Also branded as the Hotspot Notebook Portable BBQ, this has to be one of the most versatile pieces of charcoal fuelled outdoor cooking equipment I've ever come across. Lightweight and compact, it's a must have for camping and picnicking. I first saw one when we were camping with family and friends in Gloucestershire and decided to get one for a camping weekend in the Cotswolds. It folds up flat so it's easy to pack and has carry handles. The design is simple and it works.
With any charcoal barbeque I look for a couple of key features; adjustability in cooking temperature, air supply for the cooking fuel, and easy refuelling when cooking.
With any charcoal barbeque, varying cooking temperature is best achieved by concentrating the coals in one area so food or cookware can be moved around to areas of lower or higher temperature. For refuelling, I keep one end open so I can place extra coal on the fire using tongs.
Our first meal on the X-Grill was slow cooked pork with paprika cooked in a paella pan. The fire was kept to one end and I slid the grill rack to the side a bit to get better access to the fire. After the meal was finished, I closed up the open end, removed the grill rack and we used the X-Grill as a brazier for an open fire for the evening.
All in all, this is one of the best camping accessories I've bought. The only trade off is lightweight vs robust. It won't last forever like our trusty 'Go Anywhere Weber' so expect it to last only a couple of summers, but it makes up for it in every other way. So, my scores from 1-5 are:
Value for money - 5
Flexibility -5
Portability - 5
Longevity - 2
I've also discovered a larger stainless steel version at £35 which may well come up with a perfect score.
6 comments:
I've had mine almost a year now, its been used 5 or six times and I'm about to pack it into the car to take to a music festival. It's still going and will probably do another year.
And it got a complete hammering. Survived it and ready to take on more. http://firefoodie.blogspot.com/2011/08/festival-breakfast.html
Thanks for the review! We're set to have a BBQ on Sunday here in NYC (Randall's Island Park), and the one thing we haven't figured out yet is what GRILL I'm buying. We have the tough need of storing it in an apartment, inside (no outside storage). So a folder like this is a huge breakthrough. Also, we have to bike or walk 1-2 miles to get to the closest place we're allowed to BBQ in a park. NYC is not a good grillin city, but this should help make it possible.
Best cue'ing wishes ...
Philip
Hey Philip, thanks for your comment. I hope you can get hold of one in NYC, not sure where they come from originally. It's jubilee weekend here so everyone is going BBQ crazy! Good luck and please let me know how it goes. Anthony.
Thank you for the review .. Is It weight Less and portable for trucking ... for trucking we can use portable charcoal bbq grill
tabletop charcoal grill this device. It is electric charcoal burner
An interesting post helped to know the best BBQ Grill for cooking. It was very useful to me.
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