PK Grill Review Portable Kitchen PK99740 [Retro US Made]

Hi and thanks for checking out this review of the PK99740 from Portable Kitchen.

In this day and age we are spoilt for choice when it comes to outdoor grills or smokers to buy.

Some are hi-tech pieces of equipment that can be managed from a smart phone.

Others are the latest fashion such as ceramic egg-shaped grills that come at a hefty price.

But some of us aren’t swayed by the gadgets or the current trends. We are looking for quality workmanship. A product that is tried and tested and is known to get results. We want a grill that will last decades rather than months. This is what led us to the PK Grill.

 

We’ve done our online research and found out everything we can about the disposable aluminum pan, (anchored with a rock-to prevent blow away) on the bottom shelf to collect any ashes and though most reports online were very positive about it, we did find one or two negatives as well.

PK Grill Review – the Good and the Bad

Overview

The brand ‘Portable Kitchen’ have been around since the 1950’s and based in Little Rock Arkansas from the 60’s. After a fire in the seventies, they closed down but were resurrected in 1998 by a grill enthusiast who wanted to re-introduce the original PK Grill back to the general public.

The grill maintains its original fifties retro look and for those of a certain age will bring back nostalgic memories of family cookouts using PK grills.

Believe it or not but it’s the truth some families are still using the original grills from forty years or more ago!

Charcoal Grill

The PK99740’s fuel source is charcoal, I’m not going to go heavily into the pros and cons of charcoal grilling and smoking here but for flavor, portability and a more primal experience, charcoal wins hands down over gas. The downside is that it can get a little messy, though.

Cast Aluminum Grill

One of the selling points for this grill is that it is made from one hundred percent recycled aluminum. This means that you will never have to worry about rusting. The grates are also nickel plated.

Made in the USA

These are artisan grill lovingly built in the US by a respected company, you want a quality American product…you’ve got it!

The video below shows the grills being made by hand in their US factory at Little Rock

Easy Assembly

This is very simple and straightforward, you just have to put it together with 6 nuts and bolts and follow the instruction sheet. It should take you no longer than 10-20 minutes to get it full assembled.

Easy to Use

With its straightforward design, this is great for the new BBQ enthusiast. There is a slight learning curve to getting the adjustable vents right to maintain the correct temperature but once you understand this you will be the BBQ Meister of your dreams.

Portability

The Portable kitchen grill lives up to its name and comes with a detachable carriage with Semi-pneumatic rubber wheels so it can be easily moved around your backyard.

It’s also easily taken apart and put back together again so you can use it for camping trips or tailgating.

Size

This isn’t the biggest grill on the market by any stretch of the imagination but it should be just fine for a small to medium size family. You can always buy two!

Negatives

The main complaint we are hearing is the lack of an ash catcher which is a real inconvenience and clean up of this model can be a messy task.  The way around this is to use a disposable aluminum pan on the bottom shelf to collect the ashes.

The only other real issue commented upon was the size of the grill being small, this is a grill for a small family not for large parties.

What Users Have to say About the PK Grill

If you need more validation and proof that this is a top rated grill you can search around online and find plenty of positive testimonials. For instance, if you look at the reviews on Amazon you will see that over 86% of users give the grill a top rating of 5 stars.

Many users are commenting on the longevity of previous PK grill that they have owned.

Here are a couple of examples;

“Great Grill, Bought mine in 1973 in Beaumont Texas. Quite a bit less expensive back in those days.  Still works great. Best cooker because you can control air flow efficiently to cook directly or indirectly.”

“Three generations of my family have been using pk grills for over 40 years”

 

PK Grill Unboxing Video

In the video below Chris is enthusiastic about unboxing his PK Grill just click on the image to get it playing

 

PK Grill Assembly Video

So Chris had unboxed this Portable Kitchen grill, Now he is going to put it together check out the video below

 

Our Verdict on this Old School Grill

This grill if treated with care will last a lifetime. Simple to use and easy to set up you this is a perfect family smoker grill. You can grill, smoke or bake on it so it ticks the box for versatility. If you plan on doing any sort of outdoor cooking then the PK Smoker Grill is worth investing in.