The Casus grill can only be used once, of course, but it actually gets fairly hot in about five minutes and stays lit for over an hour. It also has enough space to cook three or four burgers, sausages, dogs, veggies or chicken. Well, it is and these GoSun solar-powered grills actually work pretty well. When I tested it, it got scorching hot and cooked chicken thighs, sausage, fish and veggies all in under 25 minutes or less. The 31-pound Weber Q 1200 is still surprisingly portable due to its useful handles.
It can still hold up to six regular-sized burgers and comes with standing legs for flexible mounting options. The charcoal grate is made from heavy gauge steel, which is strong enough to withstand considerable weight and leave tasty looking sear marks on your meat. It’s easy to clean and you can fit plenty of food on its 18″ grill rack. Our premiere grill, the Timberline redefines what’s possible in the world of outdoor cooking. It boasts next-gen features and premium construction to deliver the ultimate grilling experience.
With this grill, barring some sort of unexpected mishap, you will likely never overcook a tri-tip again. To illustrate this, we cooked plain white bread and photographed the result to help visualize the distribution of heat across these grill tops. We also took into consideration whether the lid was big enough for closed grilling, how easy the grease trap was to use, remove, and clean, and if the regulator provided a snug or loose fit. In our tests, the Jumbo Joe charcoal grill made the best seared burgers, barbecued chicken, and grilled bratwurst. Plus, cooking with charcoal gives your food that smoky flavor that you can’t get from a gas flame.
This folding GoBQ is a novel, innovative portable grill unlike any other. It packs up in a tube 8-inches in diameter and 14 inches in length, and carries easily by the handle on top or with the included shoulder strap. We set the burner on low for the 100-percent beef burgers we grilled, flipped them once, and then turned up the heat to imprint sear lines from the cast-iron grate. Generally, we found it relatively easy to grill thinner foods and, even better, convenient to turn on and off as needed over the course of an afternoon. A bottom vent and an aluminum top damper allowed us to dial in the airflow. Bagged charcoal is slightly more difficult to light but is easy to work with in that you ignite a pile of it in a charcoal chimney and pour the glowing coals onto the coal grate.
The detachable cutting board (which doubles as a lid during transport) is especially helpful for campers looking to streamline their packing list. The RoadTrip 225, unsurprisingly, offers 225 square inches of cooking space and is great for a road trip. The grill is compact and lightweight but has two separate burners that Flat Top Grills Gas Grills Pellet put out 11,000 BTUs of heat. The Weber Q 1200 remains at the top of our list of tabletop gas grills because it packs the performance of larger grills into a small form. Assembly is simple thanks to the manual providing pictogram-style instructions, and the whole task took just 12 minutes for us to be ready to cook.
If you’re looking for a heavy-duty charcoal grill that you can take camping, tailgating, and more, the PK Grills PKGO is our top recommendation. The top and bottom of the grill are crafted from cast aluminum, making it extremely durable and sturdy to use. Portable grills will inevitably be smaller than typical backyard grills, but they still come with enough space for a cookout (though you might need to do a couple rounds of cooking).
It comes with a cork lid that doubles as a base on which the grill rotates to allow for airflow adjustment. Inside the heat-resistant cylinder you’ll find an enameled fire basket and grill and charcoal grates, plus a small tool to lift the grill grate. The GoBQ grill is a great option for traveling, tailgating, or even for folks with small apartments, given its ease of packing, stowing, and carrying. The 25- by 12-inch cooking surface will hold a lot of burgers, dogs, or whatever your preference.
Perhaps a cast-iron hibachi is your best choice, or again, maybe it’s a simple, low-maintenance charcoal grill. As you’d expect from such a powerhouse, this grill gets super hot and produced an “impeccably crispy” crust during our steak test. Minor faults aside, this “exceedingly beginner friendly” is “cute, functional, and just a delight to hold.” It is a super option for the fair-weather griller, or first-timer concerned with aesthetics. It’s also undeniably great for camping, due to its efficient packability and included cutting board. The Petit Gourmet has telescoping legs that fold up neatly, and it’s easy to carry in one hand.