The Best Portable Charcoal Grills for 2026
The portable charcoal grills you can buy in the UK in 2026, checked against the makers' specifications and current UK prices. The best ones still have a lid and a working damper, which is what separates a real portable grill from a tray of coals.
For most people the best portable charcoal grill in the UK is the Weber Smokey Joe Premium, at about £85. It is a small kettle with a lid, three dampers and a lid lock that doubles as a carry handle, so it can cook indirect as well as sear. The Weber Go-Anywhere packs flatter and its rectangular grate suits sausages and skewers better. For a table, a boat or a balcony, the Cobb Premier AIR and the LotusGrill both stay cool on the outside.
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| Grill | Best for | Cooking area | Heat range | Indicative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weber Smokey Joe Premium 37cm | Best portable charcoal grill | 37cm grate, 948 cm² | Not stated by Weber | See shop |
| Weber Go-Anywhere | Best for camping and tailgating | 42 x 26cm grate, 1,032 cm² | 150 to 315°C (300 to 600°F) | See shop |
| Cobb Premier AIR | Best for tables and boats | Not stated | Not stated | See shop |
| LotusGrill Classic | Best for balconies | 32cm grid | Not stated | See shop |
| Kamado Joe Joe Jr | Best for smoking away from home | 34cm grate | 105 to 400°C (225 to 750°F) | See shop |
Weber Smokey Joe Premium 37cm
A real kettle at 37cm, with a domed lid, three aluminium dampers and a Tuck-N-Carry lid lock that turns into a carry handle. Because it has a proper lid and vents, you can bank the coals and cook indirect, which most small grills cannot do.
- Lid and dampers, so it can cook indirect
- Lid lock doubles as a carry handle
- Light at 5.5 kg
- Comes in three colours
- Small grate, so bigger groups mean cooking in batches
- Small cool side for two-zone cooking
- Needs a heatproof surface underneath
Weber Go-Anywhere
A rectangular firebox with legs that fold up and clamp the lid shut. It packs flat, survives being thrown in a car, and its rectangle suits sausages and skewers better than a circle.
- Packs completely flat, legs clamp the lid
- Rectangular grate suits skewers and sausages
- Two-piece grate lets you add coals mid-cook
- Nearly indestructible
- Shallow body limits two-zone cooking
- Not suited to long low temperature cooks
Cobb Premier AIR
A small domed cooker whose outer body stays cool enough to touch while the fire burns inside, so it can sit on a table, a deck or a boat. Six briquettes run it for up to three and a half hours, according to the seller.
- Outside stays cool, so it can stand on a table
- Very little charcoal for a long cook
- Comes with a carry bag
- Parts go in the dishwasher
- Small cooking area
- Grill size not stated by the maker's UK sellers
- Pricier than a small kettle
LotusGrill Classic
A table grill with a small battery fan under the charcoal holder. The fan gets it hot in under five minutes on a handful of lump charcoal, the outer bowl stays cool, and it makes very little smoke. The fan runs on four AA batteries or USB power.
- Ready to cook in under five minutes
- Very little smoke
- Outer bowl stays cool
- Light and easy to carry
- No lid unless you buy the hood, so no indirect cooking
- Needs batteries or USB power for the fan
- Small charcoal load, so it suits short cooks
Kamado Joe Joe Jr
A small ceramic kamado on a cast-iron stand. It holds a low smoking temperature for hours and reaches pizza heat, which no other grill here can do. At 31 kg it is portable in the sense that it fits in a car boot, not in the sense that you can carry it far.
- Holds low temperatures for long smoking cooks
- Wide range, from about 105°C (225°F) to 400°C (750°F)
- Thick ceramic is barely affected by weather
- Lifetime warranty on the ceramic parts
- Heavy at 31 kg
- Far more expensive than a kettle
- Ceramic can crack if dropped
How we chose the 2026 list
Every grill above was checked against its maker's specifications and a current UK price on 28 October 2026. We left out grills that are hard to buy here. The Weber Jumbo Joe, which topped this list before, is not listed by Weber UK and we could not find a UK retailer selling it. The PK Grills PKGO was out of stock with no restock date, and we found no UK stockist for the Lodge Sportsman's Pro. Prices change often, so check the retailer before you buy.
What to look for in a portable charcoal grill
A lid and a damper
A grill with a lid and at least one vent can cook with the lid down, which means you can bank the coals to one side and cook a chicken or a thick steak through without burning it. Without a lid, a portable can only cook small, thin things directly over the coals. Our guide to the two-zone fire explains how this works on a small grill.
Weight and how it carries
Look at how the grill closes up as well as what it weighs. A lid that locks to the bowl, like the Smokey Joe's, or legs that clamp it shut, like the Go-Anywhere's, means the grill travels as one piece with the ash inside. Most portables here weigh 4 to 7 kg. The Kamado Joe Jr, at 31 kg, is the exception.
Grate size
The Go-Anywhere's 42 x 26cm grate has about 9 percent more area than the Smokey Joe Premium's 37cm circle, 1,032 cm² against 948 cm². Its rectangle also fits long food such as sausages and skewers without wasting space at the edges.
Where you will use it
Most portable grills get hot underneath and on the outside of the bowl, so they need a heatproof surface such as paving or a stone slab. The Cobb and the LotusGrill are built so the outside stays cool, which is why they are the ones to choose for a table, a wooden deck or a boat.
Weight and carrying compared
| Grill | Weight | Lid | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weber Smokey Joe Premium 37cm | 5.5 kg | Yes, locks for carrying | £84.99 |
| Weber Go-Anywhere | 6.8 kg | Yes, legs clamp it shut | £114.99 |
| Cobb Premier AIR | About 4 kg | Yes | £186.99 |
| LotusGrill Classic | About 3.7 kg | Hood sold separately | £175 |
| Kamado Joe Joe Jr | 31 kg | Yes, ceramic | £424 |
Prices and weights from the makers and UK retailers, checked 28 October 2026.
Other portable grills we looked at
- Weber Smokey Joe 37cm, the original without the lid lock, was £65.87 in Weber UK's outlet section. It may be on its way out, so the Premium is the safer buy.
- Everdure Cube, £126.65 at Direct Stoves. A neat charcoal box with a storage tray and a bamboo board, but the board is a carry lid rather than a cooking hood, so it only cooks direct.
- Big Green Egg MiniMax, £925 at Big Green Egg UK. A very good small kamado, but at 35 kg it is even heavier than the Joe Jr.
- Weber Jumbo Joe. Still sold in other countries, but not by Weber UK.
How much charcoal does a portable grill need?
About half a chimney for searing and a third of a chimney banked to one side for a two-zone fire, on a 36 to 46cm (14 to 18 inch) grill. The Cobb and the LotusGrill are designed for much smaller loads: a few briquettes in the Cobb and up to 200g of lump in the LotusGrill. How much charcoal to use has the full table.
Using a portable charcoal grill safely
Never use a charcoal grill inside a tent, a caravan, a car or any other enclosed space, even after you have finished cooking. Burning charcoal gives off carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Let the coals go out completely before you pack the grill away, and check the rules before using one on a balcony, in a park or on a beach. Our grill safety post covers the rest.
Common questions
What is the best portable charcoal grill in the UK?
For most people, the Weber Smokey Joe Premium 37cm. It is light, cheap and has a proper lid and dampers. The Weber Go-Anywhere is the better choice if you cook a lot of sausages and skewers.
Can you use a portable charcoal grill on a table?
Only one designed for it. The Cobb Premier AIR and the LotusGrill stay cool on the outside. Kettles and box grills get hot underneath and need a heatproof surface.
Can I take a charcoal grill camping?
Yes, as long as you use it outside, well away from tents, and let it cool completely before packing it. Never bring a charcoal grill into a tent, even when it seems to have gone out.
Is a portable charcoal grill big enough for a family?
For a small family, usually yes, and for bigger groups you can cook in batches. The Go-Anywhere has the largest grate of the lightweight grills here.
How we chose
This site does not run a test kitchen, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. What follows is where these recommendations come from.
Every pick is built from manufacturer specifications, the published findings of outlets that do run structured testing, long-running owner communities, and a working knowledge of what each format is physically capable of. Where a cooker has a known weakness it is listed in the Against column, including on the models we recommend most.
Nothing is ranked by a score out of ten, because a portable grill and a ceramic kamado are not competing at the same task. Prices are indicative bands from public listings, checked July 2026, and they move constantly, which is why every one is paired with a live link rather than a hard figure.