Simply slide the wheel end out first, lower it to the ground with the handle, grab the handle of the other end of the grill and off you go. I’ll run through some of the main features of this grill, before listing what I liked and what I didn’t like, and then get into the nitty-gritty of what it was like cooking on this grill. After testing models for their portability, ease of use, safety, and (of course) ability to grill great food, we have favorites from Cuisinart, Weber, and more. Keeping coals lit in the Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14″ was a challenge. This smaller Weber kettle comes equipped with only one vent, located in the lid. The lack of airflow meant we couldn’t keep the coal bed lit throughout a single cook, leaving us with pale burgers and undercooked chicken.
You can also get a collapsible cart for it if you don’t have a table that will work. 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. And in general Weber’s grills have a great reputation for performance and longevity. When we surveyed over 1,000 Wirecutter readers about their grills, a large majority said they owned a Weber.
They did so on the heels of testing full-size gas and charcoal grills, as well as grill accessories. Lesley built on her decade of experience in professional kitchens (much of it spent on the grill station) to design and run all of these tests. In our tests, the well-placed vents in both the lid and the firebox provided precise temperature control that no other portable charcoal grill we tried—including weber bbq two other Webers—could match. Once you have attached the liquid propane tank correctly to the grill unit, most portable gas grills feature a “click and turn” button for igniting the grill. Some of the grills we tested featured just one knob, used for both igniting the grill and controlling the strength of the flame. (Of course, to properly ignite any gas grill, you must ensure the propane tank is open).
If you want to grill steaks, burgers, chicken and hot dogs having one single burner won’t be a problem. It’s also big enough that you can enjoy cooking with it at home. Although a bit too large to be considered seriously for camping, the Napoleon also scored high in packability and transport—it collapses “like a stroller,” and has large, hefty wheels. A clip on the lid keeps everything in place in this beach- and apartment-friendly grill. The tiny Cuisinart CGG-180T Petite Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill suffered major flare-ups when cooking burgers and turned into a raging grease fire when cooking chicken pieces.
Whether it’s at the lake, the park, the game or even at home, this is an enjoyable and functional gas grill that anyone can use. 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.
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. We believe in offering the very best value, quality, and selection. Refunds are issued to the original form of payment, unless returned in store
where some exclusions may apply. Refunds are issued to the original form of payment, unless returned in store where some exclusions may apply. Grab the handle of your Smokey Joe® Premium portable charcoal grill and throw a BBQ, tailgate, or grill lunch anywhere you go.
I don’t know if the complaint is the right word, but I would contend the Traveler is slightly less portable than the brand would have you believe. It’s heavier than any other portable grill I’ve tested and I would categorize the Traveler as a semi-portable grill and not a truly portable grill. Judging by the char, the surfaces were the hottest just outside of the solid ring on the grates that is meant to protect grease from spilling onto the burners. The very inner and outer parts of the surface were the cooler zones. Those items included the main body of the grill, 2 cooking racks, 2 wheels with installation hardware, and a grease pan with an aluminum liner. As I spent 6 weeks testing and cooking on the grill, I was impressed by the thoughtful design of the grill.
Its lightweight design and carry handle make it easy to pack up your charcoal and grill wherever the day takes you. Whether it’s charcoal or gas, you can take it wherever you go with a compact and durable weber portable grill. Compact in size to easily fit in a car, carry to the park, or grill a quick meal on your patio.