Portable Grill Guide - Cooking In The Great Outdoors

Pretty self explanatory but here goes anyway. A portable BBQ or grill is basically a smaller version of that big black mechanical cooking beast on your patio. A good one is small enough to fit in your car but has a big enough cooking surface to cook a decent amount of food. There's no point in having a sweet little grill at a beach party if you can only cook two hotdogs at a time on it. In this hub, I'll make an attempt to outline all you need to know about portable grills and BBQ's. We'll talk about where you can use these little beauties and different types of grills available. There isn't much to consider but it's good to have a general idea of what your before making a purchase.  I'll also point you in the direction of some solid online sources to buy these great little products. Hungry yet?

You can use these things pretty much anywhere. There are some restrictions when it comes to charcoal grills used in public spaces but I've always seen these bylaws as mere suggestions. That said, you must be extremely careful when grilling outdoors. This is particularly true during the dry summer months when you're surrounded by extremely flammable leaves and branches. Take it easy folks, and make sure you don't leave anything behind. Here are a few of my favorite places to set up a temporary patio of sorts:

Picnics

Picnics are the perfect getaway from the grind of daily life. They're great because you don't need more than a half day to do it. Pack up your BBQ and a cooler full of meat and veggies and hit the local park! I find that it's worth researching some parks in your area before setting off.  Look for an area that's good for a BBQ.  Having a picnic table on site is a huge bonus but you'll probably want to get to the park early if you plan on getting one.  Obviously there's no reservations allowed and it's a first come first serve type of deal...  If you don't have a picnic table, it's not the end of the world.  Just make sure that's there's a fair bit of flat land to set your grill down on.  Consider the weather as well...  If it's scorching hot you'll probably want to find a place with ample shade.

Camping

Portable grills were made for camping.  Often these little units are even referred to as "camping" stoves or BBQ's.  Many of the "picnic" rules outlined above apply to camping as well.  Google the campsite before getting there.  Some places may outlaw certain types of BBQ's and you don't want to get burned... Sorry about that.

The Backyard

My wife and I don't have a very big place so we actually use a portable gas grill as our BBQ.  The Weber units, in particular, are great for patio use.  You can buy all sorts of accessories like rolling carts that fold up into a proper stand.  This way you'll get the best of both worlds!  We also got ourselves an adapter that allows our grill to work with two types of propane tanks.  Now when we're at home, we use the big white refillable tanks instead of the disposal little green rockets.

Grills of the portable variety basically fall into three main caterogories.  We have electric, gas and charcoal based units.  All three of these have good and bad things about them.  Here's a quick breakdown of the three types" 

This is the simplest most basic type of grill available. It's often referred to as a hibachi. This unit is basically just a cast iron bathtub looking thing with grill on top. All you have to use it is get some charcoal going inside then throw your food on the grill. Purists love these because they can add wood chips to the mix and really add some flavor. They aren't the most convenient option however. If you bring one of these to the park, you'll also need a bag of charcoal and some starters as well. They're also more of a hassle to start than their gas and electric counterparts. If you want to go this route, make sure your safe. Always confirm that the coals are completely burned out before leaving the site.

This is the most common type of grill used today.  They're easy to use, not too heavy and provide a nice even heat to cook on.  Cooking at a picnic is pretty straightforward with these guys as well.  All you need is a couple little "torpedoes" of propane and your BBQ accessories.  It's also a more "low key" than the charcoal units.  It doesn't throw a lot of smoke and thus won't draw nasty looks from fellow picnickers.  Safety is a bit of a concern with all gas units.  Make sure that everything that should be sealed is sealed.  If you hear a hissing sound but don't see any flames, turn off the BBQ immediately.  Wait five minutes or so before trying to start it again.  As I mentioned above, Weber makes a fantastic portable BBQ.  I couldn't be happier with mine!

When it comes to electric grills, there's only one name you need to know - George Foreman! We've all seen the ads so I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. Now, despite his crappy infomercials, George actually makes a pretty decent product! The surface is heated evenly so your food will cook well. It's also really the only type of grill that's OK for indoor use. If you're not a big fan of the whole picnic thing, you may want to look at one of these little gems. Of course, if you do like to eat outside, the George Foreman grill may not be right for you. Unless of course you know of a park that has an abundance of electrical outlets...

I hope you found my little guide somewhat useful.  Check out some of the sweet deals from Amazon below.  Please feel free to leave a comment as well.  I'm sure we all have some pretty sweet outdoor grilling stories.  Let's hear 'em!