Review on Portable Korean BBQ Grill: Stainless Steel with Air Blower & Carry Bag - BBQMM Charcoal Grill by Kelly Jones

To be honest I really like this grill, although I'll be honest with you: I've only used it twice. So in my photos I have this rectangular grill grate/grate. I tried this on purpose because my Korean grocery store in my town sold them for $3. That's a whopping three dollars. I had to see how well it held up. Anyhow, YES I used the 12 inch griddle/grid that also came with this set but forgot to take photos. 12 inch mesh/metal/plate/grill grate. The first time I used this grill was for a Korean BBQ (thin beef and pork). The second time I used it was for 6 inch yakitori sticks. The included 12 inch grill net was good. To be honest I didn't expect it to not stick, and not by itself. The first time I used it I smeared it with oil or lard (can't remember which). The second time didn't work at all. The second time, uncoated, the meat stuck more tightly, but that didn't matter much. As I continued to cook meat with fats, it constantly greased my grill grate. I also had a spare 12 inch round screen from another grill, so once the first screen was charred I replaced it with the second. In any case, it's a good idea to have a spare net if you have a party of more than 2 people so that if the grill net gets too dirty you can swap it out with another without food getting stuck. Pre-charring is usually due to sauces/marinades, so it's a good idea to sear the unmarinated meat first, then the marinated meat (just a tip based on years of experience with a single 12" cooking grate, not a rule) . Hottest in the center. When looking at where your coals are, imagine a straight vertical line from the edge of your coals to your grate/grid. This is about how far you can cook your food. So, on this 12 inch grill, the cooking surface is really about 9-10 inches. The rims, which don't even have coals underneath, are really just there to keep meat warm and don't really cook anything. This is fairly easy to do on many dished grills. I've always thought of it as a temperature control where the center is hottest and then progressively colder toward the edges, or at least that's how I've been taught it to be. Even a very slight bulge on the grill plate or the grill grate changes the cooking temperature on it. Charcoal: I used the chimney both times to light the charcoal from the logs. Once they were burned or about 95% singed, I threw them on the grill. I put a grill net on top and then waited 5 minutes to preheat the grill net before starting to cook. One thing I don't have much experience with is charcoal. So I made a lot of mistakes both times. First, I didn't put enough charcoal in it. I mean, I thought I put a lot in, but when I poured a small tube full of charcoal into the grill, they didn't quite fill it where they should have been. This put more distance between the heat source and my food than it should. I didn't know that then; I really thought I had enough coals (see photos). Because of this, yakitori took a very, very long time to make. Second, I didn't know that lump charcoal burns MUCH faster than brisket charcoal, which makes a lot of sense now because the lump charcoal I have seems to be a lot less dense than regular brisket charcoal. So after loading my grill with coals, I had maybe 40-50 minutes of cooking time, if that. But instead of topping it up with charcoal, I gave up and took my yakitori inside to the stove and cooked the rest. Anger. But not with a grill. That was fine with the grill material, but I had the same issue with charcoal too, with a small cooking window. I have NOT run any charcoal on this grill myself; I've always used a chimney because it takes half the time, but I suppose running it on the BBQ is fine. If this grill can handle 1100-1300 degrees of ashed charcoal without warping, I don't understand why it can't handle charcoal in it. Although I have very little experience with charcoal, I really don't know if it typically gets over 1300 degrees when starting charcoal compared to ash charcoal. I don't see any complaints about things deforming either, so that's a good thing. I've never played with the included fan, but I really think I should use it or a fan or whatever to increase the temperature. During cooking, the ash comes out from below. Just in case, I put the pizza plate under the table. When cooking high-fat meats like pork belly, I would make sure to put a tray or foil on the table to keep the drippings from getting all over the place. Room cleaning: The room cleaning was as expected. Cleaning the grill grate was simple and easy with soap, water and a sponge. A few very stubborn and small black pieces can still stick to it. I just soak it in hot soapy water for about 5 minutes, pull it out with my fingernail and you're done. Grill handles can get pretty hot, so I wouldn't bother cleaning it just yet until it cools down. .Both times I didn't put foil in the grate and under the coals to catch drips. I'll give it a try next time to see if it's worth the effort because cleaning this grill was actually pretty easy, even with drips. After pouring the charcoal into the water (pulling it out with tongs), I let the grill cool completely. The ash is on the bottom tray with a charcoal grate. When it felt cool, I picked it up and shook out the ashes. Then I lift up the middle part of the grill. I remove the legs from the top of the grill and take everything to wash in the sink with just soap, water and a sponge. Comes off easily. If I'm lazy I leave it on and wash it the next morning. When everything is dry I put it back in my bag and store it in the garage. The bag looks like recycled material, which suits me. I only need it to store my grill. What I would change: It would be nice to have a separate removable ashtray that I could take out from the bottom instead of through the inside of the grill. This ash and drippings can accumulate while cooking and I just don't like it spurting out of the holes on the side. While this hasn't happened with this grill as I haven't grilled anything greasy before, I already know this is going to be an issue, especially with high fat meats (like pork belly and steak cuts) and with more than 2 people. It is also recommended to dump out the ashes so they don't fall on the food. IF ONLY there was an optional removable ashtray Overall Rating: I like this grill overall. I like the quality of the grill mesh; it's beautiful, not flimsy (typically a 12-inch screen of this quality already costs between $12 and $22 depending on whether you buy it online or in stores). I like that it is compact and easy to carry in a bag. I like its portability. I love that it's easy to clean and fits everything in my sink (not like some really big, oversized stuff). I LOVE that nothing has warped or rusted, nor has there been a single complaint of warping or rusting. Speaks for its quality for the price. What I don't like is that the metal feels a bit brittle, but I can live with that. I don't like it very much either. It actually has a lot of parts to clean. Although I don't mind it, I had a day when I just compared it to my other grill and realized that this grill has 2 extra parts that I need to clean. BUT... I think when I compare it to real Korean charcoal grills, there really aren't that many extras. the facial area is only about 9-10 inches or less. Quite often I think. Usually these are conventional dome grills. I don't really like it, especially when I'm hungry, but it's enough for 1 or 2 people. However, for 3 people, you'd better look for larger rectangular grills (and if you're looking for the same kebab or Japanese yakiniku style rectangular grill, you'll also notice an edge of about 2 inches or more). doesn't actually cook anything and just reheats food so keep that in mind).