Portable Charcoal Grills

CSG

Explorer
Meat over wood can't be beat. I have a good propane grill at home but when I want flavor it's gotta be wood.
Using a grill like a propane Weber and cooking it with the grill closed, meat has the same smoky goodness as cooked with wood. The flavor comes from meat juices dripping and vaporizing into smoke, not the wood itself. If you want applewood or mesquite flavor, add some in a pan. The only time I use coals is, well, never anymore.

I bought the UCO flatpack grill myself but as much for a possible firepit as grill. Haven't had a chance to do much with it as chivi has screwed up a lot of travel plans. Maybe this fall.
 

Captramrod01

New member
In case anyone is still trying to figure out a charcoal grill solution we went cheap and got a Weber go anywhere.


If you cut the grill grate in half you can pack the grill with everything you need similar to what you see in that video. We line the bottom with foil which makes clean up quick. The chimney starter gets you grilling in less than 15 minutes and the grill is relatively thin so it cools down fast when you are done.

We don’t take it every time but sometimes the gas griddle just doesn’t cut it.
 
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The wife ordered this one, I fully expected to be poo, but I really like it. Its held up well, folds flat and is only $20. Now that we are empty nesters I use it pretty often at home, only needs a good handful of charcoal. In fact I roasted tomatillos, an onion, two ears of corn and two pork chops on one hopper full of coals. All while standing in the pool with a beer in hand.

 
In case anyone is still trying to figure out a charcoal grill solution we went cheap and got a Weber go anywhere.


If you cut the grill grate in half you can pack the grill with everything you need similar to what you see in that video. We line the bottom with foil which makes clean up quick. The chimney starter gets you grilling in less than 15 minutes and the grill is relatively thin so it cools down fast when you are done.

We don’t take it every time but sometimes the gas griddle just doesn’t cut it.
You know you can cook on the chimney starter, saw Alton Brown do it one time and it blew my mind.
 

WSS

Rock Stacker
Absolutely a wood fire over a grill, best option especially not having to clean my Coleman grill after. That part is no fun. For wood flavor at home we have a smoker.

I bought a santa maria grill after wuhan hit. Hardly go out to eat now. Found a pickup truck bed full of red oak on offer up too. I mix it up with mesquite and hickory once in a while.



 

WSS

Rock Stacker
Using a grill like a propane Weber and cooking it with the grill closed, meat has the same smoky goodness as cooked with wood. The flavor comes from meat juices dripping and vaporizing into smoke, not the wood itself. If you want applewood or mesquite flavor, add some in a pan. The only time I use coals is, well, never anymore.

I bought the UCO flatpack grill myself but as much for a possible firepit as grill. Haven't had a chance to do much with it as chivi has screwed up a lot of travel plans. Maybe this fall.


Give some mesquite charcoal a try, you will give up "LP" flavor for good. It can be a bit "sparky", so use in a safe area.
 

WSS

Rock Stacker
The UCO grill arrived.I like it, just what we need. Here are some info mercial pics.

Right from amazon:



The BBQ bag it needs to fit in:



The old grill (which needed rocks stacked to make use of):



Old next to new:



Out and assembled, even comes with a hot grill lifter:



The bag it fits in is OK,I have better canvas bags:



All zipped up, a little room left buy not much. I widdled this down from a Pelican 1550 that was full. All total I shaved 30lbs off my rear rack the last go around.



And it fits, even with the bag. The folks at ATC are either lucky or put a lot of thought into their product:



The cutting board still fits, I was able to fit my extra baking paper and aluminum foil in there too.



Here is where the BBQ kit rides now:





Even has picnic blanket in there:



Blanket removed to show off grill kit:








;
 

CSG

Explorer
Give some mesquite charcoal a try, you will give up "LP" flavor for good. It can be a bit "sparky", so use in a safe area.
What makes you think I haven't in my decades of grilling? I use a Weber LP grill for a reason now.
 

BritKLR

Kapitis Indagatoris
The UCO grill arrived.I like it, just what we need. Here are some info mercial pics.

Right from amazon:



The BBQ bag it needs to fit in:



The old grill (which needed rocks stacked to make use of):



Old next to new:



Out and assembled, even comes with a hot grill lifter:



The bag it fits in is OK,I have better canvas bags:



All zipped up, a little room left buy not much. I widdled this down from a Pelican 1550 that was full. All total I shaved 30lbs off my rear rack the last go around.



And it fits, even with the bag. The folks at ATC are either lucky or put a lot of thought into their product:



The cutting board still fits, I was able to fit my extra baking paper and aluminum foil in there too.



Here is where the BBQ kit rides now:





Even has picnic blanket in there:



Blanket removed to show off grill kit:








;

Love it! Awesome photos and write-up! Thanks!
I haven't had a chance to use my UCO grill yet so look forward to seeing your thoughts on yours.

BTW, The CampKitchen also makes a great kitchen/Bar but not sure if the UCO would still fit but a hobo grill does! Cheers.

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