The infrared burner of the Solaire Everywhere heats the entire grill surface to about the same temperature. This is good for cooking lots of one type of food, but not so good if you’re hoping to cook different foods at different rates. The value of your portable grill depends on your cooking needs and your intended usage.
Our lone soldier pellet grill, the Camp Chef Portable Pellet, took a bit longer than expected to heat up. However, once it reached the desired temperature, we were very impressed by how even and steady the temperature remained. The flame from the pellet fire heats a large plate that simultaneously distributes heat and directs grease to the grease bucket. There’s no need to worry about having to add coals or switch out propane canisters with the Camp Chef Portable Pellet – you can simply top the pellet hopper off while the grill is in operation. Char-Broil covers the Grill2Go X200’s lid, firebox, and burner for five years and everything else for one year. Weber covers more parts on its gas grills for five years and nothing for less than two years, but those grills also cost significantly more.
When we surveyed over 1,000 Wirecutter readers about their grills, a large majority said they owned a Weber. And of those Weber owners, 69% said they were extremely satisfied with their grill. Finally, we enlisted fresh bratwurst links to gauge each grill’s ability to handle a grate full of fatty meat. Not everyone has a yard, and it’s increasingly common for apartments to ban open flame grills on balconies. Fans have added thermometers, fastened knobs to make it easier to open and close vents, attached hanging ashcans, and come up with creative ways to cook taller items, like beer-can chicken.
Often, we grill after hours on a Friday while we’re also trying to set up a tent, inflate a mattress, and wrangle hungry children. After cooking for a little more than an hour, I noticed fraying in the piece of fabric immediately below the charcoal basket where I had used a firestarter. If food drips on to the coals, causing a flare-up, I’d also expect some fraying. That will undoubtedly extend the life of the material, but is something to be aware of before use.
Next, we narrowed our selection to create a manageable yet comprehensive list of the best products available. We bought all these products at retail cost to allow us to conduct an extended, objectively honest, and comparative review. These review editors rigorously assessed these grills and distributed Flat Top Grills Gas Grills Pellet them to friends to gather a fresh perspective. The Coleman Roadtrip 285 offers the cooking performance of your typical backyard grill in a portable package. There are three individual burners – a main burner that reaches across the entire grill from side to side, and two additional burners on each side.
As a volunteer firefighter, I take fire safety seriously when it comes to camping grills. If you’re looking for a portable camping grill that cooks well and is safe, read on. The cooking grates lift with the lid, giving you easy clearance to both the charcoal bed and the meat that you’re currently cooking. This is an excellent design and allows you to Grills Portable Grills add more charcoal if you want to boost the cooking temperature in the middle of the cookout. You can make use of 153 square inches of cooking space and rest assured that everything across its surface will be cooked to the same degree. The two-piece grates are made of cast iron and coated with porcelain, covering three burners that yield 20,000 BTUs.
Attaching the gas bottle took a little manipulation that sparked safety concerns but ultimately resolved once connected. After the easy task of lighting the grill with the pushbutton ignition, the grill grates came to cooking temperature in just eight and a half minutes — a tough task for most portable grill competitors. Finally, there are other small, shallow charcoal grills that have a similar design to many portable gas grills. These typically perform the best in terms of portability, and they’re one of the best options for tailgating.
Those in need of a compact grill to fit in the trunk of a smaller vehicle or take up minimal storage space will want to consider another model. This is a bulky grill compared to many of its rivals in this review, and it relies heavily on wheels for transport. Weighing in at 47 pounds, it’s not very fun to transport it much further than in and out of a truck bed.
But at least there’s a barrier to keep hot embers from falling on the grass or your deck. Be sure to clean your grill thoroughly to keep it working as long as possible. If you use the grill only occasionally, you may need to wipe down the burner tubes to make sure they light effectively. 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. My gear expertise stems from 6 years of gear reviews for Backpacker Magazine, 8 years of guiding, years of camping adventures, and a plethora of gear-head friends.
Despite being light and very portable, the Venture features a heavy-duty cast iron grilling surface that cooks evenly and sears well. In fact, I rarely turned this one up past medium, because it gets plenty hot on low. Conversely, don’t plan on cooking slow and low with this; it’s a “sear things and be done” sort of grill. Of all the charcoal grills I tested, the Weber Jumbo Joe strikes the best balance of affordability, features, and ease of use.