Fuego Element Portable Gas Grill

Setup took a few minutes, unit is well constructed and appears durable save for the large rubber band that holds it all together which I have no doubt is doomed to fail at some point. Two 6 to 8 inch bungee cords should be an able replacement when this one flaw ultimately fails. Now, the part that matters. This little baby gets hot. Beautiful sear on a steak. Be advised that the center of the grill is a "cool" spot that's still hot enough to be useless as a warming area so 2 good sized steaks is it's max capacity imo. Burgers, chicken etc should not suffer as much from using this area but keep this in mind. I've read a few reviews that complained about the clean up but I found this to be a fairly easy process. Wait for the grill to cool, dropping the grease trap took just a couple of seconds and I gave the unit a quick spray with a water hose and and it was ready for next time; total time invested perhaps 5 mins. One thing I did which may have helped was I seasoned the unit prior to first use by taking the grate and coating it with oil and set it in my oven for about an hour a la a cast iron skillet and I sprayed down the interior with unflavored cooking spray and ran the unit for about 30 mins to bond it and the dirt just melted off when I went to clean it after use so I'd highly recommend this prep step prior to first use. I have purchased and discarded a few portable gas grills over the years and everyone of them stunk for a collection of reasons. Think I've finally found a keeper that's small enough to be convenient, durable enough to last and potent enough to do the job in short order. I highly recommend.

Please read all updates below. After having this grill for so long and using numerous times my feelings have changed on some things... I have had this grill for a while now and I am rather disappointed. At first it seemed like the perfect grill but then the first issue: 1) Red elastic band broke. Another reviewer pointed this out and it's true...it breaks under daily use. I used it on a two week camping trip and only one average pull at the wrong time and this thing broke. But it's not a deal breaker. 2) Burner has dancing flame. After the second use the flame on the burner started "dancing" all over and inconsistent. It would heat the grill up completely uneven and erratic. This happened in the middle of a 3 week camping trip. 3) Customer service The number in the instructions will NOT be the number you call for service. that is for the distributor and they will give you the number of FuegoLiving. At first it went pretty well. They got back to me quickly and the service rep (Cory) returned my calls. He felt the problem was that my regulator went bad so they sent out a new one. But, after 2 weeks of no word, I had to call back and remind them to send it. It then arrived in 5 days afterwards. So, that didn't work. The problem remained and I took a video of the grill lit and the problem I was having with the dancing flame. He asked me to try to keep the lid on and let it warm up for at least 10 mins and stated this is "how they are tested and meant to be operated. I didn't really get that, I have 2 large Weber grills and their flames are perfect even after 2 seconds. BUT, I listened and followed his directions. I waited over 20 minutes with lid on and still it danced. I called back and he stated it had to be the burner itself since that was the only thing left. I agree. He stated they would ship one out to me: Original email: [Hi Keith. It could be that the burner is warped or has a slight imperfection causing this. I will have a replacement burner sent. This is the only other item it could be. Sincerely, Cory Knaffle Fuego Living LLC. 302 Washington St # 150-1895 San Diego, CA 92103] But this was 2 weeks ago and still nothing. I have left 3 voicemails for Cory (the only service personnel) in 4 days and I am hearing nothing. This is not boosting my confidence. Update: 7/15/2014: Grill still dances even after numerous tries and cleanings. I have tried two new burners and 2 new regulators. I love the size and portability of this grill but I am seriously considering the O Grill or baby Weber as a replacement. I would love to see how many others have had issues with this after a length of time. Update 9/23/2014: A commenter stated the grill on his does not do this with his drip pan lowered. Mine still does and always has. It does not matter what the drip pan position is or even if it is removed, it still dances. I found that on dry days when I preheat the grill about 15 to 20 mins it gets better and even stops sometimes! But still, this should not happen. Otherwise it's still a good camping grill. Update 8/5/2015: I still have this grill and have been using it for every camping trip now (7 to 10 times per year). I have upped my review to 4 stars. Although the flame still does dance it has been minimized over time the longer you allow it to preheat and the cooking experience on this grill has become much more pleasant for me. I love the size and the grill is holding up very well. Don't get me wrong, the red band still has to be babied when being put on, the igniter broke in the first 3 uses and the flame still dances to some degree, but I really like many things about it compared to other portable grills I've tried since. It's lightweight, not bulky, compact, cast iron grate (porcelain coated), easy cleaning (especially compared to others) and great food outcome. So, I still have not found anything I like better and have tried 4 other table top portables since the original review. That says a lot.

[I MODIFIED MY ORIGINAL REVIEW, AFTER MORE USE BECAUSE SEVERAL ISSUES AROSE. CURRENT COMMENTS IN THIS FORMAT, AND MADE 9/18/14] Nice unit. I grilled a steak, about 1-1/4" thick and fresh asparagus tossed with a touch of olive oil and salt, and they came out great. The burner tube is close to the cast iron grate, about 1". I like that as it is more likely to sear meats, with the high setting. I turned it on for about 10-15 minutes ahead of time. Nice smoke came out cooking my steak. I had a hard time seeing if I had ignited the flame in sun-so I had to feel for heat. I came up with a better way to tell. I will tear off a small piece of paper, or paper towel and lay it on the burner tube. That tells me immediately if it has lit. Just let the small paper burn. Don't count on the piezo lighter to light things. Always have another lighter source, but still use a tad of paper to see that the flame is lit - you won't be able to see it in daylight. It is just easier not to attempt lighting with the piezo. [DON'T BOTHER WITH THE PIEZO, IT JUST WASTES TIME AND EFFORT] I find the red strap hefty. Some commenters mentioned bad things about it, and maybe they have beefed it up lately. I bought this March 18, 2014. The one problem with the strap is it is quite tough trying to release it from the handle. I find I have to put the grill on its end between my knees and then use both hands to stretch the band enough to release it. But then I prefer that to a flimsy strap. The strap will only go on when I take it somewhere. [REVISION: THE STRAP BREAKS AFTER LITTLE USE. THE WEAK SPOT IS WHERE THE STRAP HAS THE CUTOUT AND INSTEAD OF FULL WIDTH, ONLY HAS A COUPLE INCHES OF STRAP. I USED AN ADJUSTABLE STRAP TO SECURE THE LID]. Be sure to "season" the grill with vegetable oil per the instructions. I worried a bit about seeing videos of the grill and seeing the propane tube being inserted into the grill. The tube looked like it was too loose. It is loose but doesn't matter as it is attached, and locked into the end of the burner tube and is zero problem. It doesn't have to be a fight fit, unlike plumbing. [UPDATE: FOR SOME REASON DURING USE, THE FLAME WAS WEAK, THEN GAVE OUT FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I TRIED OTHER BOTTLES OF PROPANE BUT SAME RESPONSE. I TOOK OUT THE BURNER AND BOILED IT FOR AWHILE - THINKING WAS MAYBE IT CLOGGED FROM THE PREVIOUS STEAK DRIPPINGS, AND ACCUMULATIONS. DIDN'T HELP. THEN I NOTICED THAT THE REGULATOR END TUBING THAT USED TO LOCK INTO THE BURNER TUBE WAS NO LONGER LOCKING. THUS PERHAPS THE PROPANE WAS LEAKING BEFORE GETTING INTO THE BURNER. I USED A #4 SHEET METAL SCREW INSERTED INTO A SMALL HOLE IN THE BURNER END. I ONLY TIGHTENED THE SCREW ENOUGH SO THAT THE REGULATOR END OF THE TUBE WOULD LOCK IN. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PIN THAT USED TO LOCK IT TOGETHER, BUT THE SCREW DOES THE JOB. THE BURNER SEEMS TO WORK LIKE THE ORIGINAL. BOTTOMLINE: IF THESE PIECES DO NOT LOCK TOGETHER AND THEY SIMPLY PULL APART, THEN THE UNIT DOESN'T WORK PROPERLY]. I've now grilled on it oh, about six times, and I quite like it. Well made, and cool look. I recommend it. [UPDATE: I WANT TO LIKE THIS GRILL FOR ITS COMPACTNESS, AND LOOKS...BUT THE ISSUES I HAVE COME ACROSS MEANS ONE WILL HAVE TO BE INVENTIVE TO MAKE UP FOR THE UNITS FAULTS] Oh one other thing. While it is a compact unit that'll go on road trips, camping, etc., I decided to make it even more compact by making the lid handle removable. So, I replaced the two 10-32 size screw nuts with stainless steel wing nuts. The red strap still secures the lid without the handle. [UPDATE: THE RED STRAP WILL BREAK, SO PLAN ON USING YOUR OWN STRAP TO SECURE THE LID FOR TRANSPORTING]. Happy grilling!

Small and portable. Perfect for a small motohome. But would have expected more heat!

The propane bottle hook up is sketchy at best. But it got hot and cooked burgers. We quickly replaced it with something better.