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Best Portable Grill: Buying Guide





Our recommended portable grills are great for tailgating, camping or perfectly suited for your apartment balcony or patio area. Our BBQ grill experts have rated these grills based on value, performance, ease of mobility, appearance, durability and overall cooking flexibility. When shopping for a small portable grill, make sure to check out one of these.

  1. Aussie Outdoor Living 6TV1S00KP1 Stainless Steel 26.5″x17″x12″ RV Grill
  2. Smoke Hollow 205 Stainless Steel, Portable TableTop Propane Gas Grill. Perfect for Camping, Tailgating, Picnics or any outdoor use. 305 sq inches of Cooking Surface 11.25″x 18.5″ With warming rack
  3. Char-Broil TRU-Infrared Portable Grill2Go Gas Grill
  4. Cuisinart CGG-059 Grillster 8,000 BTU Portable Gas Grill
  5. E-TECHING All-in-1 Folding Portable Stainless Steel Charcoal BBQ Grill with a Storage Bag
  6. Coleman Road Trip Propane Portable Grill LXE
  7. Traeger TFB29LZA Junior Elite Grill
  8. Char-Griller 16620 Akorn Kamado Kooker Charcoal Barbecue Grill and Smoker, Black
  9. Blackstone 36 inch Outdoor Flat Top Gas Grill Griddle Station – 4-burner – Propane Fueled – Restaurant Grade – Professional Quality
  10. Dyna-Glo DGN576DNC-D Premium Charcoal Grill
  11. Cuisinart CGG-049 Searin’ Sphere 10,000 BTU Portable Gas Grill
  12. Smoke Hollow 26142E 26-Inch Electric Smoker with Adjustable Temperature Control
  13. Camp Solutions BBQ Grill, Charcoal grill, Foldable and Portable Outdoor Grill, A Perfect Gift for Barbecue Lovers
  14. Blackstone 36 inch Stainless Steel Outdoor Cooking Gas Grill Griddle Station
  15. Commercial LP Gas Portable 8-Burner Event BBQ Grill w/ PVC Fitted Cover
  16. Blackstone Grills Tailgater – Portable Gas Grill and Griddle Combo – Barbecue Box – Two Open Burners – Griddle Top – Adjustable Legs – Camping Stove Great for Hunting, Fishing, Tailgating and More
  17. NutriChef Raclette Grill , 8 Person Party Cooktop, Stone Plate & Metal Grills 1000 Watt (PKGRST46)
  18. Cuisinart CCG-190RB Portable Charcoal Grill, 14-Inch, Red
  19. Stok Gridiron Portable Gas Grill
  20. Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Pellet Grill – WIFI enabled
  21. Marsh Allen 30052AMZ Kay Home Product’s Cast Iron Hibachi Charcoal Grill, 10 by 18-Inch
  22. Char-Broil TRU Infrared Patio Bistro 180 Portable Gas Grill
  23. Char Broil 240 Portable Gas Grill
  24. Magma Products, A10-803 Connoisseur Series ChefsMate Portable Gas Grill
  25. Char-Broil Stainless Steel Portable Gas Grill
  26. George Foreman GP200GM Portable Propane Camp & Tailgate Grill, Portable Gas Grill, Camping Grill, Gun Metal
  27. Weber 121020 Go-Anywhere Charcoal Grill
  28. Cuisinart CGG-200 All-Foods 12,000-BTU Tabletop Gas Grill
  29. Coleman RoadTrip Sport Charcoal Grill
  30. Weber 50060001 Q1000 Liquid Propane Grill
  31. Weber 10020 Smokey Joe 14-Inch Portable Grill

When you picture being out in the wilderness many people think of the romantic version of it, only needing a camp fire to cook a fish that you’ve just pulled out of a stream. However, most places will have limits on open fires.

Some locations will only allow you to build fires in set locations, some will block them all together. Additionally, all fires are different, they depend on what type of wood, how good of an air flow you can get, and a number of other features.

These can be overcome, but for consistency and ease of cooking a grill might be better. Now some campgrounds have those grills mounted on a post in concrete, they can work, but they might not be set up for you. Other people may choose to get a cheap grill, then just chunk it in the waste at the end of their trip. But why not go for the best portable grill out there?

Reasons to Buy a Portable Grill

In cooking being able to do things consistently is the key to being able to pull off the same great level of food every time. While there are some cooks that can pull off consistency on any number of heat sources, it tends to be a lot easier to accomplish if you use the same tools.

To do that you will need to find yourself something that can hold heat and once cooled you can take with you. But if you find a portable grill that you enjoy for camping, you can also take it if you go tailgating, to a cook out or even just in your backyard to grill dinner for your family.

Features to Look for in a Portable Grill

Fuel Choice

Grills today usually come in a choice of wood/charcoal or gas. There are some units that are pellet driven, but these normally require electricity to run, so we won’t be considering any, here. Both the wood/charcoal and gas camps have their fan bases and points in their favor.

Those who enjoy wood/charcoal grills like the extra flavor imparted by an actual fire. The down side however is that you need to carry a good amount of fuel or be sure that you can find some. The gas grill fans enjoy that it is a clean burning fuel.

If you have other camping gadgets, there is a likelihood that some will run off the same gas. However, this means that you have to bring all the gas you will need for your trip and if you run out you can’t really just gather us some fallen sticks to cook your food.

Cooking Area

Since you are looking for the best small grill there will naturally be a limit to how much surface area you have before you move out of the category.

However, looking at how much cooking area gives you an idea not only the size of the grill compared to each other, but also gives you a window into how many people you will be cooking for with the grill.

You will want to remember this as you select your grill, too small and you’ll cook everything in batches to feed everyone, too large and you will be lugging around extra weight to your camp site. Also, when considering cooking area think about the surface itself.

Do you what the classic grill lines or if it is a flat griddle like surface preferable to you and your cooking style?

Grill Stand

Another consideration is where will you put your portable grill? If you know that your campground has a table, or if you are planning on bringing a table for your grill a stand is not all that important. But if you are planning on putting it on the table think of how much space it will take up and how much space will be needed to eat and prepare your meals.

Another solution is to use a grill stand. This will free up table space or keep you from having to bend down to the ground every time you need to check your dinner. On the other side you will have to carry it with you and find a level spot to set it up.

Some of these small grills come with a stand, others have the option of adding a stand, a few of them don’t have a way to mount a stand at all.

There are some other bells and whistles, but these three can serve as your guiding factors when you look to select which of these is the best portable grill for you.


Photo Gallery of the Best Portable Grill: Buying Guide