Best Small Grills 2022 Best Portable Grills for Small Spaces At under 10,000 BTUs, it didn't get quite as screaming hot as my top pick -- the Weber Q -- but it is decidedly more compact and easier to transport. Be the envy of your next pregame party with these CNET-tested small and portable grills. I tried to cover both the “portable” part and the “grill” part in my testing. For those grills with wheels, I walked them around a large, uneven lawn with plenty of divots to see how they rolled. The igniter works well and, once lit, the grill got hot, reaching its advertised 500 degrees Fahrenheit after just 15 minutes with the lid closed. The flame is easy to control and keeps a consistent temperature throughout cooking, even when grilling with the flame turned low. In a world where the Nomad didn’t exist, the Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler would be the top charcoal choice here. Even after loading the Jumbo Joe with a full chimney starter’s worth of red-hot embers , we could still tamp down the temperature to medium heat. We couldn’t do that with the 14-inch Weber Smokey Joe, where the one vent and the lack of airflow caused the coals to extinguish while we were cooking. We put all nine portable grills, gas and charcoal, through the same tests. We loaded the grates with 6-ounce burger patties and assessed the evenness of the heat, the temperature control, the searing performance, and any flare-ups. Materials aren’t a big concern with portable charcoal grills. They’re commonly constructed from thin porcelainized steel with thin wire-rod grilling grates. The Everdure Cube by Heston Blumenthal is a cute little charcoal grill that’s easy to carry and comes in a number of color options. The removable snap-on tray and storage container are nice features. It’s easy to handle the grill even when lit because of the cool-touch handles. Ultimately, I found food fell in between the bars of the grate too easily and the grill itself was too small to be useful. When it’s time to pack up and go, the cart folds up; it has two wheels that make it easy to pull. Three independent burners mean you can cook your ribs, sausages and veggies on three different settings simultaneously. We relied on our experience both in developing recipes and cooking at our own picnics and camping trips to select our picks for the best portable grills. In addition, we checked review sites to see what other professionals recommend and read user comments to see what people like and dislike about using various models. The Kudu has its roots in South African design for open fire grilling. The standard model features a cast-iron vessel at the base on which to build and manipulate the fire, allowing for the creation of hot or cool zones for offset cooking. Read on for the pros and cons of these types of lightweight grills. In our tests, steak and chicken cooked quickly and got nice char marks without any flare-ups. Ash falls through the coal holder holes onto the bottom of the grill for a neat grilling experience, and the stainless grill grate is small and easy to wash in your sink once you get home. We cannot guarantee that the Go-Anywhere will boast the same heat output as its gas-powered competitors — that's up to you and your coal-stoking abilities. There is certainly a learning curve to mastering different heat zones, but cooking over charcoal potentially offers an accuracy that cannot be matched when cooking with gas. The tightly fitting vents are tough to adjust without gloves, and it takes time to skillfully manage these adjustments for perfect airflow. But we can assure you that with practice, this portable grill can allow you to master the art of cooking over an open flame and produce delicious food in the process, even on the go. Over the past 6 years, our experts have bought 22+ portable grills to test side-by-side. This updated review highlights 12 of the best to help you cook up delicious meals, even while on the road. It's small and compact, which makes it quite portable, yet sturdy and powerful for good, fast cooks. We've tested both this model and the larger stand-up model with shelves, and were impressed with the sear marks we got on chicken, steak, burgers and hot dogs. The Weber Q 2200 is powered by disposable liquid propane cylinders .