Small charcoal grills for camping, tailgating and picnics
Portable grills are easily transportable and handle cooking duties for small groups (two to three people). These are convenient if you're planning to grill at a picnic, a campsite or during pre-game tailgating. Low-quality portable charcoal grills are commonplace, so plan to spend at least $30 on something dependable. Furthermore, if you plan to bring your portable charcoal grill with you regularly, a locking lid is a must.
Unsurprisingly, Weber sits atop the portable charcoal grill heap with the Weber Smokey Joe Silver (*Est. $30 to $35) and Smokey Joe Gold (*Est. $35). These miniaturized versions of the excellent Weber One-Touch models feature smaller domes and shorter legs. The slightly more expensive Weber Smokey Joe Gold's lid also doubles as a windscreen, locking both to the top of the grill and to the side. Slate.com rates the Weber Smokey Joe as the best portable grill, period, even when compared against gas and electric grills. Editors say that it's stable, user-friendly and cooks reliably. About.com's Derrick Riches says the Weber Smokey Joe is one of the most solidly built portable grills overall.
Amazon.com users give the Weber Smokey Joe portable charcoal grills high ratings, but say the smaller, box-shaped Weber Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill (*Est. $50) travels even better. It features a top-mounted carry handle on a locking lid. Downsides? Some owners gripe that Go-Anywhere's cooking space is too small. The Smokey Joe and Go-Anywhere charcoal grills also have a distinct advantage over the numerous cheap (and junky) portable grills out there: They're backed by Weber's 10-year warranty on the bowl and lid, and one year on the cooking grates.
More innovative portable charcoal grills are available, but you'll pay more for them. The Cobb Premier (*Est. $150) has a dome whose design distributes heat so effectively that the manufacturer says it can cook on just eight charcoal briquettes for up to eight hours. The Cobb Premier's stainless-steel exterior remains cool to the touch even as inside temperatures reach 500 degrees. About.com's Derrick Riches calls the Cobb portable charcoal grill "virtually fool-proof." At 12 inches wide, the Cobb Premier's cooking surface is a bit smaller than the Weber Smokey Joe's. If price isn't an issue (the Cobb Premier costs around five times as much as the best-reviewed Weber Smokey Joe), it may be an attractive alternative for campers and tailgaters.
If you're not looking to transport your grill but want a model that's suitable for compact spaces, a hibachi-style grill might work for you. Hibachis are traditionally small rectangular cast-iron grills that feature a heavy grate over a bed of very hot coals. Originally designed to quickly sear thin meats, today's hibachis easily handle thicker items like burgers and steaks. Once common, small hibachi grills have gotten harder to find; only a few models still exist.
The best of these is the Lodge Logic Sportsman (*Est. $90) by Lodge Manufacturers. This hibachi is basic -- it's essentially an iron coal basin with a two-position cooking grid. At either position, reviews say to prevent burning you should be careful not to cook too long. The Sportsman is capable of very high temperatures, so it cooks meats quickly. The Lodge Logic Sportsman is recommended not only by Derrick Riches but also by Christine Quinlan of Food and Wine magazine, who calls it "an ideal tailgating grill." It also earns high ratings -- an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars -- from close to 200 owners posting at Amazon.com.
The Big Green Egg Mini (*Est. $250) charcoal grill offers the same versatility and efficiency as a regular-sized Egg, but it's compact enough to fit under a table. The grill itself has a 9-inch cooking grid -- roughly enough space to cook two chicken breasts. The only issue critics have with the Big Green Egg Mini is its questionable portability. As with its full-size siblings, the Egg's ceramic components are fragile (compared to the features on other portables), making transportation risky. In addition, the Mini weighs 30 pounds. Derrick Riches recommends the Big Green Egg Mini for apartment dwellers or patios with limited storage space, rather than for traveling.
