Yahoo Finance 10 best portable BBQs for an impromptu cookout
What’s better than barbecuing in a garden? Easy: barbecuing on the beach with friends, at a campground with family, or in a field with fellow festival-goers. Grilling on the go encapsulates summer freedom, particularly if you don’t have an outdoor space to call your own.
But in an age where disposable barbecues are bad taste – and, according to some, downright environmentally irresponsible – how do you get your barbecue kicks on the go? The answer: with one of the best portable barbecues out there.
We’ve rounded up the best portable barbecues on the market – each one has been rigorously tested, grilling up a variety of delights, from meats and fish to plant-based proteins and veg. While each ‘cue here will suit different needs, you can be sure they all produce good food, wherever you are.
What makes a top portable barbecue is, to some degree, in the eye of the beholder. Putting aside whether you prefer charcoal or gas – some people have strong opinions on this – what matters is consistency, a decent burn time and the ability to cook simple food (no one expects the same features as a full-sized home barbecue – though you can sometimes get them).
Finally, it should be easy to use, because barbecuing can be stressful enough, even in a familiar setting; when you’re cooking somewhere new and possibly remote, you need your kit to work.
How we tested
“Portable” is largely defined by where you’re going – and how you’re getting there – so as well as a range of styles and price points, we tested barbecues of different sizes and weights. While the heaviest on this list comes in at a chunky 31kg, the lightest barbecue weighs less than 2kg and is small enough to fit in a handbag. These are the ones that made the hot list.
The best portable BBQs for 2022 are:
Best overall – LotusGrill BBQ: £149, Cuckooland.com
Best for foodies – Kamado Joe Jr: £398, Amazon.co.uk
Best for couples – Cobb premier charcoal barbecue grill and carry bag: £169.99, Lakeland.co.uk
Best classic gas – George Foreman GFSBBQ1 portable grill gas BBQ: £69.99, Currys.co.uk
Best for both home and away – Weber traveler gas barbecue: £479, Weber.com
Best for festivals – Tower day tripper BBQ: £39.99, Towerhousewares.co.uk
Best for design geeks – Everdure cube portable BBQ by Heston Blumenthal: £159, Cambridgehomeandgarden.com
Best for campers – BioLite campstove 2+: £135, Gooutdoors.co.uk
Best traditional charcoal barbecue – Weber smokey Joe premium: £93.36, Amazon.co.uk
Best gas innovator – Char-Broil X200 grill2go: £159.99, Bbqworld.co.uk
LotusGrill BBQ
We may sound dramatic, but this grill has revolutionised portable barbecuing. And it’s so easy to use that even grill beginners can’t mess it up.
The main USP? It’s smokeless, or as near as a barbecue can be – making it perfect for crowded beaches or campgrounds where you don’t want to annoy the neighbours. And yet, food still has plenty of flavour: our steak, hake and asparagus gained a lovely, lightly charred profile.
But there’s more. Arriving packed in its own durable carry case, it’s a breeze to tote around – the standard size, which can feed up to five people, weighs just 3.7kg (the mini, for one to two people, weighs 2.8kg). You only need a small amount of charcoal, which means it’s light even when loaded. Though it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll have to use LotusGrill’s own (efficient-burning) charcoal if you want the smokeless effect.
The clincher? Thanks to a built-in fan (powered by batteries or USB), the LotusGrill is ready to cook on in just three to four minutes from when you light it, which is a joy if you’re doing an impromptu cook-out. Isn’t this precisely what portable barbecuing is all about?
Buy now £149.00, Cuckooland.com
Kamado Joe Jr
If you’re into your ‘cue cooking, you’ve probably heard of kamados – these egg-shaped ceramic barbecues are all the rage. The appeal is in their diversity: as well as grills, they can operate like charcoal-fuelled ovens, letting you make everything from slow-cooked brisket to crisp sourdough pizzas and even delicate baked goods. More and more are hitting the market with each passing season, but the well-established Kamado Joe is still top of the pile when it comes to quality brands.
And this, the Joe Jr, is an on-the-go take, so you can prepare restaurant-quality seared steak or roasted lamb leg while perched on a beach or sitting in a park. Admittedly, it isn’t quite as portable as some barbecues (it weighs 31kg, so it is best carried by two people), but it’s light for a kamado, and if you want sterling-quality cooking, it’s worth the effort to transport.
Everything we made on here turned out dreamy: burgers, ribs and even whole chickens were insanely juicy, full of flavour and lightly smoky. The barbecue burned with amazing efficiency (we used Kamado Joe’s own-brand charcoal), and it was super easy to clean (just fire it up to high, and everything burns off). A handy gauge on the front defines temperatures in an easy-to-understand way – think “smoking” zone or “steakhouse searing” zone. That way, you can cook your meal roughly to temperature without having to follow a recipe.
The Kamado Joe Jr is definitely an investment. But with 34cm of cooking space – enough for a least four hefty burgers – endless potential and quality that feels built to last, there’s no reason this couldn’t double as your everyday home barbecue. And when you think of it like that, for keen cooks at least, it’s a worthwhile investment indeed.
Buy now £398.00, Amazon.co.uk
Cobb premier charcoal barbecue grill and carry bag
There’s plenty we love about this cleverly designed charcoal grill, from its lightweight nature (just 3.7kg) to its easy-carry tote cover and its dishwasher-friendly dome, bowl and grill plate. Perfectly practical for two hungry people, the Cobb is stylish too: a winning combo in a portable barbecue.
You don’t need much charcoal to get things going, and it’s easy to light, which means this ‘cue is great for toting to even the most rugged locations – say, a windy beach or the remote corners of a park. And the grill quality is high, too. When we tried cooking a whole chicken, we were rewarded with a nice smoky char, and plenty of juiciness.
That juiciness comes partly from a delightful innovation called the “moat” – an inner sleeve to which you can add a splash of stock, wine or beer, as well as herbs or garlic, to gently infuse your meal with flavour and moisture as it cooks. Say bye-bye to dry burgers, folks.
Buy now £169.99, Lakeland.co.uk
George Foreman GFSBBQ1 portable grill gas BBQ
There’s more to the George Foreman brand than its kitchen grill – if you didn’t know, it also makes barbecues. And whether you’re grilling at a friend’s garden party or setting up a temporary burger zone at a hired holiday home, this faff-free buy will get the job done. Its sturdy legs and raised base make it perfect for setting up on outdoor tables – no need to worry about scorching any surfaces – and, because it’s fuelled by gas, it heats up quickly so you can start eating sooner.
Given the sizeable surface area (we reckon you could grill enough food for a couple of families in one go), the 7.5kg weight is decent. But do note that its slightly bulky frame means you’ll probably need to transport it by car rather than, say, in a camping rucksack.
The thermostat on the front is a welcome extra feature, letting you cook your burgers, wings and even fillets of fish with a bit more finesse. There’ll be no singed sausages here.
Buy now £69.99, Currys.co.uk
Weber traveler gas barbecue
We know what you’re thinking: that doesn’t look like a portable barbecue. But therein lies the genius of the Weber Traveler. When in use, it looks like a standard garden model, with a full-sized grill and handy waist-high grilling height. But, the rest of the time, it folds down flat so you can easily pop it in a car boot or store it in the corner of a garage. In other words, you can buy this barbecue for home, then pack it with you when you go away.
It’s easy to get it where you want it, too – grippy wheels zip you breezily to your barbecue spot, even if it means tackling uneven terrain such as beach paths. When you’ve found the perfect place, all you have to do is unhook the latch, pull the grill upwards and hey presto: it’s barbecue o’clock.
If you’re an impatient griller, the Traveler has other redeeming features. It’s fuelled by gas, not charcoal, so it heats up fast. There’s space to sizzle more than a dozen burgers in one go, so no one is waiting around hungry. And, being Weber, it’s compatible with a full arsenal of fantastic barbecue accessories. We especially appreciate the built-in tool hooks, perfect for hanging your tongs or burger flipper while dinner sizzles away.
Buy now £479.00, Weber.com
Tower day tripper BBQ
Sometimes you don’t want a portable barbecue full of bells and whistles; you just want something light, compact and simple to use. Enter the Day Tripper, a gadget that looks like a slim 9cm briefcase but opens up into a charcoal-fuelled ‘cue. And not a teeny tiny one either: there’s enough grill real estate here to cook for at least two or three hungry people.
This is the perfect barbecue to bring along to a festival. It’s a breeze to carry in one hand, quick to set up, straightforward to clean and durable (it even comes with a three-year warranty). When it’s not in use, it can be folded up and kept out of sight in your tent or packed in a suitcase, so you don’t need to worry about it disappearing when you head off to catch your favourite festival act, either.
Buy now £39.99, Towerhousewares.co.uk
Everdure cube portable BBQ by Heston Blumenthal
When it comes to good-looking portable barbecues, we can’t look past Heston Blumenthal’s cube. It’s so slick it almost feels like a fashion accessory.
And, as you might expect from Heston, the design is clever too. A sizeable white tray – perfect for storing pre-cook ingredients or post-barbecue waste – stacks on the barbecue base, followed by a bamboo serving board. With everything packed into one tidy parcel, there’s no need to lug separate cool boxes or even plates (though we can’t help but feel like they’ve missed a trick by not making the board safe for cutting on).
As you’d expect, it cooks very well too, though the heat faded a smidge faster than expected during our testing. Channel your inner Heston and try slow-cooking over gentler “indirect” heat by shifting the coals into different (Blumenthal-approved) formations.
Buy now £159.00, Cambridgehomeandgarden.com
BioLite campstove 2+
This brilliant little camping stove – light, clever and multi-purpose – is a must-have for hikers and, er, campers. And while you’ll have to buy it separately, a portable grill attachment (£54, Gooutdoors.co.uk) instantly transforms it into a barbecue to suit anyone.
Using wood and firelighters, you get it going as you might a normal fire. But then, the fire’s energy charges an attached battery – in turn, powering a fan to sustain grilling and charge your electronic devices. That means when you’re out in the wilds, you can do away with other power banks; just pack this two-in-one.
When you’re ready to get moving again, it’s easy to extinguish and cools to a pack-away temperature fast. And at less than 2kg, including the grill attachment, it’s as feather-light as it gets. The only thing you’ll have to consider is sourcing fuel – dried wood only – at each cook.
Buy now £135.00, Gooutdoors.co.uk
Weber smokey Joe premium
When it comes to portable barbecues, this is Old Reliable. Launched by barbecue giant Weber in the 1950s, it has evolved somewhat, but the smokey Joe kettle-style charcoal barbecue remains simple, sturdy and durable. Unlike some other ‘cues, you can be a bit neglectful – drop it on the sand, toss it in the boot, expose it to the elements – and still, it’ll keep on working hard for you.
The Premium model differs from the standard in one notable way: it comes with a lid lock, making it easier to tote about (basically, you only need one hand, rather than two). This doubles up as a lid holder, ideal when you want to keep it off the ground or shelter your grill from the wind.
Some assembly is required, but it’s nothing massively daunting. When it’s up and ready, just make sure you use good-quality (preferably Weber) charcoal. With such a simple design, the flavour of your food depends largely on your fuel.
Buy now £93.36, Amazon.co.uk
Char-Broil X200 grill2go
It’s not the most attractive barbecue there ever was – there’s an air of toolkit about it – but this 15kg gas barbecue delivers in both performance and flavour. By keeping an eye on the lid’s handy temperature gauge and adjusting heat as needed, we ended up with honey-mustard chicken breast that was decadently juicy.
We loved the innovative ribbed grill – which keeps heat distributed evenly, prevents flare-ups and doesn’t let any precious morsels slip through. On other barbecues, green beans or small shallots would easily be sacrificed to the flames, but we whipped up both without a single casualty. The grill’s only downside? We found it a bit trickier to clean than standard jail-bar styles.
Buy now £159.99, Bbqworld.co.uk
The verdict: Portable BBQs
Affordable, light, easy to use and quick to set up, the clever LotusGrill is a brilliant buy for most people. We can’t think of an occasion when we wouldn’t want to cook on this.
Got a bigger budget and looking for a barbecue that can be used in your home garden as well as on the go? It’s a toss-up between the Kamado Joe Jr and the Weber traveler – the best buy will depend on whether you prefer to cook over charcoal or gas.
Finally, the BioLite campstove 2+ is amazingly light and adaptable if you want something super compact. And small enough to tuck into your travel rucksack.
For more summer must-haves, read our round-up of the best picnic blankets
