It’s made for use with a small propane tank (and does not come with an adapter for larger tanks), which can be stored underneath the firebox when packed up. One tester noted that the cast iron grates produced enviably golden-brown sear on a steak, although the surface of the grill did not produce consistent heat, which resulted in burning in some places. This may be one of the most expensive portable grills available, but you’re paying for quality, both in terms of performance and design. We even found the built-in thermometer to be pretty accurate, something that’s rare in grills of all kinds. Of the one-burner grills, the mid-sized models offer a wide range of control options.
However, the Coleman Roadtrip 285 makes up for the portability deficiencies with top-tier grilling performance, easily earning our recommendation for a large-sized portable grill. Senior staff writers Tim Heffernan and Lesley Stockton spent 16 hours testing portable grills for this guide. They did so on the heels of testing full-size gas and charcoal grills, as well as grill accessories.
The highlight of this top-quality construction is the porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates, which comfortably retain the heat evenly distributed by the U-shaped stainless steel burner underneath. Simply put, this model let us grill with more precision, predictability, and control than most of the other models we bought and tested. I often start these lists with some variation of “when I was young,” and I don’t mean to — it makes me seem like a curmudgeon. It’s just that, as an elder of Gen X, it’s hard to believe the grilling technologies on the market have replaced the often life-threatening pieces of equipment that were commonplace in my youth. They also happen to be easy to move, light, cool, clean, and repack on top of that performance.
These helped keep grease and drippings away from the flames 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. They’re commonly constructed from thin porcelainized steel with thin wire-rod grilling grates. This simple construction is what makes them budget friendly and lighter weight. And with proper care, a charcoal grill should still last for many years. 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.
However, charcoal is available in smaller or larger bags, depending on your needs. Choose what works better for your taste buds and the space in your car. The UCO Flatpack won us over for its price ($50 compared to the $100-$400 range of other camping grills we reviewed). We’re fans of its low weight (3.3 lbs), its spaciousness relative Charcoal Grills Combo Grills to its size (you could fit 6 burgers easily!), and its ease of packability (down to 1.5 inches thick). We also love that it works well in various circumstances, terrains, and grill-skill levels. However, with the killer reviews and outstanding tester notes for the Snowpeak Takibi Grill, we couldn’t quite give it the top winning spot.
The detachable cutting board (which doubles as a lid during transport) is especially helpful for campers looking to streamline their packing list. The RoadTrip 225, unsurprisingly, offers 225 square inches of cooking space and is great for a road trip. The grill is compact and lightweight but has two separate burners that put out 11,000 BTUs of heat. The Weber Q 1200 remains at the top of our list of tabletop gas grills because it packs the performance of larger grills into a small form. Assembly is simple thanks to the manual providing pictogram-style instructions, and the whole task took just 12 minutes for us to be ready to cook.
This folding GoBQ is a novel, innovative portable grill unlike any other. It packs up in a tube 8-inches in diameter and 14 inches in length, and carries easily by the handle on top or with the included shoulder strap. We set the burner on low for the 100-percent beef burgers we grilled, flipped them once, and then turned up the heat to imprint sear lines from the cast-iron grate. Generally, we found it relatively easy to grill thinner foods and, even better, convenient to turn on and off as needed over the course of an afternoon. A bottom vent and an aluminum top damper allowed us to dial in the airflow. Bagged charcoal is slightly more difficult to light but is easy to work with in that you ignite a pile of it in a charcoal chimney and pour the glowing coals onto the coal grate.
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. Full sized grilling capabilities in a portable package – cook anything from roasts to burgers. It has two magnetic vents which, when set to half open, allow the grill Flat Top Grills Gas Grills Pellet to stay at 250°F for an hour. I checked the grill every 20 minutes and was able to keep it at that temperature on less than a full chimney of charcoal. Our camping grills were tested from the Mojave Desert to the pine forests of Maine, from warm summer nights to snowy winter evenings—during afternoon grills and by camping lantern at night.