An adventure with family or friends isn’t complete without a perfect portable grill to go along with it. As much as barbeque makes our adventure complete, not many people know how to buy the best portable grills. As such, with this portable grill review, you get to learn how to choose a portable grill. You’d only get to enjoy all the sweet perks from a portable grill if you’re well informed before buying one. You need to check out certain factors that define the cooking capabilities of a grill before buying it. What factors, you may ask. Well, we are going to highlight them below, so you wouldn’t get confused about choosing the right grill.
How to Choose a portable Grill – Buying Guide for Portable Grills
1. Cooking Area
Choosing a grill size and cooking area is one of the first choices you’d have to decide when buying a portable grill. If you’re going with a portable gas grill, factors like the number of burners it comes with may affect its size. Choose a grill with enough cooking space to cook meals for you, plus the versatility to add more food on special occasions. Steel cooking grates are an excellent option to opt-in for as they are resistant to rust and corrosion. Porcelain-coated steel is even more outstanding as they help distributes heat evenly and protect the steel for years.
2. Portability
When getting a portable grill, it needs to come with certain features that make it portable. Stands for portable grills should be collapsible to make the grill compact. It should also feature lockable latches, and perhaps carrier handles and wheels for easy mobility. Likewise, the size needs to be small enough to fit into your small spaces, e.g., an RV portable grill.
3. Quality of Material
Most grills like charcoal, electric, or gas portable grills, have a steel housing. This is because steel has a high heat and stress environment resistant, making it durable and dependable. Traditional models of portable grills are flat-painted or powder-coated black. On the other hand, modern high-end portable grills are built with a full body stainless steel. Which steel may be quite durable; they can only last for so long. Cast aluminum and cast iron are more durable, but they are heavier and come with other disadvantages. The idea here is to go for a quality material whose downside negligibly affects your needs.
4. Fuel
Grills are available in different types, mainly gas, charcoal, and electric grills. Gas grills alone can either use propane or natural gas. Both natural and propane gas grills burn with a clean fire, the difference is how conveniently you can access them. Charcoal grills likewise are available in so many options like pellets, briquettes, and woods of different flavors. Electric grills are the easiest to use. All you need to do is plug it in a power outlet, and you are ready to start grilling or smoking. Importantly, whatever source of fuel you’d love in your grill, ensure it is something you can easily access.
5. Firebox
The firebox of your grill is the most important part of your portable grill. It is where the actual grilling happens. You want to aim for a grill with a big firebox. A big firebox gives you enough distance between the source of heat and the cooking surface, so there’s less chance of charring. Also, with a big firebox, you can grill larger food items like a whole chicken, brisket, etc. Furthermore, a spacious firebox enables a good heat distribution in the grill for even grilling.
6. Lid
The Lid of your grill plays a vital role in helping you control the heat of your food. Manufacturers integrate the air vent of most grills on its Lid to help with the air circulation. Apart from checking the Lid’s air vent, manufacturers also incorporated a built-in thermometer on the Lid. Moreover, a double-layered steel construction lid helps to reduce the amount of heat lost through the Lid.
7. Cleaning
Cooking on a grill can be quite messy, especially with all the juice and fats oozing out of the meat and vegetables. Cleaning can be quite a hassle. But grill manufacturers have integrated grills with drip trays to make grease management easier. Also, there are ash catchers that help collect the ash from the charcoal as you grill for charcoal grills. Flame tamers on gas grills help to protect the burners, and at the same time, prevent direct flame on your food. Non-stick cooking grill grates also comes in handy when it comes to cleaning. So, aim for a grill with removable grease and ashtray, as well as grates. Also, check if you can reach the burner so that you can properly clean your grill.
Conclusion
To sum up, now you know how to choose a portable grill. You can now jump into the world of grilling. Before you buy a grill, consider your preferred fuel type, grilling needs, and when and where you’ll be grilling. We hope with this review, choosing an ideal portable grill became easier. If you are still perplexed, you can check our recommended list of best portable grills in 2020.