Blacktop 360 Party Hub

When cooking away from home you either take several pieces of equipment to use, or one that has it all. Usually, a do it all portable grill has interchangeable components like a grill, a griddle, and perhaps a pot warmer. Often these components were sold separately. The Blacktop 360 is a round, gas powered cooker with a grill, a griddle, a deep fryer, and a warming space. This provides the versatility that lets this unit do practically everything that one might want while away from the house. The limitation is, that by dividing up the space, this grill ends up as more of a sampler of these cooking methods.

The Blacktop 360 is designed and marketed at the ultimate tailgating grill. Structurally it is a large disk with control knobs on one side and gas lines running through the insides to feed a small infrared open grate grill, a 16-ounce deep fryer, and a small griddle space. The remaining third of the outer area works as a warming rack because the metal top (basically one piece) gets warm when any of the other sections are being heated.

As a portable with power, this is a very well designed unit. The legs fold up and the whole unit, weighing 48 pounds, can be picked up and carried off. There are not parts to pack away or lock in place. Even the grease catcher is an insulated container with a lid, so there is no worry of disposing of hot grease, or of it spilling in the car. So, while not exactly lightweight, it is easily transported (especially with the included carrying case), and when put together it stands at full counter height.

Broken down into the individual zones, this unit gets very small. The grill is an open grate space with an ceramic type infrared burner capable of hitting temperatures around 650 degrees F. Powerful, but small, as is the griddle and warming space. Basically it is possible to get four hamburger patties on the grill, but little more. The deep fryer is a two cup unit that sits in the center of the unit. While capable of frying, it isn't very deep or large.

The simple truth is that this isn't the right portable for everyone. If you need to grill burgers of a lot of people, look for something else. If you are a more adventurous cook, who prepares several different items, but not a lot of any one thing, then this is the most versatile portable on the market for its price (lists around $250, but can be had for less).