The Coleman Roadtrip 285 just felt flimsier than the Weber Traveler. And though it was on wheels, folding and unfolding the legs of the grill weren’t intuitive. The grates were also mostly closed, making it more like a grill pan than a grill. For the charcoal options, I also smoked ribs, pork, and brisket, If you’re planning to smoke, I highly recommend investing in some kind of thermometer system.
However, if you want to smoke, grill, and bake outdoors, this ceramic cooker is a strong choice. I haven’t used the fancier models, but this basic four-serving one served me well for years. You can pull the grills out for easy cleaning, there’s a drip pan to catch all the grease, and if you’re not in the grilling mood, it doubles as a Panini press.
It’s really a two-part grill that packs up into a lightweight, easy-to-carry package. The base comes off and features a flip-out propane bottle holder (we discourage you from using those; see why below) as well as serving as a place to cut. The integrated bamboo cutting board fits on top of the base, which gives you somewhere to prep your meal even if there’s no picnic table around.
It has adapters based on your grill and offers one temp probe and three food probes. There’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, so you can keep tabs on your cook from anywhere. To test this I marinated some chicken in lemon juice and olive oil and laid it on the grills. Every grill flared somewhat, but the Q 1200 (and the Coleman below) have heavy enameled cast-iron grates that are closed over the burners, which helps keep the flaring under control. Nomad does offer some custom charcoal ($36 for 10 pounds), and it is very nice, but it’s expensive. Don’t let Eureka’s compact size fool you, there’s still more than enough room to grill your veggies, burgers and buns.
The charcoal hangs in a mesh wire basket, and the ingenious grilltop rolls and unrolls. GoBQ says the fabric can withstand over 1,200 degrees Fahrenheit and should last through 50 or more cooks, making this a good choice for traveling, but not everyday use. Good to know
It’s easy to clean and I put the grates in my dishwasher. It comes with a briquette bowl to measure charcoal with ease.
I tossed mine in the back of the car for trips to the lake and the park and it never tipped over. The ash catcher at the bottom makes cleaning less of a hassle by allowing you to dump the excess without removing the grill grates. This is time of year when, like a groundhog, the grill starts to poke out of the snow and show its rusty, neglected self. If you’re in need of a new grill this year, here’s our guide to the very best portable grills. We’ve researched and tested dozens of portable grills to see which can brat the best.
All of the portable grills on this list are charcoal, and if you’re wondering how to start a charcoal grill, read our guide for help. In a world where the Nomad didn’t weber q exist, the Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler would be the top charcoal choice here. This grill feels like Oklahoma Joe’s just hit one of their full-size grills with a shrink ray.
This is the grill that I still have and use time after time, mostly because it looks so cute on my kitchen shelf when not in use, and it is so convenient. It gets full points from me for portability, and even more for its stylish design and colorways. To put it simply, it makes grilling a total breeze, whether you’re at home or in the mountains. I managed to squeeze up to six small burgers on this grill. In review
I was very impressed with the cooking ability of this small yet mighty grill as we used it to cook everything from burgers to a Tomahawk steak plus kebabs and more.
The grill is bigger than it seems, with 196 square inches of grilling area. It was actually bigger than several other grills I tested that didn’t fold up nearly as compactly. 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.