Portable Grill - best brands/models?

Daniel Koster

Daniel Koster

www.kosterknives.com
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 18, 2001
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I was checkin' out a Coleman portable grill (for road trips...not camping).

What an awesome idea!

Anybody had any experience with these?

What brands/models are best?


Thanks!

Dan
 
If you like to use charcoal, the Weber Smokey Joe grills are some of the best, IMO. They come in two different versions. One comes with a bail to cinch the cover and main unit together for convient carry. The other one doesn't

Otherwise, either one offers a good sized cooking surface for a small group of people. The cover has an adjustable vent and allows one to intensify the "smoke" flavor of grilled foods.

Best of all, they're fairly priced.
 
if youre looking for something ultra portable... try the grilliput :D :thumbup:
i own one complete with the firebowl and it works well with short ribs, chicken wings, hot links etc etc etc :)

though you wont be able to do any beer can chicken on it lol :rolleyes:
 
If you aren't cooking for a crowd and weight is not an issue consider the Lodge cast iron Sportsman's Grill. I've had one for years and you can't beat the flavor it gives your food. Don't let the price on the Lodge website price tag put you off, I got mine at WalMart for about $50.

LodgeGrill.jpg


https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/product1.asp?menu=logic&idProduct=3975

todd
 
used the coleman for am tailgating-works great for freatta's(eggs and anything that cant outrun you)because of the top

didnt like it for steaks though -

i bought a wally world tabletop with stainless steel flame cover-cheap pos that cooks a super piece of meat-
 
Dan, I have used the Weber Go-Anywhere for just about every cooking instance that's come up. Power outages, on vacation where no bbq is available, but have a deck to setup on, etc. and etc.. I have a real gas grill at home and a few coleman stoves, but this is a great stand-by. I'm going to try grilling fish on a cedar plank in it soon. Good Luck, and here is a link.
http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2007/portable/GoAnywhereGas.aspx
 
m_calingo said:
If you like to use charcoal, the Weber Smokey Joe grills are some of the best, IMO. They come in two different versions. One comes with a bail to cinch the cover and main unit together for convient carry. The other one doesn't
Click to expand...

I love my Weber Smokey Joe. I bought the "Silver" pictured on the right. I liked the idea of the "Gold's" bar to hold the lid on, but I was put off by the fact that the vents are on the side.

I carry my Weber in a laundry bag, which holds any ash that slips past the closed vents.


Here's mine in action:
 
Jaiofspam said:
if youre looking for something ultra portable... try the grilliput :D :thumbup:
i own one complete with the firebowl and it works well with short ribs, chicken wings, hot links etc etc etc :)

though you wont be able to do any beer can chicken on it lol :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

I will second the Grilliput, I have had mine for a couple months now and use it even more than I thought...

http://www.wisementrading.com/outdoorcooking/grills.htm
 
I love the Grilliput as well. I use it more for camping than road tripping though.
 
All of the above are very interesting...thanks!


Let me clarify what I'm looking for a little more - see if it help narrow things down.

Priority #1 is convenience. Easy set up, take down, clean up, transport. Must be able to cover all 3 daily meals.
Weight is not a consideration....size is also not a consideration.

The "camping" I'll be doing this summer on several trips will be the whole family (4 young boys, 6 & under). So whatever I get needs to be family-friendly (ie. wife/mom friendly). Personally...I would do great with a few sticks and some matches....but I'm not going alone on these trips.

Also, I may not always have access to a fire.

We'll be sleeping in a tent...sometimes in a backyard...sometimes in a state park. And we want to take care of our own food needs.



Which one/ones fit this bill best?

Keep the suggestions coming. Thanks!
 
for ease of use ,cleanup and with a large cooking area the coleman road trip grill is hard to beat also my friends is 5-6 years old and still like new-

not a fan of steaks on it-but burgers and dogs are fine,great for a breakfast grill easy to store own legs ect-
use my friends for every am tailgate-
 
If I were in your situation, my first suggestion is what I would and have taken. I have 6 kids, and have camped with and cooked for my wife and 4 of the kids, on the Weber Go-Anywhere. Easy to store, set-up, use and clean. I always have a Coleman stove. I have a white fuel burner, and 2 propane burners. But, if I choose anything besides the campfire to cook, it's the Weber.
 
I've liked the 2 or 3 Webers I've used, except that the vent hole dampers on the bottom tended to corrode and get stuck. Of course, taking better care of them would have helped I'm sure. And the Lodge cast iron Sportsman's Grill worked very well for modest amounts of food, say for 2, maybe 3 people. Mom and Dad left it out on the patio sitting on top of a galvanized trash can until it rusted away too far to use, but that took quite a few years. :D Too bad they didn't care enough about it to clean it a little and set it in the garage between uses. Then several years ago i bought a little, round Volcano grill to use for backup cooking if a hurricane takes all the utilities down for several days (or weeks). That has happened before! The Volcano seems really sturdy, well designed, and useful, and it is intended to be stingy with charcoal, too. I didn't really give you any answers, but maybe there are a few things here to consider.
 
the coleman is awesome. just returned from camping where we used one for two meals daily for four days. we use a cast iron skillet over two of the burners to maximize grilling space.

it uses white fuel (i think its called, its my friend's grill).
 
My wife and children got me one of these for Father's Day a couple years ago: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2069416 and it works great for family "car-camping" or even just day trips. They don't make them with the integral cooler any longer, but the same basic grill setup is the one used in the Grill2Go: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.gsp?product_id=2069416 The cooking surface is reasonably durable, but you'll want to use wooden or plastic cooking utensils. I recommend getting the adapter for the 20 lb. propane tank if you plan to use it heavily.

Rick
 
You might want to look at cobbamerica.com. I bought one of these for myself, and ended up buying another to give as a gift. Pretty spiffy little unit :thumbup:
 
rosconey2 said:
for ease of use ,cleanup and with a large cooking area the coleman road trip grill is hard to beat also my friends is 5-6 years old and still like new-

not a fan of steaks on it-but burgers and dogs are fine,great for a breakfast grill easy to store own legs ect-
use my friends for every am tailgate-
Click to expand...

rosconey:

I have been eyeing the road trip grill (I guess it's the base model not LXE - it has legs with no wheels). Are they not good for steaks? I wanted to change from the messier charcoal grills to propane.

Also, can you use as a regular stove to cook on?

thanks for any comments you could contribute.
 
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