We all love a good barbecue. Whether you have friends over, or you simply want to have your dinner outside with the family, a good charcoal grill comes in handy. Meat does, in fact, taste better with a smoky flavor.
Charcoal may not be as fast as the normal gas burner, but, the dry and hot coal helps in caramelizing the meat, searing it, and gives it a delicious crusty exterior that is full of flavors and helps retain most of its nutrients, which makes it great.
In this article, you will discover 5 of the best charcoal grills that you can buy online at Amazon. You will also find a buying guide that should help you pick the right grill for your next barbecue (bbq).
Review of the 5 Best Portable Charcoal Grills – 2020
1. BEAU JARDIN Portable Charcoal Grill for Outdoor Grilling
This is a solid charcoal grill that measures 17.5-inch in diameter and 24-inch in height and comes with a lid. It provides enough space for you to grill whatever you wish. Its wheels make it portable and allow you to take it where you wish.
It comes with perfect heat retention and control. It’s made of rust-resistant aluminum that has vents that allows heat to be easily controlled without necessarily lifting the lid as you grill. This makes your cooking process easy, as you can sit back and relax.
The heavy-duty steel material also makes it long-lasting and able to withstand the high heat of the charcoal as it burns. With the round porcelain enamel coating bowl, heat is retained within the grill, and it flows easily to the food being grilled.
The grill is easy to use and easy to clean. The lid is detachable and easy to lift, allowing you to remove any charcoal from the bowl for cleaning. After cleaning, the re-assembling process is also easy and makes it possible to keep redoing it over and over again.
The construction is high-quality and sturdy enough, and it comes highly recommended.
Pros:
- Made of high-quality materials
- Has heat retention abilities
- It is able to control the temperatures
- Easy to clean
- It is portable
Cons:
- Maybe small if you are having a party
2. Cuisinart CCG-190RB Portable Charcoal Grill
This is a light and portable grill, that you can move around easily. It comes in beautiful colors, and it is easy to assemble and use. The attached lid helps to retain heat while you grill your meals which keeps them moist and delicious.
It is however small in size and ideal for grilling small meals for a few people. The grate measures 14 inches and occupies 150 inches in space. This makes it ideal for 3 burgers or 3 hot dogs at a time. It is however ideal for your backyard.
Pros:
- Lightweight
- Portable
- Beautiful in design
- Compact size
Cons:
- It is small
3. Weber 121020 Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill
Just as the name suggests, this is a highly portable grill that you can easily carry while going on a camping trip. It is rectangular shaped and made of high-quality stainless-steel material which makes it long-lasting.
It comes with a lid that is reinforced with a nylon handle that keeps it cool while grilling. It has 2 dampers that are adjustable and help in regulating the flow of air, plus, it has three vent holes that ensure cooking runs smoothly.
The coating is porcelain-enameled which makes it rust-resistant.
Pros:
- It is portable
- Made of high-quality materials
- Ideal for camping trips
- The handle is reinforced with nylon for cooling purposes
- Rust-free enameled bowl
Cons:
- It is a little small
4. Lodge Cast Iron Sportsman’s Grill
This is a large grill that is perfect for picnics, camping, tailgating or backyard barbecuing. It is a hibachi-style rugged charcoal grill made of cast iron and features a draft door for heat regulation. The coals are easily accessed through the flip-down door at the back of the grill.
It is seasoned: This is unlike any other grill, because it comes with 100% vegetable oil seasoning, with no synthetic chemicals or coatings. The more you use it, the better it will season your food.
The lodge is a company in the US with over 120 years of experience, which makes it a solid and dependable machine for use. It is also certifiable and safe for you and your family. The cast iron is also a high-quality material that is durable and long-lasting.
Lodge’s design of the sportsman grill is modern and elegant, and will definitely enhance the look of your backyard.
Pros:
- Large enough for many people
- Made of high-quality cast iron
- Solid and dependable
- Modern and elegant design
Cons:
- Heavyweight
5. Weber 10020 Smokey Joe 14-Inch Portable Grill
This may be a small grill, but, it is also beautifully designed, and elegant, with a great look. It can hold up to five burgers at once, and it is perfect for a small gathering or a small family. The enameled bowl and lid helps in retaining heat while cooking, plus, it is rust-free and peel-free.
It comes with dampers that help you to control heat and temperatures within the grill. The steel coating is also easy to clean and maintain.
Pros:
- Beautiful design
- Compact and portable
- Rust-free
- Peel-free
- Has heat and temperature control
- Easy to clean
- Reasonably priced
Cons:
- Small
Our friends at Outdoor Grill Review World also have a nice Weber Q1400 Review.
Buying guide
With such a wide variety of charcoal grills in the market, you may have a hard time choosing the best for you. For this reason, we have come up with a few points that you will need to consider when buying the best charcoal grill:
The size:
They do come in different sizes. Some are small while others are big. The size you choose will depend on your needs and the number of people in your household. Remember that when having a barbecue, you want everyone to feed at the same time, so having a small charcoal grill means you must cook two or three times.
You could, however, opt to buy a grill that has more than one burner, so you can cook lots of food simultaneously.
Quality of material:
Whilst it is common to have the grills made of poor materials because they must be portable and lightweight, choose those that have been made of stainless steel as this is much more durable compared to the rest.
Cast iron is also a good material, but it is heavyweight, which means that it is very heavy and may not be as portable as the others. It may also rust easily, so this may discourage you from buying it.
Whichever one you buy, ensure that it will serve you for a good period of time.
Heat and temperature control:
The good grills are able to control heat and temperature within them. They normally have vents that allow a free flow of air, and at the same time, they retain the heat while you grill your food, which means that you can relax and wait for it to cook.
Pay close attention to the vents on a grill while buying them, as you may get one that does not control the air and this would not be ideal for grilling your food.
Lids:
Some grills come with a lid, while others do not. The grill with a lid is much better for you because it gives the food grilling an oven-like effect. This means that the food is cooked evenly from all sides, and minimizes the possibility of undercooked food.
A lid also helps in temperature control, as it retains heat and keeps the food cooked and hot. The lid will also keep the smoke within the grill. Smoke makes food much more flavorful.
Cooking style:
You can either have a grill that cooks directly, or one that cooks indirectly. Direct cooking is where the food is on top of the grill and in direct contact with the heat, while indirect cooking is where you grill the food but not on the fire. The food is within the vicinity of the heat from the grill.
Choose a grill according to the type of cooking you wish to do, but, you can also find one that allows more than one cooking style. These are ideal when you want to change things up once in a while.
Budget:
Pay attention to your budget because some grills can be very expensive. A good plan would be to first identify the kind of grill you want, then look for the exact amount of money, in order to avoid overspending. Remember that the expensive grills may be the best in terms of quality and durability, so do not just look for what is cheap as it may disappoint.
Grill extras:
What comes in terms of extras in your grill may not necessarily affect the cooking style of food quality, but it may make your work much easier. The extras could be a nylon addition to the lead that ensures it remains cool while you cook so you can open and close easily, or some lock on the wheels to ensure the grill doesn’t wheel away with your food cooking.
Ash emptying and cleaning:
Some grills come with an easy ash emptying design, while others do not. It can be quite tedious and demoralizing if you have to keep scooping the ash after each session of cooking and this may keep you from grilling often.
Choose a grill that has a system of easily emptying the ash after cooking. It will make your work much easier.
Customer reviews:
Finally, before buying a big household appliance like a charcoal grill, ensure to read carefully the customer reviews as this will make you understand what to expect in your grill. If a product has poor reviews, then it is not worth buying.
Benefits of Grilling Meat
Most people prefer grilling to frying or baking their meat. Now, other benefits of grilling meat are:
- You actually eat less fat, because when you grill, the excess fat drips off the meat on to the fire, leaving the meat lean and healthy. When you cook the same meat on a pot, the fat has nowhere to go, which means that you end up eating it together with your meat and this can be very unhealthy.
- Grilled vegetables are better than fried veggies. When you grill veggies, you are able to retain their minerals and vitamins, which is the sole reason why we eat vegetables.
- You use less butter: grilling does not require you to use much butter compared to frying, which is a good thing.
Conclusion
Grills are great appliances to have in any household, but ensure to follow strictly the manufacturer’s advice on cleaning and grilling, as this will make the difference between one that will last a long time and one that will rust and be written off in a few months.
Now you have a good understanding of the portable charcoal grills. Let me know in the comments section, which one is your best pick.
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