This is her third season testing grills for Good Housekeeping and has had her hands on at least 35 grills and counting. She’s a professional, trained cook, recipe developer and grill aficionado. The summer is favorite season, mostly because she can put one of her many grills to the test nightly. Lindsey Lapointe is a freelance writer and has tested gear professionally since 2020. Her careers have included working as a biological oceanographer for NOAA, outdoor wilderness instructor for Appalachian Mountain Club, and science teacher. Lindsey currently writes and edits on the subjects outdoor recreation, science education, and motherhood – as well as being the author of Seacoast Hikes and Nature Walks.
The magnetic grates stay in place when transported, are slightly domed for strength, and can invert for use as a vegetable cooker basket. The stainless steel grates take a little more work to clean than cast iron, but not a herculean effort by any means. The firebox pops out for easy emptying, but the handle bolts make removing it without tipping a little difficult.
If those cons have you second-guessing yourself, you may want to look at our best portable pellet grill for another option. When shopping for a new grill I usually recommend people consider the same 5 or 6 factors. You can find out more about this in our guide to the best charcoal grills. It’s a decent pick if you like Kamado style grills, but with a weight of nearly 70 pounds it’s not the most portable of the grills we’ve looked at.
The stand is easy to operate, with clear indicators for raising and lowering it. Since the base is included, you won’t need to hunt for a safe cooking surface or crouch down to flip burgers, but it requires a little more storage space and room in your trunk. Like the Q above, Weber’s Traveler uses a single burner that wraps around the entire bottom of the grill. That’s covered by a two-piece cast iron grill grate that’s solid where it runs over the burner, which acts as a heat diffuser and keeps the burner from getting covered in grease. Speaking of grease, it has a slide-out grease trap that’s easy to empty.
This roundup was put together by The Spruce Eats commerce writer Jason Horn, who’s been writing about food and drinks for almost 20 years, and grilling for a lot longer than that. He chooses gas over charcoal for control and ease of use, plus he’s come up with a pretty solid method of smoking on a gas grill. Single-use grills exist, and while they may not be the most practical option for everyday use, if you have one long hike planned and want to do some grilling, this is a good option.
This is another Kamado Joe grill that’s smaller than the previous model. It boasts a temperature gauge right on its top lid to allow you to easily see the temperature at any stage of your cookout. At 37 pounds it does weigh quite a lot more than the Weber Jumbo Joe or Go-Anywhere, but the two handles make it easy to Grills Portable Grills move. This, coupled with the suitcase design, makes the Nomad our top choice for a portable grill if you’ve got the budget. The exterior of the grill has an anodized finish which helps prevent rust. The grill has been designed to keep the outer shell temperature low, so it’s safe to use on virtually any surface.
Outdoor gear can be expensive, and we want to ensure affordable options are available to everyone. We found options under $30 but also have options with all the bells and whistles for a few hundred dollars. Spending more doesn’t always mean you’ll get better quality, so using the other factors we’ve talked about above, choose a grill that fits both your needs and your budget. Most people will “cheat” and utilize lighter fluid, while others will build a mound of charcoal briquettes around newspaper, which ignites more easily. Here’s a good article from The BBQ Host on how to light your charcoal without lighter fluid. The Cuisinart Chef style grill has two burners that can adjust to two temperatures.
She’s done firsthand testing of the Weber Q2200, which took the overall spot on this list, as well as the Masterbuilt Bluetooth Digital Electric Smoker and more. Our experts test thousands of products each year using thoughtful test plans that bring out key performance differences between competing products. Charcoal Grills Combo Grills And, to assure complete independence, we buy all the products we test ourselves. Wirecutter is the product recommendation service from The New York Times. Our journalists combine independent research with (occasionally) over-the-top testing so you can make quick and confident buying decisions.
The grills are all rated on heat control and retention, size, features, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value. For a great portable grill that won’t break your budget or your back, the Weber Go-Anywhere Gas Grill should be at the top of your list. This affordable grill comes from one of the most well-known brands in grilling, and it has all the features you need to cook up delicious meals on the go. Even though it only produces 6,500 BTUs of power, it was able to heat up to 600 degrees fairly efficiently.