It has a large grilling area of 285 square inches, and it delivers up to 20,000 BTUs when connected to a 16.4-ounce propane cylinder . You’ll want to decide on a fuel type and think about where exactly you will be toting the grill before making your purchase. Despite being light and very portable, the Venture features a heavy-duty cast iron grilling surface that cooks evenly and sears well. In fact, I rarely turned this one up past medium, because it gets plenty hot on low. Conversely, don’t plan on cooking slow and low with this; it’s a “sear things and be done” sort of grill. Kenyon City Grill ($695) If you don’t have a yard but want something a bit closer to grilling than the George Foreman above, then the Kenyon City Grill is a great option.
We’ve also noted some models we’re interested in for our next round of testing in 2022. Good Housekeeping participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions weber charcoal grill on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. With a body made from two powder-coated sheets of carbon steel, it turns from a closed form to a grill in seconds.
This means you don’t have to obsessively babysit your barbecued chicken to prevent excessive charring. Porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates are best at searing foods. Though cast iron adds an extra 5 to 10 pounds to the total weight of a grill, we think the flavorful dark crust on burgers and steaks makes it worthwhile. We also prefer an open grate design that allows ambient heat from the firebox to brown the areas in between the grill marks. We found that stainless steel solid grates with small perforations don’t let enough ambient heat through to brown the food properly.
Carrying a dusty, dirty charcoal grill around isn’t usually an attractive proposition, but the creators of the GoBQ have mostly solved the issue through intelligent design. The entire unit folds out and up in about 20 seconds and then wraps up again after you’re done, securing all the nasty cooked charcoal. Keep in mind that this is a little different than normal grilling, since it cooks from the top and bottom, which means your food cooks faster.
As for the weight, the Q-series grills are a bit heavy for moving around often. If you prioritize portability over cooking performance, weber genesis 2 consider our runner-up pick. The Weber Q series may be the best grills we’ve tested, but they’re also the most costly.
The push-button ignition and the temperature-control dial should be easily accessible and clearly marked so you can quickly start the grill and adjust the heat without fumbling. The Smokey Joe Portable Charcoal Grill is 14 inches wide and has 147 square inches of grilling surface on its steel grate. There are four vents to regulate airflow, as well as an aluminum ash catcher down below. This portable grill comes with a 10-year warranty, and it’s the clear choice for anyone who loves Weber’s full-size kettle grill. In terms of its cooking performance, the HitchFire runs on two small propane canisters, and it has two burners that can be controlled individually.
Wipe the grates with a wet rag to remove the soot, and then brush them with vegetable oil. We immediately ruled out collapsible models because they’re made from thin steel and probably not durable enough for regular use. Portable kamado grills are gaining popularity, but we think their 12- to 14-inch grilling surfaces are too small to justify the high price. We didn’t focus heavily on hibachis because they’re lidless, primarily for high-heat grilling, and limited in performance.