Got a lot of BBQ gear? This rock-solid, mobile storage unit keeps it organized
If you have a lot of BBQ and grilling gear, storage space on the patio or backyard quickly fills up. That’s where the GrillBox 2.0 grilling storage unit comes in. It offers plenty of options for organizing tongs, tools, rubs, charcoal, pellets, fire starter cubes, and more.
Assembly
GrillBox crafts the 2.0 from precision-welded aluminum and a variety of 18-gauge stainless steel finishes, ensuring long-lasting durability. The heavy-duty design can make assembly a bit challenging for one person, especially when you need to flip the main body upside down to attach the base and wheels. Holding the doors in place while tightening the hinges can also be tricky, so this unit is best assembled with a buddy.
You adjust the bolt-action door handles using a screw inside each door. When properly adjusted, the handles lock firmly into place. Adjust them so that locking the doors requires light pressure—this ensures a tight seal that keeps the interior water-resistant.
Assembling the GrillBox took about an hour from start to finish.
Once assembled, the GrillBox measures 25″W x 35.5″H x 15″D and weighs 90 pounds.
Usage
Moving the GrillBox into position on my back patio proved easy thanks to its four 360° casters. The unit rolls best on hard surfaces, but once in place, you can lock two of the wheels to keep it steady.
When you open up the GrillBox 2.0, three shelves inside the left door hold rubs and sauces perfectly, like a pantry cabinet door. Inside the right door, you have five hooks for hanging tongs, spatulas, and other BBQ tools.
The main compartment is divided into left and right halves. Two adjustable shelves fit into notches along the sides, letting you choose your preferred shelf height. These shelves are great for storing food-safe gloves, grill baskets, foil for the Texas crutch, butcher paper, thermometers, wood chunks, and other small accessories. Beneath the shelves, there’s ample space for heavier bags of pellets, lump charcoal, or briquets.
You can also make use of the outer top of the unit. GrillBox sells a 15″W x 25″L HDPE polyethylene cutting board that fits precisely within the four raised corners. The surface also works perfectly for setting up an outdoor pizza oven or infrared broiler.
Additional features include a bottle opener mounted on the outer left wall and a towel holder on the right. For a future 3.0 version, a removable towel bar that could also hold a roll of paper towels would be a welcome upgrade. Until then, you can store paper towels inside.
Overall Impressions
Aside from two suggestions—increasing the number of shelves or offering additional ones for sale, plus making the towel bar removable so it can be used for paper towels—there is so much to love about this unit. While it took quite a while to construct, the end result was an extremely solid structure that will last for many years. The parts also fit together very tightly, so while it isn’t 100% waterproof without purchasing the cover, it should keep your charcoal or pellets and other gear dry in most conditions.
In addition to all of the enclosed storage inside the unit, the surface area on top provides much-needed counter space to any backyard cook who doesn’t have a full outdoor kitchen. That space is perfect for a cutting board (either the manufacturer’s fitted one or your own smaller one), bowls or serving plates, a place to set a remote temperature probe, etc. Or, it can be used as a stand for a pizza oven, portable griddle, or restaurant-style infrared grill/broiler/salamander.
With rock-solid construction and a host of useful features, the GrillBox 2.0 gets our Gold Medal.
