Get Out the Grill

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Technically Speaking

Get Out the Grill
By Mark J. Polk

Camping and grilling just seem to go together. Who wants to take their RV to a beautiful campsite alongside a lake or the ocean and then cook inside? Eggs and bacon on the grill for breakfast, hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill for lunch and a thick juicy T-bone, or the fresh trout you just caught for dinner. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it! ...

The four basic types of portable grills are electric, charcoal, gas and pellet grills. Selecting the right portable grill for your specific RVing needs requires some research. The first thing I took into consideration was the size of the grill. If you've been RVing for awhile you know how important the space issue is. Manufacturers of all four types of portable grills offer models in various sizes. Decide where you will store your portable grill and make sure the one you purchase will fit in the space you have available.

The next consideration is which type of portable grill will work best for you. I personally eliminated the electric grill just because electricity is not always available where you or I go camping. But if you have a generator or usually camp where electricity is available and like the convenience of just plugging in your grill, check out the Tabletop Electric Grill. It's compact, heats up fast and has grilling space to easily cook for two to four hungry campers.

I want a convenient heat source so the next type of grill I eliminated was the pellet grill. Now, if the only reason you enjoy grilling out is because of the hardwood smoke flavor you can only get from fire-cooked food, you may want to consider a pellet grill. Pellet grills also make good smokers. If you choose a pellet grill keep in mind that it can be difficult to find the pellets in some areas so you'll want to keep plenty on hand. As an alternative to a pellet grill or smoker, you may want to consider a flavoring product like Flavorwood Smoking Wood. It works with any type grill, is reusable and makes clean-up easy.

This narrowed my choices down to charcoal versus gas. I want convenience when it comes to a portable grill so the final decision was fairly easy for me. I decided on a gas grill.

Wide Choice of Gas Grills
There are different manufacturers, types, sizes, price ranges and features available on portable gas grills. Some gas grills use the small disposable propane cylinders and others hook directly into the propane gas system of the RV using a quick disconnect. I like the idea of the small disposable propane cylinder because it can also be used for other items like outdoor cooking stoves, heaters, lanterns and more. I also like the idea of connecting the grill directly to the propane gas system on the RV. I decided to do a comparison on several gas grills that I felt would work well for RVers. We'll get to the comparison in a minute, but first let's talk briefly about propane and propane safety.

Propane: A Camper's Best Friend
Propane gas provides us with warmth on a chilly day, hot water to shower with, cold food in the fridge and the capability to cook on the road the same way you do when you're at home. When we need it it's there, instantly providing us with all of the amenities and creature comforts we are accustomed to. We don't really even think about it, it's taken for granted that when you push that button, almost like magic, it responds to your demands.

But what is propane gas? Liquid propane, more commonly known as propane gas, gets its name because it is stored in a liquid state. When propane gas is manufactured it is compressed and stored under pressure, which causes it to liquefy. When the pressure is released the liquid turns back into a vapor. Propane gas is odorless, colorless and tasteless. To assist you in detecting a leak an odorant is added to it when it is manufactured. If you are not familiar with the odor of propane gas, the next time you go to a qualified fill station ask the attendant to let you smell it. Most people describe the smell as being similar to rotten eggs, or as having a garlic odor.

Propane Safety
You don't need to be afraid of propane gas but you need to respect it. All gases have dangerous characteristics. Propane gas is one of the safest of petroleum products if it is handled properly. More times than not, when there is an accident involving propane gas it is due to negligence or improper handling. If you check for gas leaks using an open flame, you are certain to be in danger. Use an approved liquid leak detector or an electronic device such as the Pocket-Size Portable Leak Detector.

If you ever smell propane gas when you're camping, or if the propane gas leak detector on your RV goes off you could have a leak somewhere in the system. If this happens you should:

Evacuate the RV and turn off the main gas supply valve.
Extinguish any open flames, pilot lights and do not smoke, or touch electrical switches.
Leave the door open and do not return to the area until the odor clears.
Have the system checked out by a qualified technician before using it again.

For more information about propane and propane appliances, click here.

Portable Gas Grill Comparison
For a gas grill that would work well for two to four people and uses the small disposable propane cylinders I chose the Weber Baby Q gas grill, retail price $144.43.

For a family sized gas grill I chose the Coleman RoadTrip LXE grill, retail price $177.77.

For a family-sized model that connects directly to the RV's propane gas system I chose the RVQ II by Vitco, retail price $225.00.

All three grills offered some unique features and they all had their pros and cons. Let's take a look at how they stacked up.

Weber Baby Q
The Weber Baby Q can use either disposable propane cylinders or you can connect it to a refillable propane cylinder using an optional extension hose.

I mentioned earlier that I liked the disposable propane cylinders because you can use them with other portable gas camping appliances. The thing that surprised me was that the grill was designed to use the long thin disposable propane cylinders that you would find in a hardware store rather than the shorter, fatter cylinders that are available in camping stores. The grill isn't that large (14 1/8"H X 27 1/8"W Xs 16"D) so it doesn't present much of a problem when it comes to storing it. It weighs 35 pounds, but that's because it is well-built with a durable porcelain-enameled, cast iron cooking grate and a cast aluminum lid and body. The Baby Q has 189 square inches of cooking surface and 8,500 BTU's of heat. I was impressed by how evenly the heat seemed to be distributed across the cooking surface. I attributed this to the "P" shaped burner design. I also liked the removable "disposable" drip tray for easy cleaning or replacement. The Baby Q has a built-in igniter, making it easy to light the burner. The grill is portable, so you can use it anywhere you like (outside) and with two large carrying handles it's easy to move around. Weber also offers an optional rolling cart and stand for the Baby Q. The stand is foldable and compact for easy storage. All in all I was quite pleased with the Weber Baby Q grill. It's well built and has a design that makes sense. We'll talk more about the actual cooking comparison at the conclusion of the article.

Coleman RoadTrip LXE
The second grill we compared was the Coleman RoadTrip LXE portable gas grill. It's an impressive grill with lots of neat features. For starters it has a fold-up stand that you can fold and roll away or set up within a matter of seconds. The folding stand makes it somewhat larger then the other two requiring a bit more storage space. It weighs 38 pounds, just three pounds more than the other two. The grill comes with two porcelain-coated cast iron cooking grates and an optional griddle can be ordered from the manufacturer. These are open-type grates so you have the option of open-flame, drip-through grilling or you can cover the grates with aluminum foil. A slide out grease tray makes cleaning easy. There are two separate burners and controls with up to 20,000 BTU's of heat for the 285-square-inch cooking surface. The Coleman grill uses a disposable propane cylinder and has a built-in electronic ignition. A couple of other features that add to this grill's ease of use are slide-out trays on each side of the grill and convenient grill tool holders on the front. The Coleman RoadTrip LXE grill was fun and easy to use and it can also be used as a camp stove. Look for the cooking comparison at the end of the article.

RVQ II
Our third grill used in the comparison was the RVQ II, a portable gas grill designed specifically for RVs. I really liked the idea of being able to hook directly into the RV's propane gas system, but to do so requires plumbing the propane quick disconnect into the RV's propane gas system. (For safety, have a qualified RV service center like Camping World do any installation involving the propane gas system.) The RVQ II comes with a bracket system and an extrusion that you or an RV service center installs on the side of your RV. Once this is attached the grill and mounting bracket easily mounts to the side of the RV. The grill has a nice porcelain finish that is easy to clean and it offers a generous 204-square-inch solid grill and a 120-square-inch solid griddle surface. Both sections are non-stick surfaces, remove for easy cleaning, and are dishwasher safe. It weighs 35 pounds, the same as the Weber Baby Q and it has a carrying case for easy storage. The bracket assembly requires a bit more space for storage. The grill has a matchless lighting system, making it simple to light, and there is a convenient removable drip pan to catch the grease. The grill has a one-piece burner assembly and it seemed to distribute the heat evenly across the cooking surface. I really enjoyed using the RVQ II and if you only plan to use the grill with your RV it might be the right portable gas grill for you.

The Big Question
Now, which grill cooked the best burger? I made hamburger patties from the same package and cooked them with the same ingredients on all three grills. Each grill was a pleasure to cook on. When the burgers were finished I cut each one in half and had two family members taste test each half. The result was they couldn't tell the difference except for one comment about how one half of one burger seemed a bit more cooked than the others. My conclusion is that any of the three grills would make a great portable gas grill for RVers. The only thing for you to determine is which one is best suited for you and the way you camp and cook out.

Happy Camping & Happy Grilling!
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Mark Polk is the owner of RV Education 101. He also hosts the RV Savvy segments for RVTV, which airs on the Outdoor Channel. RV Education 101 is a North Carolina-based company that produces professional training videos, DVDs and e-books on how to use and maintain your RV so all of your RV experiences are safe, fun and stress-free.
Mark's videos and DVDs are available at Camping World.