The fire and fuel source is contained, so there’s no risk of hot embers falling on the ground. This grill folds up like a suitcase, and you can carry it with one hand. Prices and availability of products and services are subject to change without notice.
There is a broad range of prices in this category, but two of the lower-priced models stand out. The Cuisinart Grillster has the power you need to sear steaks, but due to its lower-end price point, it lacks the overall control of better grills. The Char-Broil Grill2Go is slightly more expensive but cooks with the quality of an infrared burner and includes additional features like a thermometer built into the lid. If you’re looking for a larger propane grill, the Coleman Roadtrip 285 is more of an investment but performs on par with many non-portable patio grills. If you’re ready to jump into the pellet world, it’s going to cost you – these types of cookers are not cheap.
Surely you’ve seen — and possibly owned — one of these little guys in the past. The Weber Smokey Joe is a staple at park cookouts and on camping trips and that’s for good reason. David lives in Brooklyn where he’s logged more than a decade writing about all things edible, including meal kits and meal delivery subscriptions, cooking, kitchen gear and commerce. These days, he’s likely somewhere trying the latest this or tasting the latest that – and reporting back, of course.
That said, the Camp Chef Portable Pellet’s price is fairly reasonable considering its top-notch performance. There is no mystery as to why – pellet grills offer the control of a household kitchen oven but produce the flavor and texture of charcoal grills and wood smokers. Traditionally, they are not the type of grill that you’d want to tote along with you on an RV trip or to tailgate the big game, but the Camp Chef Portable Pellet changes that.
Last but not least, the ease of cleaning a grill is another important factor. Make sure that you can clean all the parts of a grill easily, to keep it free from greases and ashes. After assembling the grill, which took about 20 minutes, we loaded it up. The nice weber genesis 2 thing about the Smokey Joe is that it doesn’t require a huge amount of charcoal—it only took about 20 briquettes to fill it up. Per Weber’s recommendation, we used a chimney starter to light the coals, which gave us an even burn across all the briquettes.
Whether you’re craving juicy burgers, hot dogs, seasoned vegetables, or some other barbecue favorite, there’s a portable grill to meet your needs. We love that the lid, which has two vents that stay cool enough to adjust during cooking, stays put on the grill in the open position and has a large, oversized handle for easy check-ins. Best of all, the lid can be inverted onto an included base and used as a second grill.
If it’s hard to move, it isn’t actually a portable grill; it’s just a grill that’s smaller than you’d like it to be. After cooking for a little more than an hour, I noticed fraying in the piece of fabric immediately below the charcoal basket where I had used a firestarter. If food drips on to the coals, causing a flare-up, I’d also expect some fraying. The company suggests covering that piece of fabric with aluminum foil. That will undoubtedly extend the life of the material, but is something to be aware of before use. All in all, the GoBQ really shined for something in such a small package.
But if you’re doing meat and veggies for a family of four, you’re going to be cooking in batches. Most meats need to rest when they’re done cooking anyway, giving you time to do your veggies. In my testing, the Mini Big Green Egg has excellent heat control and, like the larger version, is extremely fuel-efficient. No thermometer is included, and Weber does not make a storage cover for the Jumbo Joe.
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. Keep in weber genesis 2 mind that this is a little different than normal grilling, since it cooks from the top and bottom, which means your food cooks faster. We barbecued for weeks to find the right charcoal and propane grills for road trips—or just for smaller homes.
Its 240-square-inch round cooking surface offers ample space for grilling, and we liked how we could access the grill from any side. The two grilling plates are removable and nonstick, making them easy to clean in the kitchen sink. Essentially an oversize version of Weber’s classic 14-inch Smokey Joe grill, the Jumbo Joe expands the cooking surface to the size of a standard charcoal grill while remaining quite portable. Despite being bigger, the Jumbo Joe has a lot in common with its smaller sibling. If you’re heading out into the great outdoors, make sure to pack this versatile gas grill, which heated up quickly and cooked food evenly in our testing. The Cuisinart Petite Gourmet Portable Gas Grill is ideal for camping thanks to its unique design, which converts from a freestanding model into a tabletop model in seconds with telescoping legs.