Its porcelain-enameled lid and bowl are designed to resist rust and corrosion, while its steel cooking grate provides even heat distribution and superior cooking performance. The Weber Q 2200 Propane Gas Grill is one of our top picks for portable grills by any brand. Though a bit of an investment, the gas grill pays off with its convenience. It’s easy to start, easy to use, and heats up quickly and powerfully, delivering 12,000 BTUs of heat per hour. The 280-square-inch cooking area consists of porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, which should be enough to serve three to four people (pretty good for a portable model). With porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates, you’ll get excellent heat retention and easy cleanup, as we’ve seen during tests.
The downside of charcoal grills is that they require more time and effort to set up and maintain. They also produce more ash and require more cleaning than gas grills. We tested popular models of pellet grills at our Lab where we grilled, seared, weber gas grill baked, and smoked using each grill to thoroughly analyze every feature and the grill’s overall performance. The grills were then rated on heat control and retention, size, features, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value.
With a legacy that spans over six decades, it’s no wonder that Weber Grills continues to be the go-to choice for millions of outdoor cooking enthusiasts worldwide. Yes, you can smoke meat on a Weber charcoal grill, also known as a kettle grill. The simplest way to use your kettle grill as a smoker is to place all of your charcoal briquettes on one side of the grill and your meat on the other. Adding a few small chips of wood to the charcoal will give your meat a more traditionally smoked flavor.
Our home tester thought the grill was really easy to use, as it’s easy to light, has immaculate temperature regulation, and practically operates itself. Email updates from our community of grill masters, food enthusiasts, and lovers of outdoor cooking. The full-sized griddle seamlessly fits into your existing gas grill so that you can go from grilling to griddling within seconds.
The cooking grates are made of heavy-duty stainless steel and the grill has a dedicated sear station that will turn out beautiful steaks finished to perfection. The key to using the Q 1400 successfully is to wait a sufficient amount of time for the grill to come to temperature. Once you do, the 189 square inches of cooking space can weber portable grill handle the grilling needs of anywhere from one person to four or more—depending on what you’re cooking up. In our Lab, we observed fantastic sear marks after grilling up steak and zucchini slices. If cooking for a crowd is the name of your grill game, then you need a supersized gas grill like the Genesis II S-435 model from Weber.
Available in both propane and natural gas configurations, this has the ability to produce 48,000 BTUs on the main burner, 9,000 BTUs on the sear station burner, and 12,000 BTUs on the side burner. There’s 844 square inches of cooking area under the hood, so more than enough room on this 4-burner gas grill to feed a crowd. The primary cooking area measures 646 square inches, while the warming rack adds an additional 198 square inches and can be easily flipped down and out of your way. Charcoal grills offer a traditional grilling experience and the unique smoky flavor that comes with it. Charcoal grills can also get hotter than gas grills, making them ideal for searing steaks and burgers.