Three Recommended Portable Gas Grills

Every year we see great new grills being put on the market.  Read on for my favorites from the last few years, in three different prices ranges.

Economic

portable gas grill weber go anywhere

Weber Go-Anywhere Portable Gas Grill
This is a simple grill, without many frills or gimmicks.  However, it is still a Weber, so you know it’s going to be good quality, and coming in at about $55, it is also a great budget option.

The Weber Go Anywhere, can be taken anywhere, just as the name suggests.  The legs swivel into handles, and its light weight design makes it easy to carry to different places.  The grill is fairly sturdy, and has a decent amount of cooking space (160 sq in).   The heat is distributed evenly, so works well for grilling.

There are a few disadvantages with this weber.  The cooking grill is made of steel, so is not always easy to clean, and the spaces are a little large, so pieces of food can fall through.  Also, it does not sit as sturdy as some of the most expensive portable grills on the market.

All in all, this grill is a great value.  For less than $60, you are getting a grill that will probably meet your needs if you are camping or going to the beach.    However, I would not recommend it for tailgating, for which you might want something a little more elaborate, and that you don´t have to worry about weight.

Somewhere in the Middle

portable gas grill toolbox grill

The Tool Box Grill
This grill first caught my eye for its coolness factor.  It looks just like a tool box, so it’s pretty fun to carry it around.  However, more importantly, it’s not just a nice looking grill, its performance is also excellent.

The Tool Box bbq is easily transportable, which I find is its greatest advantage.  You just close the box, clip it shut, and you´re ready to.    The grilling area is 173 sq/in, which is quite large for a portable grill.  It’s plenty powerful with a burner that generates 10,000 BTU.   And you get all of this in a package that weighs less than 20 lbs.

There are two things I don´t like about the Tool Box grill.  One is that there are no side tables, which can be really handy when you´re out camping or hunting.  Many of the other grills in this price range do have some sort of table available.  I also do not like the quality of the grill.  It is porcelain coated and therefore easy to clean, but it is thin and wiry….once you´ve used the Weber Q-120, it just doesn´t quite cook as nice.

In general, this is definitely a great grill if you need to be lugging one around with you.  I highly recommend it for camping, hunting, or taking out to a park, and it works pretty decent for tailgating as well.  Most importantly, it’s a great value, only around $85.

The Bomb

portable gas grill weber q120

Weber Q-120
This grill is a true beauty.  If you have the money to spend, and you like to grill away from home, this is the one to go with.  Not only is it fun to use, it’s a great size, and you´ll definitely impress your friends with its design.

The tagline for this Weber is “small on size but big on performance.”  This is about right, as the Q-120 is definitely a great performing grill.  My favorite thing about the Weber Q-120 is the huge (189 sq/in) porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grate.  Not only is it durable and easy to clean, I must say steaks cook beautifully on this!!  So much nicer than the cheap, wiry grills you often get on portable grills.  This Weber also has two fold out tables, which are very useful when you´re cooking away from home.  The grill is powered by your standard 14 and 16 inch travel size propane tanks, but if you prefer a 20 oz, you can use an adapter.   This grill is rock solid, and with a name like Weber, you know its going to be durable.  The only downside to this grill is it is quite heavy, but that will not be a problem if you are transporting it by car.  It is also very expensive for a portable grill, selling for around $200. However, it makes a great option if you’re serious about grilling – whether its camping, hunting, or day trips.

**There is also a Q-220 grill that is nearly identical, but slightly larger and more powerful**

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Gas Grill or Charcoal

Summer has arrived, which means lots of time spent outside. One of the best things about summer, is spending time in the great outdoors, lighting up the barbeque, and cooking up a delicious grilled meal. If you are spending time outside and away from your home, you are probably considering the purchase of a portable grill. You basically have two choices when it comes down to selecting a portable barbeque, either a portable charcoal grill or a portable gas grill. They are both great options, depending on your requirements. If you are trying to decide which one would be better, read on and I´ll try to answer that question for you.

gas or charcoal
Here is a list of question you will need to ask yourself to help you decide.

1. Are you an experienced griller?
A portable gas grill is far easier to cook with than a charcoal grill. If you are new to grilling, you definitely want to choose this option. When cooking with gas, you have a lot more control over the cooking temperature. You can quickly change the grill from very hot, to not so hot, and vice versa. With charcoal, you are not able to change the heat, only the distance of the food from the grill.

2. How important is convenience?
Natural gas grills are ultra convenient. Lighting one is easy, even if it is raining outside. Charcoal, on the other hand, can be very difficult to light, and nearly impossible if it’s raining. It is also much dirtier. Charcoal always seems to get everywhere, including all over your clothes, and the builds up black soot. Cleaning a gas involves little more than a quick scrape with a cleaning brush.

3. How important is cost?
Natural gas grills tend to be more expensive the portable charcoal grills. This is because they are more difficult to make. A charcoal grill is basically a grill on top of a metal container. On the other hand, a gas grill is a little more intricate, because of the gas. This makes it more expensive.

steaks on charcoal

4. How important is the flavor?
Charcoal, without a doubt, cooks the most flavorful food. The smoke from the charcoal lends a great smokey flavor to the food that is being grilled, and really makes for a flavorful steak, chicken, pork chop. A true barbequing purist will always choose charcoal over gas. Natural gas is easy to cook with, however it does not add flavor to the food it is cooking.

5. Are you concerned about polluting the environment?
When it comes to the envirobnment, the debate between charcoal and gas basically comes down to which one is LESS damaging. Believe it or not, charcoal is worse for the environment than propane. Most charcoal is made from petroleum, sodium nitrate, and coal dust. When it burns, this all goes into the einvironment, Although propane is in no way good for the environment, it does pollute significantly less than charcoal.

So there you have it. When you are trying to decide what type of grill to look for, ask yourself these five questions. They should help narrow it down for you, and you´ll then be ready to start looking for a particular type of grill.

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Cooking with an Outdoor Gas Grill

Cooking on a bas gas bbq is actually one of the easiest ways to cook meat. This is because you can easily control the temperature, and flare ups are not hard to control. Read on how to successfully cook different meat products on the grill.

Burgers, Steaks, Chicken Breasts, Pork Chops (basically all cuts of meat without a bone).

The first and most important thing to do is light up the grill, keep the lid closed, and make sure it gets as hot as it goes. Clean the grill as good as you possibly can. While all this is happening, keep your meat out of the fridge. It will cook much better if it is at room temperature. Once the grill is heated, and your meat is at room temperature, you´re ready to start grilling! If you have a basting brush, put a bit of vegetable oil on it, and spread that over the grill. If you don´t have oil or a brush, you can cut a piece of fat off of your meat, and use that. This will help your meat to seal quickly when it touches the grill.

Next step – throw your meat on the grill. Close the grill, and let your meat cook for one minute. Open the grill, flip your meat, and close the grill again. Turn the heat down to medium low (or medium if you don´t have much time). The idea for the high heat at the beginning is to ensure the meat is seared on both sides. By doing so, you will keep all the delicious juices inside. However, it is super important to turn the heat down after the meat has been seared, or you will dry it out while it cooks. We all know how disappointing a big juicy steak or chicken breast is if its dried out.

Continue cooking the meat until it is finished, at low temperature. If you do not have much experience grilling, get yourself a nice meat thermometer, which is a great grilling accessory.  Using it will help you to know when your food is finished cooking, without having to cut it open.   This is very important, because cooking your food for too long will also dry it out.

Fish and vegetables

Fish and vegetables are usually cooked in tin foil, because they do not cook well right on top of the grill (although a few vegetables such as peppers, corn, and onions can be cooked using either method). The barbecue should be preheated to medium heat. You can then place the fish and vegetables on the grill. Keep it covered int the tin foil the whole time, which will help to keep it moist. Once it has passed the correct amount of time, check to see if it is done, and remove.

Another very popular method for cooking certain pieces of fish is on a piece of cedar, but we´ll touch that on another post.

Other
You can cook just about anything on a grill, you just have to know how. For example, most appetizers or snacks need to be heated, and you can easily do this on your grill by heating them up. Wrap them in tin foil, and stick ‘em in the grill until they are warm. Other appetizers, such as skewered prawns, sausages, or chicken tots, can be grilled by direct fire.

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