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 weber q 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.
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 portable bbq 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.
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 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.
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. It’s big enough for a family of four and strikes the best balance between ease of use and cooking performance. It has a thermometer and some side tables to hold your plates and tongs. It’s also a champ at keeping a constant, even heat in pretty much any weather conditions. A storm blew in one afternoon, but it just kept on cooking despite the high wind and rain.
Testers appreciated the solid but portable build and how quickly they were able to set it up. The fact that the carrying handle doubles as a lid holder is also useful for keeping an eye on the food when cooking. Portable gas grills are generally designed to be used with small 1-pound propane tanks, and with these, a regulator is not needed. However, if you want to use a larger propane tank—such as a 20-pound tank—with a portable grill, you’ll need an adapter and regulator. Most brands sell the appropriate attachment for their portable grill models.