To use, simply unclip, fill the titchy charcoal grate with a very small amount of charcoal and a couple of firelighters, and rest the steel grill on top. The Smokey Joe is a doddle to control, large enough to accommodate about 16 sausages, and light enough to carry to a beach, campsite or picnic spot of your choice (as long as it’s not too far a walk). weber q It’s also perfect for small patios or as a second standby barbecue. We tried a number of ingredients on it – burgers, sausages, chicken legs – and they all cooked perfectly well with only one visit to turn the food over. We even took a flier and lobbed on a whole medium chicken which was more succulent than any we’ve cooked in the indoor oven.
When you have one of these grills installed, it will be put into a permanent location and will not be easily removed. In the majority of cases, your grill will be connected to a natural gas line, but you can still connect it to propane if you would like. The red light on the grill temperature control indicates that the power is on and that the heating element is heating. The light will turn on and off periodically, as the heating element adjusts to maintain the temperature.
Everything we cooked on this grill had a dark, sooty film and tasted like torched fat. Always use your grill—gas or charcoal—outside, in a well-ventilated spot. Combustion produces odorless carbon monoxide, which can kill in minutes without warning.
It comes in a bunch of fun colors, or jet black if you prefer. Despite its sturdy build, the Q-1200 is still light and limber enough for a camping grill to take on a camping trip or for one person to carry with relative ease. This grill, like all on the list, can use any small weber q propane tank sold at most camping or hardware stores. To kick off testing, we unboxed each grill, assembled it if required, and examined its workmanship and build quality. Next, we fired up the grills and did a quick, but thorough, evaluation of cooking-surface temperature.
We didn’t focus heavily on hibachis because they’re lidless, primarily for high-heat grilling, and limited in performance. In addition to performance, we test ease of use and score each grills on the types of features they have like shelves, storage space, amount of wheels, etc. We also ensured our winning portable grills could be transported easily by one person. When shopping for a portable, the same rules apply as when you are shopping for other grills.
Weber claims that the grill is designed to optimize gas usage, which we didn’t actively test but we did notice anecdotally that it lasted longer than the other portable grills we tested. If you prefer the flavor portable bbq from charcoal grills—we feel ya—look no further than GoBQ’s portable grill. It weighs nine pounds, folds into a cylinder-shaped carrying pack, and has a spacious 14-by-14-inch grilling surface area.
But the things that made the Rambler a great grill are also the things that made it harder to move. Carrying it two blocks was not impossible but it required more exertion than any of the other charcoal grills. It also required more assembly of the wrench and screwdriver type, though it still only took about 30 minutes. Cuisinart’s Venture portable gas grill looks like something Apple would make if Apple got into grills. It’s really a two-part grill that packs up into a lightweight, easy-to-carry package.