Camping Grills & Portable Grills

If the grill had a lid, I covered it to let the temperature build. Almost every grill reached temperatures of over 500°F, and some of the charcoal grills got as hot as 700°F! Then, I grilled burgers on the uncovered grill, spaced 2-inches apart, cooking them for 5 minutes a side.

Add the Portable Grill to any of Char-Griller’s Barrel Grills and/or Dual Fuel Grills for use as a Side Fire box to get the ultimate Texas-Style smoking experience. After 25-years in the business, Char-Griller knows a thing or 2 about grills. At Char-Griller, we build durable products that last beyond the first grilling season. You can trust that you’ll get years of enjoyment out of your Char-Griller Grill and we look forward to you joining #TeamCharGriller. We were happy with the Petit Gourmet’s even heating, but it wasn’t quite as powerful as some of the other gas grills in this guide. The chicken took longer to cook, although it looked beautiful and tasted great when it did get there.

And, if you’re thinking of buying a portable barbecue, be sure to also check out T3’sbest meat thermometers,best BBQ accessoriesandbest pizza ovensbuying guides, too. These will help outfit your garden with the very best food cooking equipment on the planet and make your neighbours very jealous. If a portable barbecue is a little too small for your needs, check out ourbest barbecuesbuying guide.

A grill with telescoping legs is ideal in this situation, but if you have a tabletop grill, consider whether there will be a picnic table or other suitable surface to place it on. Finally, the beach is often windy, so you may want to look for a grill that has a wind guard—otherwise, the grill may struggle to maintain its temperature. Whether you’re an avid tailgater or off-roading enthusiast, the HitchFire Forge 15 is a worthwhile splurge weber genesis 2 for those who are always grilling on the go. This heavy-duty propane grill can be used on a table, but what makes it special is its included mount, which attaches to a 2-inch vehicle hitch. Once installed, you can drive, off-road, and cook with the grill mounted to the rear of your car. Our tester was truly impressed at how secure the HitchFire felt when mounted to her truck, and she said it never budged on a 350-mile drive.

Since the heat deflector plate prevents direct searing and grill marks, the food crisps up like it would when roasted inside a high-temperature oven. To use the grill, the pellets are loaded into a hopper, located on the side of the grill. An electric-powered auger transfers the pellets to the fire pot inside the grill. The ignited wood pellets produce flames until the grill reaches the set temperature. Once the desired temperature is reached, the auger’s rotation slows, dropping fewer pellets into the pot to maintain the heat. The grill’s heat deflector plate acts as a physical barrier to keep the food from being exposed to the flames.

With 189 square inches of grilling area (17 by 12½ inches), the Weber Q 1200 has enough space to grill a full dinner for two or the main course for a small party. We found that this Weber model is capable of grilling six large burger patties, a whole cut-up chicken, portable bbq or 10 bratwurst links at a time. And the single-tube 8,500 Btu burner runs along three edges for better heat distribution, so all of that space is usable. In our tests, the side shelf proved to be useful, as did the tool holders located on the front of the grill.

portable bbq

Without a lid is known as grilling or direct cooking, and you’ll need to keep an eye on the food as it’s hard and fast and there’s a danger of over cooking or burning the food very quickly. Indirect cooking under a lid is what purists call proper barbecuing – using convection currents and smoke to flavour and slow the cooking process. The LotusGrill works by creating a bellows effect that forces cool air over the charcoal, turning it into a raging inferno, albeit a safe one. Available in a range of cheerful colours, the LotusGrill is ideal for small patios, balconies, campsites, picnics and boats – its 12-inch grill is good for up to four hungry gannets.

I did not experience this, and the model came together in less than 30 minutes. It was not the easiest of them all to assemble but not so complicated as to dissuade you from buying it and, once assembled, felt compact and sturdy to the touch.