The exterior hood and body are painted porcelain-enameled steel with stainless steel accents around the lid. The lid’s handle is also stainless steel as is the burner inside the grill. The Traveler’s scissor-legged, foldable design and larger cooking surface aim to solve those issues. As you’d expect from such a powerhouse, this grill gets super hot and produced an “impeccably crispy” crust during our steak test. 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.
Naturally, the hot dogs and beef hamburgers were done before the turkey burgers. This is where having multiple burners would have been a nice feature. It would have allowed me to keep the food warm while the turkey burgers cooked at a higher temp.
This 20-pound propane grill folds up like a suitcase, and you can carry it with one hand. Though this 30-pound grill takes some strength to lift, its roomy handles make it comfortable for one person to carry. There are a few models to choose from and we’ve got weber bbq a guide that looks at the most popular Weber Q1200 vs the Q2200. Even the largest model it is smaller and more compact than the Traveler, you can purchase a foldable cart. After that, I loaded the grill up with bratwurst links to see where the heat zones were.
It weighs about 30 pounds, and you need two hands to carry it, because it doesn’t have a latch to hold the lid securely to the firebox. But the position of the side handles helps to evenly distribute its 30-pound heft and lessens the burden of hoisting and moving the grill. Wirecutter staff who have used the Q 1200 at home have found it easy to clean both the grates and the grease tray under the grill. You don’t need to buy Weber’s specialty tins for the grease tray either—instead, just line the catch pan with aluminum foil and pull it off when you’re done. Portable grills aren’t just for camping, picnicking, and tailgating; they’re also great for city and apartment dwellers with limited outdoor space. And they can be a good option if you don’t have the budget for a full-size grill.
It’s a little too small for my needs, but if you want to spend a bit less and don’t want the higher cart you get with the Traveller it’s a good option. Or maybe you’re in the market for a new grill to take camping or tailgating. First, the setup was challenging as the legs were difficult to install properly. Next, the heat distribution was very uneven, where a uniform layer of coals still resulted in a hot spot in the center.
Curious about which portable grills were worth buying, we tested seven popular models from trusted brands. Cuisinart is better known for kitchen appliances than grills, so it makes sense this petite model is designed with an eye toward food prep, not just grilling. It packs up neatly, with a wooden lid that doubles as a cutting board.
Small enough to grill on-the-go, with enough grilling space to execute an entire meal. 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. Whether it’s finding great products or discovering helpful advice, we’ll help you get it right (the first time). Weber has a great reputation for reliability, and when we surveyed Wirecutter readers about their grills, Weber owners were overwhelmingly satisfied with their choice. As long as you clean your grill properly and shield it from the elements, it should last many years.
Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Food Republic, and other publications. Sign up to receive new product news, exclusive offers, grilling tips & recipes, and more from Weber and its affiliates / subsidiaries! Register your grill and gain quick and easy access to manuals, replacement parts and warranty. Use the table to keep small serving dishes, seasonings, and tools within arm’s reach.
If you use the grill only occasionally, you may need to wipe down the burner tubes to make sure they light effectively. While the high heat setting perfectly seared burgers without burning, the Q 1200 also outperformed the competition at steady medium-low heat for items such as bone-in chicken and sausage links. Before testing, we pored over other professional reviews, such as those at Meathead’s AmazingRibs.com, and analyzed online customer reviews of dozens of models. Through Bread Pay™, we offer easy and affordable financing options so you can pay for your purchase over time.
Its cooking surface holds about seven burgers or one whole, cut-up chicken. If you want a lighter, more compact propane grill, the Char-Broil Grill2Go X200 Portable Gas Grill is designed for one-handed toting. It’s slightly larger than a briefcase and weighs 10 pounds less than our top pick, but it holds the same amount of food—about six burgers. Next, I attached the camping size propane tank (you can buy an attachment to connect full-sized tanks), performed the burn-off, seasoned the grates with cooking oil and let it cool off for about a half hour.