Other than those relatively minor complaints we have no issue naming the Weber Jumbo Joe our best all-around portable charcoal grill. You get the same amount of cooking space as weber q the 18″ Kettle classic, but this grill only weighs 22 pounds and can easily be carried by one person. The Cuisinart CGG-200 All Foods Gas Grill (discontinued) failed every test.
It weighs 75 pounds, making it by the far the heaviest grill I tested, but the double-handle carrying system makes it easy for two people to carry it. The problem is that the 13-inch grilling surface of the MiniMax can only grill for about four people. Once open, the outside carrying case becomes a hood to cover the grill and contain heat. In our testing, we grilled burgers, hot dogs, and bone-in weber charcoal grill chicken on the GoBQ, all of which culminated with the expected, delicious results. While the standard fare was quite easy, the chicken cooked over indirect heat required a little more manipulation of the charcoal, which wanted to settle to the middle of the basket. Nevertheless, once we sorted out how to strategically set the charcoal, we could reliably create an indirect heat zone.
The base and lid structure is made from durable yet flexible silicone-coated fiberglass fabric, which can withstand very high temperatures. This type of fabric is already used in the food and restaurant industry for oven conveyor belts and grilling mats, so it’s safe for cooking. The GoBQ® Grill is the world’s first and only portable grill made from fire/heat resistant fabric. No longer must you be confined to grilling within the boundaries of your backyard, or steps from your SUV. Your mileage may vary depending on what you cook, but you shouldn’t notice a huge difference between a portable and a full-size grill if you’re just cooking the basics for a few people. As with other “full-size” options, the Traveler’s biggest flaw is… Traveling.
The Char-Broil Grill2Go’s best features are its compactness and its easy-to-carry design. Two clips in the front hold the whole unit tightly together, and you can effortlessly carry the whole thing with one hand (super convenient if you need to lug it a few hundred yards). The Q 1200’s small fold-out side tables are handy for keeping grill tools within reach, though we wouldn’t feel confident resting a large tray brimming with meat or other heavy things on them. The thermometer in the dome lid is nice, but it isn’t necessary other than for letting you know when the grill is hot and ready.
With the use of a fan and a separate charcoal firebox, you can have this grill hot enough to cook in about the same time it takes to heat up a portable propane grill. When shopping for a portable, the same rules apply as when you are shopping for other grills. You need to consider price, temperature control, ease of cleanup, ability to smoke foods, high heat, durability, safety, and, of course, size and weight. And the simplicity of wood pellet combustion and total temperature control means your food will cook perfectly; just like it would on your stove or oven at home.
Foods such as bone-in chicken pieces and thick steaks require surround heat to cook thoroughly. This could be a good starter grill for someone who wants to try grilling but doesn’t want to make a large commitment to the endeavor. Its biggest drawbacks are wobbly legs, even when ensuring that the attachment hardware is fully tightened, and visible air gaps in the lid that limit the ability to control the temperature. The Dyna-Glo scored highly for performance but was edged out for Best Value by its weight (40 pounds) and a more complicated assembly process that could require a second person to accomplish easily. Maybe you want to enjoy grilled meats or vegetables on your next camping trip or picnic, or you’re looking for that smoky flavor on your burgers at the next tailgate party. Or maybe you need something handy for an emergency grilling situation.
The magnetic grates stay in place when transported, are slightly domed for strength, and can invert for use as a vegetable cooker basket. First, assembly is a non-issue, as it consists of lining up the grates after taking the grill out of the box, and it took longer to unpack than to make it ready to cook. The cast aluminum body, top, and cast iron grates are built to last, and the included Flipkit turns the two-piece top and bottom into two hibachi grills that double your cooking area. Performance-wise, it cooks consistently across the grates, without hot or cool spots. While it is one of the heavier grills we tested, the wheels make moving the grill around a simple task.
The porcelain-coated cast-iron grates reduce flare-ups by shielding the flames and channeling grease and drippings around them while still allowing ambient heat to brown between grill marks. In our tests, burgers from the Q 1200 had the most seared surface area of all the burgers we grilled, and more browning means better flavor. This superior grate is one of the big differences between the Q 1200 and our runner-up pick, the Char-Broil Grill2Go, whose perforated stainless-steel grate produced mostly lackluster browning.