It uses natural gas tanks and ignites quickly with a steady and consistent flame. However, it was ultimately less powerful than the Weber (just 5,500 BTUs), topping out around 400 F. It didn’t maintain its heat quite as well but wasn’t terrible in that regard either. Camping trips, road trips, tailgates, closet-size outdoor spaces—there are a lot of scenarios that call for a portable grill. But unfortunately, many of the factors that make a grill portable can also keep it from working well. For more details on how we tested and what we looked for, scroll down to the bottom.
The Solaire Everywhere infrared grill is a unique product on our roster and performs very well in a few categories. First, it is very small and compact, and its construction is tight and carries quietly. Most importantly, the high-powered ceramic “flameless” burner that sits below a carefully designed grate of v-shaped bars cooks steaks better than anything else in our review. For those excellent cuts of red meat that require nothing more than a touch of flame, this is the best portable grill on the market. The Q 1200’s design caused the fewest flare-ups of any model we tried, thanks to built-in channels in the porcelain-coated cast-iron grill grates.
If you’re interested in a tabletop grill—one with shorter legs that can be setup on a picnic table or bench—you can’t do better than the Weber Q1200 Gas Grill. Its strong, intense flame combined with cast iron grates Expert Grill Combo Grills produced one the best sears in our test, although it’s heavier than other models we tested, and slightly awkward to carry. It packs up tidily into a large lunchbox shape, and comes with a sturdy carrying strap.
On all that we currently include in the review, the knob and regulators allow a clearer and wider range of burner output. Control, then, is mostly a function of burner shape, grill shape, and the relative interaction of these two features. Large burners, relative to the grill size, distribute heat more evenly to the grill top. We found the u-shaped burner of the Camp Chef Portable BBQ to be one of the best single burners in our review. The large surface of the Cuisinart All Foods Roll-Away gives the cook multiple heat zones to work with while grilling.
It’s shaped like a traditional grill’s rectangular design, and its lid can be easily lifted back and rested on its hinges for easy access to the cooking space. In addition to performance, we test ease of use and score each grills on the types of features they have like shelves, storage space, amount of wheels, etc. We also ensured our winning portable grills could be transported easily by one person. We love that the lid, which has two vents that stay cool enough to adjust during cooking, stays put on the grill in the open position and has a large, oversized handle for easy check-ins.
It’s cooking, the old-fashioned way, but if you haven’t done that much you might want to practice before you have hangry kids clamoring for dinner. Still, if your primary criteria is portability, this is the best grill around. A porcelain-enameled lid and base help you retain heat, while the double vents allow you to control the airflow for the best grilling results. The plated steel grate is easy to remove, clean, and heats up evenly, too. The one downside to this camping grill (if you can call it such) is the ~10 minutes of assembly required right out of the box.
Portable grills cost anywhere from $50 for a simple Weber charcoal grill all the way up to $500 or more for fancier gas and propane grills with bells and whistles galore. My favorite portable grill, the Weber Q-1200, sits at about $259 but you can find it for less on sale. Most sturdy small grills should last you several years to a decade if the unit is cleaned, covered and cared for properly. Our ranking of heat output also considered each manufacturer’s BTU reporting, grill surface area, and lid sealing and construction.
A temperature dial lets you control the heat as easily and quickly as on a kitchen range. My only complaint about the Venture is that the grease tray is small and therefore prone to spilling if you aren’t careful when you slide it out. Despite that, this is a clever, fun, well-designed grill that’s perfect for searing on the go. It’s big enough for a family of four and strikes the best balance between ease of use and cooking performance. It has a thermometer and some side tables to hold your plates and tongs.
In a world where the Nomad didn’t exist, the Oklahoma Joe’s Rambler would be the top charcoal choice here. This grill feels like Oklahoma Joe’s just hit one of their full-size grills with a shrink ray. It had the same solid construction, the same easy-to-work-with grates, and it even had a chimney Expert Grill Combo Grills vent on top that provided excellent temperature control. The charcoal basket was on adjustable hooks, so I could bring it closer or further from the grates depending on how hot I wanted them. But the things that made the Rambler a great grill are also the things that made it harder to move.