Since the area of the basin exactly matches the surface area of the grill, we were then able to spread out those coals to create targeted heat zones. The clear champion of this section of our assessment is the Camp Chef Portable Pellet. The digital controller goes far beyond the accuracy of any mechanical knob. If you can operate the controls of a modern kitchen oven, then this model is a no-brainer. This grill can be set from “low smoke” to “high smoke”, and for temperatures ranging up to 550 degrees. No matter how you measure it, the Traveler’s 13,000-BTU burner gets plenty hot and really shines when searing.
To cook chicken more slowly, we shuffled the coals to one side, put it in away from them, and closed the lid. The damper on top allows for fine management of the heat, and a large, easy-to-read thermometer made monitoring the temperature simple. The Masterbuilt® Portable Charcoal BBQ and Smoker provides the unmatched flavour of charcoal with the ease of a gas BBQ on the go.
Since you’ve come here looking for a portable grill, we thought it made sense to recommend one for those of you who prize portability above all other features. Everything but the grill grate on the GoBQ is made of flame-retardant fabric, portable bbq and the whole thing weighs nine pounds and packs easily into something about the size of a knife roll. Our thorough testing process began with scouring the internet for the latest and greatest products across the portable grill market.
Think of portable gas grills as small, outdoor, propane-powered ovens. The push-button ignition and the temperature-control dial should be easily accessible and clearly marked so you can quickly start the grill and adjust the heat without fumbling. In our tests, the side shelf proved to be useful, as did the tool holders located on the front of the grill. Beneath the shelf, we found that the one-pound propane tank attached easily. Weber claims that the grill is designed to optimize gas usage, which we didn’t actively test but we did notice anecdotally that it lasted longer than the other portable grills we tested. In our tests, its built-in thermometer confirmed it reached 600ºF in less than 10 minutes.
We design objective tests to evaluate important features like output power and then back up those assessments with real-world cooking experience. We’ve tested these grills at tailgate parties, backyard BBQs, picnics, and on camping trips, cooking hundreds of meals to date. An experience-based, comprehensive review of the best portable grills on the market. The Big Green Egg is a Kamado-style cooker (Kamado is a Japanese word that roughly means “stove”), which makes it much more than a grill. The ceramic construction retains heat and turns it into a portable oven as well. The MiniMax Big Green Egg is identical to its larger cousin in nearly every way, but smaller.