Get Outside—Even for a Bit—With a Portable Grill

This Napoleon grill folds up easily and you can set it up even easier. In 10 seconds or less, you’ll be able to fire up this grill with portable propane cylinders, and a 225 square inch efficient cooking grid.

This one’s my favorite weekday grill considering how crazy easy it is to put together and convenient to get going — and it also has some really great color options (like the Blue model I got to test). The burner inside the grill gives you full control over nearly 200 square inches of grilling surface. Building it is a breeze as it comes mostly assembled in the box and it weighs less than 30 pounds. But it’s the operation that’s a dream. After clicking it onto the companion and optional Weber Q Portable Cart (which makes it easy to cart around and folds down for easy storage), I simply turn the propane nozzle downward and ignite the grill. Foldable wings on each end of it hold my grilling tools (or a glass of Tuesday evening wine) and when I want to, I shut the lid and get a glimpse at the temperature inside. Once you’re done, the grill is easy to clean and fits neatly into a bottom shelf in your kitchen. Approximately 1,000 people left the Q1200 a 4.7-star average rating, and I give it a standing ovation.

For a cute take on the compact and portable grill, we get one that has optional legs you can pop out and prop it up a bit from a tabletop. While built around a small surface, this grill can still handle about eight burgers at the same time, which is a lot of burgers. Cusinart’s family of grills collectively boast a 4.1-star average rating from more than 3,300 reviews.

This Coleman option has wheels that collapse, so it’s extremely portable. It also has an exterior thermometer, which is surprisingly rare on portable grills. More so, it has three adjustable burners for precision temperature control.

I’m a big fan of the brushed matte stainless steel look and Smoke Hollow is delivering it in this grill over every inch. With more than 200 square inches of surface space and a powerful U burner, you’re getting a solid grill that will look great no matter where you lay it down.

On the more affordable end is Coleman’s take on the portable propane grill. It’s a bit weaker in delivering heat than the Q1200 but that only matters if you require lots of heat. It’s also a bit smaller, giving you about half the cooking surface and again, the priority there relies solely on your needs. Notably, its grates are dishwasher-safe.

And I couldn’t leave out the most adorable of them all: the Venture. The porcelain-enameled grill is heated by a surprisingly strong burner and its propane is stored in a built-in space within the venture. What’s more, the aluminum handle makes carrying this grill around as simple as carrying around a picnic basket and its wooden top can double as your cutting board or even plate.

This grill has push ignition, and a Tru-Infrared cooking system that inhibits any flair ups so your food won’t get charred and there won’t be any extremely hot or cold spots, either. It’s designed to be sturdy and convenient so you can set it up pretty much anywhere and get grillings.

With this grill you can enjoy portability and power. The table it rests on folds up and transforms into a cart, making the entire grill easy to carry and move around. It’s made of cast iron, but with the cart, you won’t have to lift a thing.

This stainless steel grill comes with a warming rack, dome thermometer, and a latching hood. The legs fold up, making it fairly portable. It also has push-button ignition and the grease tray slides out easily.

You can never go wrong with a charcoal grill. It’s simple. It’s interactive. And it always gets the job done. This basic grill, though, includes a few hidden design gems that really push it to the top of this list. Easy to put together, its porcelain-enameled lid and bowl will keep the heat where it belongs. It perfectly cooked dry-rubbed wings and a half-dozen vegetable skewers. Its so-called Tuck-and-Carry lid lock is brilliant and makes carrying this grill around so easy you’ll bring it over when you visit friends, just for fun.