If your budget can stretch way past the Weber options above, PKTX offers the same classic PK design with a folding cart for easy transportation. When it comes to cooking with this grill, we’d recommend using only a few coals at first during a handful of test cookouts to really get a sense of how the grill performs. It can still hold up to six regular-sized burgers and comes with standing legs for flexible mounting options. Before putting the grill away for the season, give the inside a good scrubbing with lots of hot soapy water and rinse well.
Overall, it’s a barebones but effective charcoal grill that will appeal to those who need a lot of cooking space. While the grill is hot, scrape the debris and stuck-on food from the hot grates with a wire grill brush. 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.
Whether you’re going to be using the grill for camping, tailgating, hiking, boating, biking, hunting, the beach or traveling, the GoBQ Portable Charcoal Grill is a great choice. One Popular Mechanics editor used it at her neighborhood block party to grill hot dogs and sausages. Adjust your cooking temperature with precision by simply turning the SteadyTemp™ dial. Redefine charcoal cooking on the go with the Charcoal MiniHopper™ that holds 700 g of charcoal for up to 4 hours of use. Weber’s aptly-named Traveler is one of the largest offerings on this list, and you won’t be carting it around for long distances.
If you prefer a portable propane grill, Weber’s Traveler combines the quality Weber grills are generally known for with a smart design that is ready to take on the road. Of the one-burner grills, the mid-sized models offer a wide range of control options. On all that we currently include in the portable bbq review, the knob and regulators allow a clearer and wider range of burner output. Control, then, is mostly a function of burner shape, grill shape, and the relative interaction of these two features. Large burners, relative to the grill size, distribute heat more evenly to the grill top.
The Lodge Cast Iron Sportsman’s Grill L410 was a longtime favorite of Wirecutter senior staff writer Lesley Stockton for its intense heat. The new design, the Lodge Cast Iron Sportsman’s Pro Grill, maintains the all-cast-iron build, but it features a new manual sliding ventilation mechanism. We haven’t tested this new version, but in her experience with the previous Lodge, Lesley found that the hibachi-style grill excelled at high-heat searing, making it ideal for steaks.
It made great steak quickly and nicely browned chicken thighs in under 20 minutes with no noticeable flareups. The lid, cook box and cast iron grates are all porcelain enameled for added non-stickability, easier cleanup and good heat retention. It’s less common for portable grills to use charcoal as fuel, but this one can deliver that distinctive flavor in an easy-to-transport format. In testing, we found this unit especially stable and tough to knock over with light jostles and bumps.
Although this portable powerhouse reaches top temperatures with ease, it is more difficult to learn how to harness the heat of the grill surface for foods that require more low-and-slow cooking. But if you hope to regularly grill up delicious meals while on the road, the Weber Q 1200 is an accessible portable grill that is sure to appeal to both novice cooks and professional chefs alike. One thing to love about this model, however, is the damper adjustments that allow you to control airflow and, in turn, the heat for more precise grilling.