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How to use a folding barbecue

Updated: 23 October 2026

You have a shallow charcoal tray in the boot and a free half-hour before people want food. How to use a folding barbecue, on a briefcase grill, is a short sequence: a stable spot in the open, a small bed of charcoal, a wait until the flames have died back, food moved off the hot middle, then a cold grill before you fold it. The models in this set are listed on the [folding grill comparison](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/folding-grill). This page does not rank them. Whether you are allowed to light anything on that pitch is the [folding BBQ for camping](/hub/grills-and-barbecues/folding-grill/sub/folding-grill-camping) page. Peter F. edits DIY and tools at Products Compared. Updated 23 October 2026. We did not cook on these grills.

You have a shallow charcoal tray in the boot and a free half-hour before people want food.

Our top picks

Charmline Charmline compact

Best overall

Charmline Charmline compact
9.2/10about £25.34
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Direct Designs Direct Designs Notebook

Alternative

Direct Designs Direct Designs Notebook
8.8/10about £26.99
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WixbFyn WixbFyn small portable

Alternative

WixbFyn WixbFyn small portable
8.4/10about £19.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Set it down and measure the coal
  2. 2.Light it without petrol
  3. 3.Cook through, not just char
  4. 4.Put it out, then fold it

Set it down and measure the coal

Put the grill on flat, bare ground or on a stand the site accepts, with water or sand close enough to use. GOV.UK fire safety outdoors says never in a tent, awning or caravan, and London Fire Brigade says not on a balcony. Norfolk’s guidance adds flat ground and not on grass. Stay with it. GOV.UK’s fuel depth for a charcoal barbecue is about 5 cm. Norfolk’s page says two or three inches, which is deeper. Prefer the national page. The Charmline bullet says keep charcoal below half the tray. Heaping a thin stainless tray is how a WixbFyn review describes a warped grate and burnt food in the centre. Another review of that ASIN says it did not warp. A campfire grate is not filled with charcoal. Amazon Basics and Elsjoy are mesh stands for pans. That split is the folding barbecue buying guide.

Light it without petrol

Use firelighters made for barbecues, on cold coals, and light them with a match or a lighter. GOV.UK says no petrol and no paraffin. Norfolk says do not add fuel after the barbecue is lit. If the first attempt fails, let it go cold and start again. Wait until the flames have dropped and the coals have a grey coat before food goes on. One Notebook review described about a 15-minute wait for an instant-light bag. That is one review of one fuel, not a timer. A folding grill often has no lid vents. The WixbFyn bullet talks about four height settings, while the specification copies 4 into a burner count. It is still charcoal. A roaring middle means too much fuel in too small a tray.
Charmline Charmline compact

Testsieger

Charmline Charmline compact
9.2/10about £25.34
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Cook through, not just char

The centre of a small tray runs hotter than the rim. Move sausages and burgers off the hottest spot when the fat flares. A chrome or stainless grid does not even this out. The Food Standards Agency says burgers, sausages, kebabs, poultry and pork should be cooked through, at 70°C for 2 minutes or an equivalent. Cut the thick piece. Colour on the outside is not the test. Steak is the exception that guidance allows to stay pink inside if the outside is seared. Mince, poultry and pork are not that exception. Do not add coals to finish a burger that is still raw in the middle. If the food will not cook through, take it off and finish it another way, or do not serve it. If a leg folds while it is lit, put the fire out if you can do that safely. This page does not describe burn treatment.

Put it out, then fold it

Leave the grill until the coals are cold. GOV.UK says cool a barbecue before you move it, and do not put ash in a wheelie bin unless it is cold. Grey embers can still mark a boot. Fold it only when you can touch the body and the grate without hurry. Douse with water if the site allows it and the steam will not hit anyone. Sand is the other GOV.UK option. Do not pack warm ash into the carry bag. Humberside Fire and Rescue notes that charcoal keeps producing carbon monoxide after the flames drop. A disposable foil tray follows the same wait. The difference in bans is on folding BBQ vs disposable barbecue. A grate still stays open until the fire underneath is dead, and the mesh stays out of the car until it is cold.

Common questions

How much charcoal goes in a folding BBQ?
Use about 5 cm, the GOV.UK depth, and less if that already fills more than half a shallow tray. The Charmline listing says keep charcoal below half the tray. Norfolk’s two or three inches is a deeper figure.
How long before I can cook?
Wait until the flames have gone and the coals are ashed over. One Notebook review mentioned about 15 minutes with an instant-light bag. That review is not a timer for every fuel.
Why does the middle burn and the edge stay raw?
The coal bed on a small tray is uneven. A WixbFyn review describes burnt food in the middle on one layer of briquettes. Move the food. Adding fuel after lighting is not the fix.
Can I add more coals once it is lit?
Norfolk’s guidance says not to add fuel after the barbecue is lit. Extra briquettes on a live tray flare. If the first load was too small, let it die and light a fresh bed.
How do I know burgers are done?
Cut them. The Food Standards Agency wants burgers, sausages, kebabs, poultry and pork cooked through, at 70°C for 2 minutes or an equivalent. A steak may stay pink inside if the outside is seared.
When can I fold it and put it in the car?
When the coals, the grate and the body are cold. GOV.UK says cool a barbecue before you move it. If you cannot wait, the grill stays outside.

Related pages

Charcoal barbecue comparison

Folding grill

Best folding barbecue UK: match the job, not stars

Folding barbecue buying guide: which size to trust

Folding BBQ for camping: rules, height and the van

Folding BBQ vs disposable barbecue: keep or bin it

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison, last checked on 22 October 2026. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for these ASINs.

  1. GOV.UK: Fire safety outdoors (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. GOV.UK: The Countryside Code (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN 1860-1:2024 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: General Product Safety Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Food Standards Agency: Cooking your food (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Humberside Fire and Rescue: Barbecue safety (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. London Fire Brigade: April 2026 barbecue note (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. GOV.UK: Statutory guidelines on disposable BBQs (retrieved 22 October 2026)