Portable gas grills work with 1-pound liquid-propane canisters that are small, packable, and available at most hardware stores. When you’re done cooking, the grill cools quickly, and you don’t have to worry about dumping out ashes. 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. The cast-aluminum firebox evenly distributes heat across a grilling grate big enough to fit six large burgers or a whole cut-up chicken.
It’s also pleasantly easy to clean, thanks to foil inserts that can be used to line the removable drip tray. In testing, we were most impressed with the cast-iron grate, which didn’t stick at all to fish or steak, and features a unique wave shape to keep items from falling through the gaps. With the lid shut, it was able to reach well over 600 degrees (albeit with 10 minutes of preheating), and the control dials are actually effective and reasonably accurate at adjusting the flames. While the Weber Original Kettle may have taken the top spot in CNET’s list of best charcoal grills, this newcomer is my pick for the best portable charcoal grill. A smart and solid build allows you to take this small grill anywhere, including on a long hike. In the realm of larger portable propane grills, the Coleman Roadtrip 285 is a cut above the rest when it comes to output power.
This lets you carry the grill from the lid handle and prevents you from having to place the lid on the ground or on another table when you need to get at the cooking area. Thanks to some clever design touch from Weber, the Jumbo Joe manages to pack a lot of the quality and features you expect from a full size Weber Kettle into a portable package. (Camp Chef claims the heat diffuser plates vaporize grease drippings.) I didn’t experience an overload of grease in my testing, but I could see it being an issue cooking a large number of fatty burgers. This somewhat simple, unassuming grill turned out to be the sleeper in our test.
With this grill, barring some sort of unexpected mishap, you will likely never overcook a tri-tip again. To illustrate this, we cooked plain white bread and photographed the result to help visualize the distribution of heat across these grill tops. We also took into consideration whether the lid was big enough for closed grilling, Flat Top Grills Gas Grills Pellet how easy the grease trap was to use, remove, and clean, and if the regulator provided a snug or loose fit. In our tests, the Jumbo Joe charcoal grill made the best seared burgers, barbecued chicken, and grilled bratwurst. Plus, cooking with charcoal gives your food that smoky flavor that you can’t get from a gas flame.
The UCO Flatpack presents a simplistic set-up that most say should take 30 seconds, and we believe it could take you 10 with a few uses. Unfold the base, which consists of two hinged sides and two sturdy legs, and place the grate over the top. “I’m excited to take this RV camping and up to our camp in Maine,” said one tester. It allowed them to take the grill inside in inclement weather but still grill outside with an extension cord out of their RV or electric hookup post in a campground. The Solo Stove provides enough warmth for hanging around when it’s cold outside.
To help you find the best portable charcoal grills for entertaining, tailgating, camping, and more, we tested 14 of the most popular options. After grilling up all sorts of food, we evaluated each model on its design, ease of use, performance, and more. There is no mystery as to why – pellet grills offer the control of a household kitchen oven but produce the flavor and texture of charcoal grills and wood smokers. Traditionally, they are not the type Flat Top Grills Gas Grills Pellet of grill that you’d want to tote along with you on an RV trip or to tailgate the big game, but the Camp Chef Portable Pellet changes that. With a bit of clever design, this model collapses to a size that can be wheeled around and transported into spaces that are a fraction of the size of where most pellet grills can fit. The controls for this grill are digital, allowing you to select the exact temperature you need for the cut you’re cooking.
While it is compact and portable, you must settle for a smaller grilling space. Petite and sure-footed, the Grillster is the perfect companion for a picnic for two, no matter the location. We’ve tested an older version of the Lodge Sportsman’s Pro Cast Iron Grill, a hibachi-style grill that generates an intense amount of heat and excels at searing, making it ideal for steaks. But the lidless design limits its ability to tackle slow-cooking tasks. At 30 pounds and with a long cool-down time (again, cast iron), it’s also not going to be very portable.