each fuel source. Read on to determine what to expect from the best portable grill models, and check out specifics that just may suit your preferred weber charcoal grill fuel source, travel style, and budget. A wood pellet grill is the best option for living spaces with small yards, patios, or balconies — often, it is the only permissible option. Even if you don’t have your own outdoor space, a portable grill can let you turn a campground or parking lot into your personal outdoor kitchen. One of the best parts of tailgating is avoiding a meal of overpriced, over-processed stadium food .
The problem is that the 13-inch grilling surface of the MiniMax can only grill for about four people. 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 weber genesis 2 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 .
Suitable for cityscapes and campsites alike, you can use the Solo Stove Ranger Fire Pit to grill directly over the nearly-smokeless open flame. Otherwise, you can grab the cast iron grill top accessory to add some grill marks to your Fourth of July grub. When you click on links to buy products we may earn money to support our work. Learn how we create the world’s most carefully tested and objective gear reviews on our About page. What better occasion to “force” a spring picnic than grill testing.