Our home reviewers spent weeks assessing how these grills stood up to everyday cooking and cleaning. They were also able to offer additional insights to using these during typical weather conditions. The grills are all rated on heat control and retention, size, features, performance, ease of cleaning, and overall value. 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. It comes with a push-button starter and removable catch pan, and it’s even compatible with the 1000-series Weber griddle.
One of the nice features is the fact that this grill has split grates. In this way, you can replace one of them with a q 300 series griddle and use it for cooking breakfast. Just as cast iron is used for skillets, baking pans, and other kitchen essentials, aluminum can also be used for these items. It’s much thicker than pressed aluminum, which makes it more resistant to warping or damage. Welcome to T3’s review of the new Weber Lumin Compact, a portable electric tabletop BBQ that can grill, sear, smoke, steam and keep food warm. Our top pick is the Weber Q 2200 Liquid Propane Grill because of its quick and even heating and easy assembly.
Conversely, don’t plan on cooking slow and low with this; it’s a “sear things and be done” sort of grill. Finding a grill that fits your cooking style is essential, as is something that fits your available outdoor cooking space. A large grill in a small area presents dangers from heat contact and potential fire hazards and will ultimately become irritating for the user due to space occupied and working around the bulk weber charcoal grill of a larger grill. For a portable grill, consider weight, too, as transporting and carrying it can be an issue. The enamel-coated cast-iron grates add significantly to the grill’s overall weight, but they also contribute to minimal sticking throughout testing. There were a few flare-ups during the tests, mostly when first introducing oil or fat, but they extinguished quickly without adverse effects on the food.
At 12 kilos in weight, it’s very easily portable, though I would have liked to have seen a latch system fitted to prevent the lid from accidentally falling open if carried at too steep an angle. With its built-in wheeled cart that easily folds flat to fit in your trunk or truck bed, the Weber Traveler is, well, made for travel. We were impressed with not only how easy it is to move around but also how simple this grill is to assemble and operate.
It doesn’t necessarily mean that heat will be used, but it can be. In general, the hotter a grill burns, the better the results for searing and even cooking. weber charcoal grill Still, a portable grill with about 8,000 BTUs (the equivalent of a larger stove burner) can get hot enough heat to produce nice grill marks.
It’s not as sophisticated as the SmartFire, but it’s more portable, and two probes is generally all I need on small grills. It’s big enough for a family of four and strikes the best balance between ease of use and cooking performance. It has a thermometer and some side tables to hold your plates and tongs. It’s also a champ at keeping a constant, even heat in pretty much any weather conditions. A storm blew in one afternoon, but it just kept on cooking despite the high wind and rain. For overall performance, even considering it’s a portable model, the Weber Q 1200 Gas Grill delivers great value for the dollars spent.
Whether it’s the salty sweetness on that lightly charred corn or the rich smoothness of smoked meat, warm weather begs us to get outside and light a fire. This grill is a good starter model for someone, but the construction is pretty shaky, and the heat is very inconsistent, with multiple hot and cold weber gas grill spots across the grill. As with all new grills start it and let it get hot for about 20 minutes to burn off all the oil and grease that is used during the manufacturing process. Most of the lower ratings are in my opinion from people who did not read the specifications of this grill too well.
That flexibility allows you to build different heat zones, which broaden the scope of the foods you can cook on the grill. The grills with the highest scores moved on to our next round of testing. To assess the grill’s nonstick properties, we cooked skin-on center-cut fish filets, a delicate protein. We then cooked strip steaks to assess how each model handled indirect heat grilling and searing at high heat. As with our previous tests, we looked for sticking and flare-ups, as well as how well easily we could regulate the temperature of the grills and clean them after cooking. Most portable grills are designed to be used with small 14- or 16-ounce propane tanks, which simply screw onto the side or bottom of the grill.
However, if you want to smoke, grill, and bake outdoors, this ceramic cooker is a strong choice. My only complaint about the Venture is that the grease tray is small and therefore prone to spilling if you aren’t careful when you slide it out. Despite that, this is a clever, fun, well-designed grill that’s perfect for searing on the go. Not everyone has a yard, and it’s increasingly common for apartments to ban open flame grills on balconies.