The simple design on this Weber charcoal portable grill features a Tuck-N-Carry lid that double locks in place and duals as a lid holder. While we couldn’t rely on BTU-ratings for charcoal grills, our reviewers utilized an infrared thermometer to accurately test the temperature of these grill surfaces. The Grillster is great at searing steaks weber charcoal grill and other high-temperature cooking, but it is tough to control the overall range on this rip-roaring grill. Unless we were aiming for blackened chicken or blistered peppers, we rarely found ourselves using anything more than the lowest gas setting. Although it is compact and portable, there is a tradeoff with its smaller grilling space.
Ultimately, I found food fell in between the bars of the grate too easily and the grill itself was too small to be useful. One of the best portable grills for camping is the Coleman portable grill. It features a built-in stand, extendable wings, and three burners for temperature control. For each grill, we cooked a hamburger patty; chicken kabobs with chunks of boneless, skinless chicken breast; and vegetables that included squash, zucchini, onions, and bell peppers.
A grill with telescoping legs is ideal in this situation, but if you have a tabletop grill, consider whether there will be a picnic table or other suitable surface to place it on. Finally, the beach is often windy, so you may want to look for a grill that has a wind guard—otherwise, the grill may struggle to maintain its temperature. Yes, these grills are all portable, but that doesn’t mean they’ll all fit your transportation needs. If you’ll be tossing the grill in the back of a pickup truck, any of these models will work.
We prefer to do this when the grill is preheating and the embers are their hottest. Wipe the grates with a wet rag to remove the soot, and then brush them with vegetable oil. Of all the portable propane grills we tested, the Weber Q 1200 grilled foods the most consistently. Controlling the temperature in a charcoal grill is all about vent placement, since you can’t turn coal heat down. But vents are also important for the airflow required to keep your coals lit. We found that a vent in the top of the lid and another in the belly of the firebox created the best air circulation.
Some of the grills we reviewed are best moved with a pickup truck, while others could fit in an SUV or in the corner of the trunk of a small car. If you’re going to be cooking for a larger group you might want to consider one of the larger capacity grills reviewed here. Also in the running is the Cowboy Cauldron Urban Cowboy Model, which is no less a statement piece than the other. Where the Sea Island design is a bowl that sits on a stand, the Cowboy Cauldron is a bowl suspended from a tripod system on a chain.
Be the envy of your next pregame party with these CNET-tested small and portable grills. For the charcoal options, I also smoked ribs, pork, and brisket, If you’re planning to smoke, I highly recommend investing in some kind of thermometer system. It has adapters based on your grill and offers one temp probe and three food probes. There’s Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, so you can keep tabs on your cook from anywhere. If flavor is your only criterion, I would argue that charcoal is superior to propane gas. 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.
While the Weber Original Kettle may have taken the top spot in CNET’s list ofbest 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. Soaring in popularity, they come in a vast assortment of fuel types such as gas, pellet, electric, or charcoal.
Despite these issues, the end result of our smoking effort was nothing short of divine. The Davy Crockett produced juicy pulled pork with a healthy smoke ring and plenty of hickory flavor. Protect your grill from the elements and keep it looking like new — shop our full selection of durable grill covers from top brands.
Plus, our tester found the grill easily reached high temperatures with both burners running, delivering plenty of heat for cooking all types of food. In general, gas or propane grills make for the best portable grills since they’re clean, easy and fast to get fired up. Charcoal is a fine alternative but the charcoal is heavier and messier than a small propane tank and charcoal generally takes longer to light. Small electric grills are also an option and while they sound great, remember you might not always have access to power, especially if you’re camping or spending a day in the park. Plus, you won’t get any of that flame-grilled goodness since there’s no, well, flame.
We appreciate the naturally non-stick porcelain-enameled grilling surface, and that the cast iron grates distribute a consistent temperature across the entire cook surface. Control is the criteria that most distinctly separates the highest performers from the rest of the contenders. For gas and electric, this metric was scored based on how many burners each product has and whether they can be adjusted to high, medium, and low temperatures. For charcoal, we assessed how easy it was to maneuver the coal bed to create heat zones. We also considered if the grilling surface presents a consistent temperature throughout, whether it includes a thermometer or push-button ignition, and how well both perform.