While your Airstream features an external LP port, the low-flow pressure required grillmasters to buy a separate converter in order to sear the perfect steaks and cook great burgers. Either that, or carry extra fuel canisters that take up space and create more weber portable grill waste. Char-Broil covers the Grill2Go X200’s lid, firebox, and burner for five years and everything else for one year. Weber covers more parts on its gas grills for five years and nothing for less than two years, but those grills also cost significantly more.
“This thing could be priced even higher and I would buy it,” a tester noted, although at under $300, it’s attractively priced as-is. We conducted two sets of tests for scoring, depending on whether the grill was gas-fueled or charcoal. The first step for each was to assemble the grill, rating it on the clarity of instructions and how easy it was to accomplish the task. Next, we judged the grills’ portability, such as how easy they were to move and if lids or grates fell off easily.
Smaller grills in the 100- to 150-square-inch range are suitable for one or two people, maybe three in a stretch. The NOMAD portable grill sports a modern design, folding together like a briefcase for carrying, with heat dissipation in mind to keep the exterior cool while cooking. Like the PKGO, the NOMAD can function as a closed grill, or you can use each side independently as a hibachi-style cooker, doubling the cooking space. The magnetic grates stay in place when transported, are slightly domed for strength, and can invert for use as a vegetable cooker basket. Everdure designs premium grills in collaboration with chef Heston Blumenthal, so you can’t expect a run-of-the-mill design.
Portable grills aren’t just for camping, picnicking, and tailgating; they’re also great for city and apartment dwellers with limited outdoor space. And they can be a good option if you don’t have the budget for a full-size grill. This propane grill is sturdy, easy to use, and big enough to grill burgers for a small crowd.
Weber’s warranty covers most of the hardware—including the lid, firebox, burners, cooking grates, and plastic components—for five years. In our tests, the Q 1200’s heavy-duty cast-aluminum firebox was the best at evenly absorbing and reflecting heat. That, along with the U-shaped burner, provided the most consistent grilling of all the portables we tested, with the fewest hot spots. Porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates provide even heat distribution across the entire grilling surface and superior heat retention. Whether it’s charcoal or gas, you can take it wherever you go with a compact and durable .
This makes them easy to load into the car on game day, take backcountry camping or just change up your grilling spot at home. Grill up your favorite foods when you’re away from home with a Weber portable grill. From Weber camping grills to tabletop grills, shop a variety of grill sizes and styles to find your perfect portable gas grill at Ace Hardware today.
Before testing, we pored over other professional reviews, such as those at Meathead’s AmazingRibs.com, and analyzed online customer reviews of dozens of models. The compact fold and overall design makes traveling and storing as seamless as possible. The Weber Traveler grill takes up minimal space in your garage and is designed to fit easily in the trunk of a car. The durable painted cast-aluminum material is easy to clean and requires minimal maintenance.
One of the downsides of portable grills is that they are often more difficult to clean due to their smaller size and lack of cleaning features. However, the Napoleon TravelQ PRO285X was one of the few models we tested that includes a drip tray — complete with disposable foil pans — making it much easier to clean up when you’re done cooking. This grill is mounted on a folding stand, and its large wheels make it easy to transport (despite its heavier weight) and are stable on rough terrain. As with all grills, you should scrub the grates thoroughly with a grill brush while the grates are still hot—this will minimize carbonized, crusted-on food that’s tough to clean later. But some portable gas grills come with handy removable drip trays, which collect grease and are easy to remove, wipe out, and wash clean.
After all of our tests were complete, we scored each grill on its ease of use, performance, design, and ease of cleaning. The top-scoring model was the Cuisinart CGG-750 Venture Gas Grill, which earned a near-perfect 4.9 out of 5. The Weber Q1200 Gas Grill and Weber Q2200 Gas Grill were right behind it, both with scores of 4.8. Next, I wanted to see how well I could control the temperature for lower-slower grilling candidates. There’s just one knob to control the fuel output and while the temp did drop when I lowered it, it was difficult to precisely control the temp one way or the other.