This $20 grill is completely biodegradable and easy to use — I put it to the test and came away impressed

• Inspired by campsites littered with aluminum grill pans, Danish startup CasusGrill makes eco-friendly, biodegradable, one-time-use grills.
• The CasusGrill is easy to assemble, doesn’t require charcoal or lighter fluid, and has a 60-minute cook time. After use, it can be easily disposed of.
• As an inexperienced cook, I was able to make hamburgers, hot dogs, and a steak outdoors, without any hassle.
• At less than $20, the CasusGrill is a convenient and affordable way to take your summer cookouts beyond the backyard.

Everyone loves a good summertime cookout, but planning a grilling session becomes a bit more difficult when you’ve got your sights set beyond the traditional backyard barbecue. In the past, cooking at the park or beach meant using a public grill that’s probably old and filthy or having to lug around your own grill — along with charcoal and lighter fluid. And if you’re grilling in the true wilderness, the hassle can be much bigger. But Danish startup CasusGrill is making remote cookouts easier than ever with its portable one-time-use grills.

Founded by Susanne and Carsten Brøgger in 2014, the idea for the company came about after realizing that aluminum grill pans consistently littered the grounds and clogged the trash bins of their favorite campsites. After spending six years developing and designing a sustainable solution of their own, they came up with theCasusGrill.

In addition to its portability, the CasusGrill is 100% natural and eco-friendly. They’re made using completely biodegradable materials like cardboard, bamboo, and lava stones, which means they can be disposed of without harming the environment. After use, you can toss it into the garbage knowing it will break down or even into a campfire as additional fuel.

As the Winner of the 2017 Danish Design Award, the Casus Grill has undoubtedly been recognized for its fun and functional use among outdoor adventurers and food-lovers alike, but we wanted to put the product to the test ourselves. CasusGrill sent the Insider Picks team a few grills to try out and after using it for a picnic, it’s easily become my favorite way to cook outdoors in the summer — and it’s less than $20.

I planned an entire picnic in the park for the sake of this review, and I almost expected to end up at a nearby restaurant for lunch, but theCasusGrill didn’t let me down. In fact, it far exceeded my expectations.

The CasusGrill comes packaged inside of a biodegradable paper wrap along with easy-to-read instructions. If you’re like me and refuse to read most directions (it’s more fun to figure it out on your own), you’ll still be able to put it together without much of an issue. Either way, it’ll only take you a few minutes before it’s ready to fire up.

Lighting the CasusGrill is as easy to light as it is to put together. Without using any lighter fluid, all you have to do is light the four corners of the Oxylite bamboo charcoal grid and wait five minutes for the entire grill to fully heat up to its 400-degree Fahrenheit operating temperature. You’ll then have approximately 60 minutes of cooking time, although mine lasted for about 85 minutes before dying down.

Even though I experienced a longer cook time than the 60 minutes it’s rated at, this is definitely not the grill you want to use if you have a long line of hungry friends and family waiting for food.

The CasusGrill is more useful and affordable as a way to turn a picnic with boring food like salad or cheese and crackers into a mini cookout. The compact design also makes them great for taking on camping or hiking trips, where carrying a traditional grill and all the necessary accessories isn’t an option.

Whether you’re as skilled as a barbecue pit master or a relatively novice cook like myself, the CasusGrill is a sure way to have a successful cookout anywhere you’d like this summer.