If you're an apartment dweller without a lot of storage space, a portable grill can be a huge help. Equally useful on a patio or at a picnic, most are compact enough to store in a kitchen cabinet. This list of eight options includes a mix of charcoal and gas grills. If you want more information on which type of grill is right for you, check out this post for tips to help you choose. Make sure to do some comparison shopping online, as prices vary slightly from store to store.
Fuego: The Kitchn reviewed their new portable Element gas grill ($150) and reports, "It fits several burgers, a mass of kebabs, or a whole pound of asparagus in one shot without needing to revert to batches." On the downside, it heats a little unevenly.
Weber:The charcoal Smokey Joe ($35-$40) has a cooking grate that's about 14 inches in diameter (big enough for several burgers) and the lid locks down for carrying. It comes with a 10-year limited warranty.
Lodge: The Sportsman Grill ($80+) is a heavy-duty camp grill with two adjustable heights for cooking over charcoal. The design uses heavy cast iron walls to retain consistent heat, but cleaning can be a bit of a pain.
Bodum: Their charcoal Fyrkat Grill ($60) comes in four colors (black, yellow, green, and red), and it's about 15 inches in diameter — a good size for grilling vegetables or a few burgers. Made from enamel-coated steel, it's a bright, fun option.
Well Traveled Living: They make several good-looking portable grills, but their most popular model is the folding Hotspot Notebook Charcoal Grill ($25-$35). It has a grilling surface about 18 x 12 inches, and it folds flat into a depth of just one inch.
Eva Solo: The Eva Solo Table Grill ($360) is a sleek design that has a wooden trivet base. Made from porcelain, it's the most modern of the bunch, with an interior protected by a stainless steel lining that holds the charcoal briquettes.
Cobb: Their charcoal Premier Portable Grill ($150) is made of stainless steel with a dome-shaped lid and a double-walled based that "circulates heat in a convection style" for up to 3 hours. The cooking surface is on the small side, at 12 inches in diameter.
Solaire: This SOL-IR17B Portable Grill($325) is a propane model made from stainless steel. It uses an infared burner, which helps the grill to heat up super fast. With 155 square inches of cooking surface, it's one of the largest on this list.
- Originally written and posted by Sarah Coffey for Apartment Therapy Marketplace
Related: How To Shop for an Outdoor Grill
(Image: Emma Christensen)
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I'd love to hear if any Kitchn readers use the Notebook grill and have comments on it. I've considered getting a Smokey Joe, but we really have nowhere to store it. I could definitely find room for the Notebook grill, but would it be worth it? It looks a little flimsy.
We just bought a Weber Q100, one of the tabletop gas grills. We heard nothing but good things about it, even though it was more than we wanted to spend. Only used it twice, but so far it's been great.
I live abroad in an apartment without a balcony/porch. I'm debating investing in a small grill or grill pan. can anyone weigh in on the benefits/problems with either? does a grill pan really work? i could grill outside in the common area, but i'll likely get a lot of stares/can't do it at night. any advice on grilling without a real grill would be appreciated!
I recently did some vetting of various charcoal grills. While I've been very pleased by my Weber Q-Series portable gas grill, I wanted to try my hand at charcoal grilling.
What I eventually settled on was the Old Smokey #14.
The Smokey Joe is very well respected and durable.
The Lodge is very similar to what I'm using now, but it has no cover or wind-shield, and is kind of a pain to clean. The one I have been using has been very poorly maintained, and it's encrusted with difficult-to-remove gunk.
The Cobb has a lot going for it: touchable exterior, very versatile cooking abilities, and very efficient with charcoal. Unfortunately, it's very slow to cook and too expensive.
I suppose I don't really have a good reason for choosing Old Smokey over the Smokey Joe. I like the look. I like the large lid. I hear it's very stable. It's got great reviews, and lasts forever, resisting the elements pretty well. It wasn't very expensive (though I did have to pay shipping). It's still in transit, so I can't even speak of my initial impressions yet.
I've been grilling every afternoon, though, so I should have some suitable comparison fodder between a hibachi-style grill and the Old Smokey ere too long.
As an aside, while I was at Home Depot the other day (and this was kind of the impetus for my purchase of the Old Smokey), I saw the and I was impressed. I liked the solid construction and the cast-iron grate. Unfortunately, after some more research, I found that many of the Char-Griller products suffer from premature rusting out, and decided it would be prudent to look elsewhere. But that was my number one choice, initially.
Hibachi! Why no love for the Son of Hibachi!