The 6 Best Portable Grills of 2022 Tested by GearLab

It would be very difficult to beat the white bread heat distribution test results produced by the Coleman Roadtrip 285. The heat distribution of the Char-Broil 240 grill is not particularly even, likely because the distribution cap does not extend to the farthest reaches at either the front or back. Beneath those head-sized ribeyes you can see the glowing orange Solaire heating element. BBQGuys does more than test and sell grills — we show you how to use them, too.

Barbeques Galore stocks up on portable grills from a barrage of trusted brands such as Weber, Turbo, Green Mountain, American Muscle, Broil King, Blaze, and Twin Eagle. If you’re looking to cook a whole lot of food at once, you can’t top the Camp Chef portable bbq Portable Pellet. Between the main grill and the upper shelf, this model offers 500 square inches of cooking space. If you like the idea of grilling large hunks of meat on one shelf while roasting veggies on the other, this is the grill for you.

The Char-Broil Grill2Go is slightly more expensive but cooks with the quality of an infrared burner and includes additional features like a thermometer built into the lid. If you’re looking for a larger propane grill, the Coleman Roadtrip 285 is more of an investment but performs on par with many non-portable patio grills. If you’re ready to jump into the pellet world, it’s going to cost you – these types of cookers are not cheap. That said, the Camp Chef Portable Pellet’s price is fairly reasonable considering its top-notch performance. Some of the things we love the most about the Camp Chef Portable Pellet tie directly to its weaknesses.

Not only is the ignitor electric, but so is the auger that feels pellets from the hopper into the grill, which means that this grill needs to be plugged into an AC outlet. If you’re at home, in an RV, or have a decent power bank, this isn’t much of an issue. But for folks that like to go completely off-grid, this model isn’t going to work for you. Much like charcoal grills, pellet grills take some time before they’re ready for cooking and the Camp Chef Portable Pellet takes a while to warm up. Lastly, this model is really heavy compared to most of the portable grills in our review. The wheels are helpful, but it’s not very fun to drag this grill very far from your vehicle.

The Roadtrip 285 produced better results from our white bread heat mapping test than any other grill we’ve tested. Our ranking of heat output also considered each manufacturer’s BTU reporting, grill surface area, and lid sealing and construction. For the most part, the scoring of the heat output follows manufacturer claims, but we made some exceptions based on our observations. For instance, while the Weber Q 1200 only claims 8,500 BTUs, in practice, it operates at hotter temperatures and maintains that heat over a larger cook surface compared to other similar models.

One of the most popular uses for portable barbeques grills and portable barbe grilles are some of the most versatile ways to cook food. Portable barbeques and outdoor cooking have become a popular trend among people around the world. The digital controller on the Camp Chef Portable Pellet grill is more akin to a kitchen oven than most portable grills. The clear champion of this section of our assessment is the Camp Chef Portable Pellet. The digital controller goes far beyond the accuracy of any mechanical knob. If you can operate the controls of a modern kitchen oven, then this model is a no-brainer.

portable bbq

The infrared-cooking capability of the Solaire Everywhere puts out 14,000 BTUs and confidently sears a steak faster than anything else. Soaring in popularity, they come in a vast assortment of fuel types such as gas, pellet, electric, or charcoal. You can also take your pick from modern options that range from infrared grills to pizza ovens, all of which come in a myriad of sizes and shapes. The Cuisinart Petite Gourmet is one of the smallest grills in our tests, and the size does affect control. While we couldn’t rely on BTU-ratings for charcoal grills, our reviewers utilized an infrared thermometer to accurately test the temperature of these grill surfaces.

We also took into account how simple or challenging each contender was to clean. To illustrate this, we cooked plain white bread and photographed the result to help visualize the distribution of heat across these weber charcoal grill grill tops. We also took into consideration whether the lid was big enough for closed grilling, how easy the grease trap was to use, remove, and clean, and if the regulator provided a snug or loose fit.