So, fold up a Flatpack grill, grab some charcoal and get cooking. With its compact design, this portable grill fits right into a storage cabinet in your kitchen. All you need to do is take the lid off and use it as the base of your grill. Use two or three small fire starter blocks under the coals and start grilling once the flames have died down. If you’re planning a beach BBQ, there are a few factors you’ll want to consider when choosing a grill. First, it will be difficult to wheel or drag a grill through sand, so opt for a compact model that’s light enough to carry.
They’re built with #8 high polished 304, 18-8 stainless steel, which is ideal for resisting the extra corrosion brought on by saltwater exposure. This Cuisinart grill features a 5,500-BTU burner, a twist-start electric ignition, and a temperature gauge. The grate gives you 145 square inches of cooking space, accommodating four to six people at once. What makes this grill special is that the telescoping VersaStand holds the grill at ideal cooking height, yet shrinks down for easy transport and storage. Our tester did find the grill was a bit wobbly at its full height, but it put great sear marks on a variety of food with minimal sticking. This propane grill has a 280-square-inch porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grate and delivers 12,000 BTUs of heat per hour when connected to a 14.1-ounce or 16.4-ounce liquid propane cylinder.
If you have enough space for a full-size grill, you’ll probably be happier with one of our full-size picks . Their capacity and their compact size aren’t ideal for cuts of meat that require slow or indirect cooking, such as roasts or pork shoulder. Our products, such as the Weber Premium 14-Inch Smokey Joe, which is a powerhouse despite its compact nature, is ideal for smaller outdoor spaces that can’t accommodate the larger counterparts. With porcelain-enameled layering and triple nickel plating, it’s backed by a 10-year warranty and designed to thrive in nearly all outdoor environments. Our R&D department develops high-quality, fairly priced grilling equipment. No matter how you measure it, the Traveler’s 13,000-BTU burner gets plenty hot and really shines when searing.
As for the weight, the Q-series grills are a bit heavy for moving around often. If you prioritize portability over cooking performance, weber charcoal grill consider our runner-up pick. The Weber Q series may be the best grills we’ve tested, but they’re also the most costly.
New for this year, a keenly priced single-burner gas offering from one of America’s favourite barbecue manufacturers. For a snip under £300, this barbie is a great choice, especially if you’re looking for a product that’s built better than most no-name brands. Although Traeger says its maximum temperature is 230˚C, we noticed that the actual highest temperature reaches about 241˚C and with a roaring flame beneath the heat shield. This means it could feasibly be used to sear steaks, too; something pellet grills usually don’t excel at. Although portable, you wouldn’t want to carry this model too far and, of course, you will need an electricity supply to operate it.
Now it has to be said that this barbie’s 16 x 25cm grill area is tiny and only good for about 10 sausages at a squeeze or three hamburgers or possibly even two 6oz steaks. Nevertheless, once it’s up and running, it makes a surprisingly good fist of grilling on the go. This particular model comes packaged with an overly slippery Teflon-coated griddle – whoops there goes another sausage – but there are plenty more grilling accessories available. A top buy for alfresco table-top feasters, boaters and glampers. Since the compact Q 1000 uses small propane cylinders, it’s easy to transport; yet you’ll still get half-a-dozen five-place meals out of each canister.