Choosing the Best Tailgating Grill

Tailgating time inspires the barbeque fancier in us all. I particularly love to throw a few brats on the grill and toss on a few burgers for the children. Then we can kickback and chill out while the grill does the cooking. However not all tailgating grills are up for the task. A weak or messy grill just won’t accomplish the job. Thank goodness, there are some top-notch portable grills for tailgating that are simple to use and won’t create a huge mess.

Two I really love are the Weber Q 220 and the Weber Smokey Joe. Both of these barbecues are neat and portable, with tons of cooking room but without the hassles of lesser grills. Let’s face it, Weber has been making some of the best grills available for decades. Weber knows their stuff – and they are made in the USA. These days, that means a lot.

So, why buy a Weber for tailgating? Which Weber fits your needs?

The Weber Smokey Joe Gold is the yardstick in portable charcoal grills. Most important, this grill gets sizzling and grills to perfection. The well-designed venting system is a huge step up above the Weber Silver, since it won’t get all messed up with debris. You need a good air flow to properly cook on a charcoal grill, and Weber’s kettle design and great venting system do the trick beautifully. The Gold version of the Smokey Joe is also really nice because the lid locks on for travel – no more charcoal all over the inside of your car. The lid lock doubles as a windscreen so the wind won’t blow ashes all over your food.

The Weber Q 220 is a gas barbeque. You can use it with the little camping propane tanks or get the hose attachment and use a twenty pound tank. It has a huge grilling surface and a cast iron grate so you can be sure your steaks will sear, not boil. The engineering is flawless, allowing great airflow and focused heat so it heats up fast. You can be sure it will get hot fast so you can barbeque to your heart’s content and still be on time for the game. All you need to do is turn it off and let it cool off, so there is no wait for the charcoal to extinguish.

No matter which grill you favor, you can rest assured you will get the quality that will last and the design that makes it easy to use. Tailgating with a great grill is just a whole lot more fun. Now, if you need to grill on a balcony without flame, you need a Weber electric grill. But for tailgating, these two can’t be beat.