The best outdoor grills for small apartment yards and small courtyards

If you are a bit like us, you want to grill everything in the summer: fiery skirt steak and juicy burgers with the perfect amount of coke, shrimp kebab and cedar salmon – hell, even cocktails and dessert.

But if you are a city dweller, you are at a disadvantage. This tiny charcoal grill you bought at Target can fit in the size of a closet in your patio, but it can't add flavor and can barely accommodate more than one steak.

The fact that you live in a city or in a small space does not mean that you have to put up with charred vegetables or smoked meat. More and more blue ribbon companies are making compact, high-quality, patio-friendly grills.

The good news is that grilling is a great addition to healthy cooking, said chef and nutritionist Julie Andrews, MD, founder of The Gourmet RD. For a start, we basically grill whole foods, such as meat and vegetables, and just clean them with a little oil, she explains. Unlike frying, cooking doesn’t have that much fat, but you still get a ton of flavor from fire, coal, or smoking, she adds. (Be sure to avoid marinades filled with sugar and sodium, and do not pick your meat, as this may cause carcinogens.)

Ready to light this summer? Here are seven grills and smokers who can boast great taste in small sizes.