The KettlePizza add-on kit ($250) is fun, but way more expensive than the grill itself; there’s a cheaper basic version, but it’s currently out of stock. Do yourself a favor, throw away your lighter fluid and get a charcoal chimney starter ($27). Most grills performed about as well as advertised, with some topping out at as much as 100 F hotter than others. The better grills also generally ended up reading out a more consistent temperature throughout cooking.
The porcelain-coated cast-iron grates reduce flare-ups by shielding the flames and channeling grease and drippings around them while still allowing ambient heat to brown between grill marks. In our tests, burgers from the Q 1200 had the most seared surface area of all the burgers we grilled, and more browning means better flavor. This superior grate is one of the big differences between the Q 1200 and our runner-up pick, the Char-Broil Grill2Go, whose perforated stainless-steel grate produced mostly lackluster browning.
Foods such as bone-in chicken pieces and thick steaks require surround heat to cook thoroughly. This could be a good starter grill for someone who wants to try grilling but doesn’t want to make a large commitment to the endeavor. Its biggest drawbacks are wobbly legs, even when ensuring that the attachment hardware is fully tightened, and visible air gaps in the lid that limit the ability to control the temperature. The Dyna-Glo weber charcoal grill scored highly for performance but was edged out for Best Value by its weight (40 pounds) and a more complicated assembly process that could require a second person to accomplish easily. Maybe you want to enjoy grilled meats or vegetables on your next camping trip or picnic, or you’re looking for that smoky flavor on your burgers at the next tailgate party. Or maybe you need something handy for an emergency grilling situation.
Finally, we should note that, at 40 pounds, this grill is more suited to car camping or picnicking, where it’s only a short walk to where you’ll be cooking. We found the Traveler “intuitive and approachable,” as one tester weber charcoal grill put it, to assemble, light, and use. With a similar burner and grate design to the Q 1200 but a larger cooking area and an upgrade to 13,000 BTUs, the Traveler is more suited to family-size groups than the former.
It’s shaped like a traditional grill’s rectangular design, and its lid can be easily lifted back and rested on its hinges for easy access to the cooking space. This portable charcoal grill is much lighter and weber genesis 2 easier to carry than the previous model. The Cuisinart CCG-100 GrateLifter Charcoal Grill (discontinued) has a convertible cooking grate that lifts when you open the lid for easier access to the coal bed.
Try to get one with a cover for the best temperature control and to prevent burning thicker meats. We couldn’t fault the burgers we cooked on this barbecue; they each had well-defined grill lines and retained moisture well. The veggie kebabs we cooked were crisped and charred on the outside, and remained soft inside.
With the use of a fan and a separate charcoal firebox, you can have this grill hot enough to cook in about the same time it takes to heat up a portable propane grill. When shopping for a portable, the same rules apply as when you are shopping for other grills. You need to consider price, temperature control, ease of cleanup, ability to smoke foods, high heat, durability, safety, and, of course, size and weight. 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.
The magnetic grates stay in place when transported, are slightly domed for strength, and can invert for use as a vegetable cooker basket. First, assembly is a non-issue, as it consists of lining up the grates after taking the grill out of the box, and it took longer to unpack than to make it ready to cook. The cast aluminum body, top, and cast iron grates are built to last, and the included Flipkit turns the two-piece top and bottom into two hibachi grills that double your cooking area. Performance-wise, it cooks consistently across the grates, without hot or cool spots. While it is one of the heavier grills we tested, the wheels make moving the grill around a simple task.