You’ve been preparing.

Soaking wood chips in a secret elixir. Sending your charcuterie dealer to black markets in Potenza. Delivering notes to a team of fierce lamb-sausage chowhounds.

Not bad for a first-barbecue-of-the-season setup.

Not bad, but not perfect...

Enter the BBQ Box, a laptop-sized contraption of stainless steel that unfolds into a fully operating charcoal grill, available now.

Picture a briefcase. Now picture opening up that briefcase and cooking a fat porterhouse to a perfect medium-rare on it. That’s pretty much what you’re working with here—a five-pound, fully portable charcoal grill that you can take anywhere.

Soon enough, you’ll find yourself alfresco. At an all-day fire-limbo tournament, perhaps. And you might get to talking to that bikini model/hot dog contest championess again (it happens). When she starts looking hungry, that’s when you’ll whip this thing out.

Unfold the steel box, empty your previously stashed charcoal bag (it comes with one of those) and strike a match.

And if you decide to take this thing into more treacherous territory... say, to an impromptu lakeside campout, rest assured that it’ll hold up just fine. The design hails from Germany, so naturally it comes with things like a lock and a carrying case complete with a waterproof internal coating.

Looks like the Germans out-prepared you again.