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The charcoal tray is adjustable, hanging from a ladder rack that can quickly raise or lower the coals as needed. Packed up, Cuisinart’s Venture resembles a picnic basket, making it about as portable as a table-top grill can get. And it took us less than a minute to set up its three pieces, including a wood top, grill body with handle, and base. The top and base combine to form an attractive prep surface that clips alongside the grill.
Conversely, don’t plan on cooking slow and low with this; it’s a “sear things and be done” sort of grill. It weighs 22 pounds and has a handle with a bar that fits over the top to keep the kettle and lid together for easy carrying. I tossed mine in the back of the car for trips to the lake and the park and it never tipped over. The ash catcher at the bottom makes cleaning weber charcoal grill less of a hassle by allowing you to dump the excess without removing the grill grates. Of all the charcoal grills I tested, the Weber Jumbo Joe strikes the best balance of affordability, features, and ease of use. To evaluate these grills I assembled each one from scratch and then cooked an array of foods at various temperatures to see how they performed.
Simply place the water over the grill’s burner and turn it on high—if you’re able to shut the grill’s lid over it, you’ll be able to speed up the process. If you can’t shut the lid, it will take significantly longer, but the water will eventually reach its boiling point. She’s an expert on all things home, including kitchen appliances, grills, and other cooking gadgets. After cooking for a little more than an hour, I noticed fraying in the piece of fabric immediately below the charcoal basket where I had used a firestarter.
It also has a bit of a flimsy latch which isn’t a big problem if you spring for the $40 carrying case. The Coleman is super lightweight clocking in at just over 10 pounds which makes it an ideal grill to take camping, hiking or on a boat. It’s also exceptionally portable, flipping up into a package no bigger than a large purse or day bag. But all that compactness doesn’t keep it from burning a hot flame with 6,000 BTUs of propane-fueled power giving you proper searing capabilities in a seriously travel-friendly size. This grill is for serious tailgaters and is specifically designed to ride on the back of a car attached to a hitch.
In my testing, the Mini Big Green Egg has excellent heat control and, like the larger version, is extremely fuel-efficient. That’s a lot of hype, and I was prepared to be underwhelmed, but the Takibi lives up to the hype and then some. It folds flat, leaving more room in your trunk; the grill top is a grid so small things won’t fall through, and when you’re done portable bbq cooking it turns into a fire pit. There is an add-on cast iron coal bed ($26) that holds charcoal, but I don’t see it as necessary (nice to have perhaps, but not necessary). I wanted to love this model because the concept is great but it does have some flaws. For one, it feels a little bit cheap and I read in several reviews that it can rust and peel over time.
However, there are certainly some downsides to using charcoal grills as opposed to other options. In addition, pay attention to the cooking grate material composition; some are made from stainless steel or plain cast-iron. Check to make sure that your grill of choice has a snug-fitting lid, as this will allow you to control airflow. If it has vents or dampers you can control temperature and airflow even further, giving you greater control over the status and quality of your food. It’s a decent pick if you like Kamado style grills, but with a weight of nearly 70 pounds it’s not the most portable of the grills we’ve looked at.
One other area where we prefer the PKTX over portable options from Weber is the grill grate system. You can lift up part of the grate to add more charcoal, while the two Weber‘s require you to remove the entire grill grate. In terms of size, you get 305 (305.3 to be exact) square inches of grill area, compared to just 160 on the Go-Anywhere. The Jumbo Joe got the pick for best charcoal grill in our guide to the best tailgate grills.
That said, the nonstick grate didn’t stick, even to delicate fish filets, and was able to brown and crisp the skin nicely. The grill was simple to assemble and fire up, making it easy to attach a 1-pound propane tank; this was notably difficult with some of the other models we tested. Plus, we figured out the drip tray can be used as a water basin for steaming and could add a herbaceous quality by simply adding herbs or foraged greenery. But we also didn’t love the construction of the RoadTrip 225; it feels a little cheaply built, and the lid doesn’t have a lock to hold it in place when you’re moving the grill around. Make sure you have a stable tabletop to put this on, and don’t try to move it until it’s fully cooled. If price is your number one consideration, you may want to think about it.
My favorite portable grill, the Weber Q-1200, sits at about $259 but you can find it for less on sale. Most sturdy small grills should last you several years to a decade if the unit is cleaned, covered and cared for properly. The big drawback with this nifty portable oven is its cooking capacity. Since food has to be loaded into a tube, you can’t really cook many of the traditional barbecue meats such as ribs.