The igniter works well and, once lit, the grill got hot, reaching its advertised 500 degrees Fahrenheit after just 15 minutes with the lid closed. The flame is easy to control and keeps a consistent temperature throughout cooking, even when grilling with the flame weber charcoal grill turned low. When we tested using battery power, with the fan set on medium speed, we were able to grill for about five hours. The grill features a porcelain-coated, cast-iron cooking grate that helps provide even heat—and which we found very easy to clean.
The charcoal bin is pretty deep, letting you stack a significant amount of the fuel to reach pretty high temperatures for a portable grill. A vent at the bottom of the grill further helps you to control the temperature of the cooking space. It’s extraordinarily easy to carry thanks to its three separate handles and light 14-pound design. We’ve tested a range of grills capable of packing up and grilling hot dogs, burgers and much more at the campground, park, or tailgate. The tiny Cuisinart CGG-180T Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill suffered major flare-ups when cooking burgers, and turned into a raging grease fire when cooking chicken pieces.
It had the same solid construction, the same easy-to-work-with grates, and it even had a chimney vent on top that provided excellent temperature control. The charcoal basket was on adjustable hooks, so I could bring it closer or further from the grates depending on how hot I wanted them. But the things that made the Rambler a great grill are also the things that made it harder to move. Carrying it two blocks was not impossible (and considering the quality of the grill, it may be an effort worth undertaking) but it required more exertion than any of the other charcoal grills. It also required more assembly of the wrench and screwdriver type, though it still only took about 30 minutes. The value of your portable grill depends on your cooking needs and your intended usage.
Smaller grills in the 100- to 150-square-inch range are suitable for one or two people, maybe three in a stretch. The NOMAD sports a modern design, folding together like a briefcase for carrying, with heat dissipation portable bbq in mind to keep the exterior cool while cooking. Like the PKGO, the NOMAD can function as a closed grill, or you can use each side independently as a hibachi-style cooker, doubling the cooking space.
The fan is electric, of course, but that doesn’t mean you have to be tied to an outlet—it can also be powered by four AA batteries. LotusGrill stands out from the pack by serving up a charcoal BBQ with a built-in battery-powered fan system. Thanks to this bit of technical wizardry, your charcoal will be ready to cook in record time, while producing far less smoke than a regular fanless charcoal grill. You can even dial in the fan speed to change the heat intensity as you see fit. Weber’s pared-back barbie combines form and function in a portable porcelain package. Good to go and for roasting at home, the compact cooker’s enamel coating keeps temperatures consistent while resisting rust.
I tried to cover both the “portable” part and the “grill” part in my testing. For those grills with wheels, I walked them around a large, uneven lawn with plenty of divots to see how they rolled. Among the charcoal models, the Weber Go-Anywhere scores top marks for control. Thanks to a relatively deep basin, we were able to build and stoke a substantial volume of coals to achieve the exact heat we desired.