If you consider yourself a pitmaster or a connoisseur of grilled meat, then you probably own a sturdy and sizeable grill at home already. But, you may want to enjoy the odd grilled steak or smoked trout while you’re camping or boating and in order to do that you need a quality portable charcoal grill. The great thing about buying a Best portable Charcoal grill nowadays is that consumers are spoilt for choice with all the available options in the market.
5 Best Portable Grill Comparison Table
Portable charcoal grills are available in a wide price range and they come with all types of different features. If you’re on the market for a new portable charcoal grill, you’ve come to the right place.
We’ve put together a comprehensive guide on the best portable charcoal grill on the market:
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Best Portable Charcoal Grill You Must Have in 2019
Weber 10020 Smokey Joe Portable Grill
The Weber brand is well-known for making long-lasting, durable and reliable charcoal grills. The company doesn’t disappoint with this model which is called the 10020 Smokey Joe. It’s lightweight and easy to carry so it fits snugly into any truck or boat, and you can actually lug it with one hand to take it from one point to another. Many avid grill masters have called it the best portable charcoal grill for camping and it’s perfect to use at the beach, park or any camping area that you may want to visit.
Although small, this grill has a generous cooking area that measures 147 square inches which means it’s large enough to cater for two people at the same time. You don’t have to worry about temperature control as the Weber Kettle lid and air vents take care of that for you. That’s why this grill offers superb even cooking throughout while reducing your chances of burning or overcooking food.
To control the temperature, all you have to do is open the air vents or take off the lid to improve airflow. Of course, this is a small grill so you can’t expect it to perform miracles. By this we mean you can only prepare small chunks of meat on it like burgers, hot dogs, steaks and chicken wings. But, you can’t use it to make things like rotisserie chicken or a whole fish.
- Good price
- Nice and compact
- temperature control
- It’s difficult to maintain because of the lower air vents that get congested with ash
- Holds up to five burgers made with a Weber burger press
- Compact and lightweight for grilling on the go
- Porcelain-enameled lid and bowl retain heat, and won't rust or peel
Char-Griller E22424 Table Top Charcoal Grill
You might be forgiven for thinking that this grill is the full sized version due to its sturdy construction. It also weighs 40 pounds which makes it slightly larger than your average portable grill but it’s still fairly compact compared to a full-sized smoker. It’s perfect for cooking while camping, boating, fishing, or just BBQ-ing in the park on a sunny summer’s day.
The grilling surface is quite generous at 250 square inches, which means it’s large enough to cater to a small group. It’s also kitted out with cast-iron grates so you won’t be replacing them any time soon.
Although, we’d be remiss not to mention the side handles which make it difficult to carry the grill, and to make things worse, there’s no lid lock.
On the bright side, cleaning and maintaining this portable grill is quite simple and straightforward. Its unique shape makes it easy to dispose of the ash by taking out one side of the grill. This solution earns this grill a gold star for ease of maintenance as cleaning it is very easy. Definitely one of the best portable charcoal grill amazon offers.
- Comes with a removable ash bowl
- Sprawling cooking surface
- Ideal for smoking and searing meat
- Versatile
- It weighs a lot for a portable model
- The paint job doesn’t look nice
- It can be difficult to carry
- Removable ash pan for easy coal clean up
- Offset for Texas style smoking
- Attaches to all Char-Griller barrel grills (#2123, #2828, #2137 and the #5050 Duo Gas and Charcoal Grill)
Quick Grill Medium: Original Folding Charcoal BBQ Grill
Our next option is a grill that’s so small and portable that you can take it with you on your next epic hiking adventure. Weighing just 4.75 pounds, this portable grill will fit right into your hiking backpack so you’ll never be without a warm meal as you traverse through challenging terrain.
Although small, this grill has a surprisingly large cooking surface which you can use to cook meals for 2 or even 3 people. It’s large enough to prepare 6+ chicken wings, a whole fish, 2 medium sized steaks, 4 burgers, a few hotdogs or several vegetables. This grill was made for outdoor living and it’s the perfect way to make sure that you’re well fed as you make it through beautiful landscapes. It’s also perfect for grilling at the beach, park or on your boat.
The best part about this grill is that it’s easy to put together as well and if you’re traveling by car you won’t even feel the weight or notice that it’s there. This is the best portable grill for RV travel.
- Ultra lightweight and easy to carry
- Easy to install
- Highly portable
- This is quite a pricey model but it’s totally worth it
- Easy to use folding grill set. Folds down for convenient storage and portability. Extremely to set up.
- Assembled Size: Approx. 12.5in x 12.5in x 8.6in Folded Size: Approx. 13in x 7.8in x1.9in.
- Safety & Health: Non toxic, FDA approved, no twist.
Char-Broil Portable Tabletop Charcoal Grill
Char-Broil is another well-known name in the grill manufacturing business but the company is known mostly for its large and imposing models. This one, however, weighs just 7.5 pounds and has a surface area of 190 square inches so it’s safe to say that it’s large enough to cater to two or three people at a time.
It features foldable legs that make it easy to travel with and put it away when you’re done.
On the downside, this grill is not at all that well-made. First of all, temperature control could use some serious improvement, as the multiple holes on the grill make it difficult to maintain heat. The workmanship can be shoddy at times and perhaps that’s why it’s so cheap. But, it’s the perfect grill to buy if you’re looking for something to bring on a once-off camping trip or to use for one season. Otherwise, don’t expect it to last that long because it’s not that well-built.
If you’re looking for something similar to this grill in appearance but with better quality performance and build, then we’d recommend the Weber-Go-Anywhere. Yes, it’s pricier but will last you for many years compared to this unit.
- Very affordable
- Lightweight and easy to carry
- Easy to assemble
- Poorly built
- Difficult to use temperature control
- Charcoal grill- use with charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal.
- 190 square inch cooking surface over chrome-plated steel wire cooking grates
- Folds up compactly and sets up easily; features heat-resistant handles
Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill
This well-priced portable grill comes with all the features you need to make the most of your camping, boating or hiking trip. It has a lightweight and low profile design but with a sprawling surface area that makes it possible to cook for a small group with very little effort.
What we love about this grill is the quality workmanship. It has a sleek design that’ll help you stand out when you take it out at the park or the beach. But, this grill isn’t just good for traveling though, because it looks great when placed on a small patio and balcony and could be the right solution for a space-challenged pitmaster.
You’ll be glad to know that Weber designed the Jumbo Joe to resemble their world famous Weber Kettle which is one of the best-selling charcoal grills in the world. This means there are a lot of features to like on this grill including a large cooking surface of 240 square inches and a perfect temperature control. It also gives you the option to sear or slow cook your food if you like.
You can use this grill to cook for a small group and it’s durable enough to withstand the elements when used in outdoor environments. Plus, it offers direct and indirect cooking as well. Simply put, this is one of the best small charcoal grills on the market.
- This grill offers great value for money
- Cooking efficiency
- Large cooking surface to cater to a small group
- Great temperature control
- The inside of the grill has a very shallow vertical space
- Holds up to eight burgers made with a Weber burger press
- Compact and lightweight for grilling on the go
- Porcelain-enameled lid and bowl retain heat, and won't rust or peel
Conclusion
When it comes to cooking meat outside, nothing beats the efficiency or the results of a good quality charcoal grill. Now you can enjoy sizzling seared meat with your own portable charcoal grill. Just remember to look for a well-built model that offers a large cooking surface and decent temperature control so that you don’t end up with half-cooked or burnt meat.
Out of all the grills we reviewed in this article, we highly recommend Weber Jumbo Joe Charcoal Grill
As we said, this product is based on their internationally renowned Weber Kettle which continues to steal hearts to this day. The Jumbo Joe has a 240 square inch cooking surface which means you can use it to cook for a small group of family and friends, and yet it’s small enough to carry and transport with a car or a boat.
If looks are important to you then you’ll be glad to know that Weber spared no expense when designing this grill and it comes at an accessible price point as well. This is undoubtedly one of the best portable charcoal grill for camping, hiking, boating and for anyone with a small patio or balcony.
Last update on 2019-07-16 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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