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Table of Contents
1. NOMADIQ Portable Propane Gas Grill – Editor’s Pick
Portable was in the title of this article and the NOMADIQ really lives up to both the title as well as its own naming. The NOMADIQ features a unique tabletop sized clamshell design that folds up and fits into its included travel bag. Small enough to fit nearly anywhere, you’ll never be hard pressed to find a place to store this, whether it is in a cramped deer camp or in the back seat of the car on your way to the big game.
The NOMADIQ can pump out almost 10,000 BTU of heat out of its dual burners and takes less than 45 seconds to set up and get grilling. The internals are easily removed once cooled down and are dishwasher safe for quick and easy cleanup once back home. The NOMADIQ Portable Propane Gas Grill is available for $399.99.
Pros/Very portable and compact, electric push-to-start ignition
Cons/Small cooking area
Bottom Line/Perfect for a propane fueled picnic at the park or anywhere you can find a place to set up. Best suited for when space and portability are the most important
2. Coleman Sportster Propane Grill – Budget Pick
Offering a portable and powerful rollout grill, the Coleman Sportster is capable of delivering up to 11,00 BTU and features Coleman’s Insta-start push button ignition. The removable grease tray makes for quick cleanup after use and the entire thing collapses down into a convenient roll-away design that will fit easily in the trunk of a car or back of a truck.
The interior steel grate is covered in a porcelain coating making clean up even easier. The grill features a slightly larger 27×12 cooking area meaning you can grill for multiple people very easily making it the perfect tailgating or park grill.
Pros/Affordable and wheeled for easy transport
Cons/Still Limited on Cooking Space
Bottom Line/Great for wheeled convenience when you need to transport your grill a good distance from your car or truck
3. Weber Q1200 Liquid Propane Grill
This affordable and compact option balances out our previous offerings on the list. The Q1200 is made from a durable and lightweight Glass-reinforced nylon frame and porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking surfaces for easy clean up and good heat transmission. The single stainless steel burner produces 8500 BTU per hour to heat its 189 square-inch cooking area.
If you don’t like the idea of carrying around plastic tables for your grilling adventures, Weber also sells the Q Portable grill stand for setting up virtually anywhere you need to get cooking. The Weber Q1200 is available in 6 different colors and costs $219.00.
Pros/Lightweight and affordable
Cons/ Limited cooking surface area and low BTU output
Bottom Line/Great way to break into the portable grilling scene and perfect for the beach when paired with the Weber Q Portable grill stand
4. Eureka SPRK Camp Grill
Looking for a super compact, easy to use grill for your adventure? The Eureka SPRK Camp Grill is perfect for road trips, fishing trips and more. Just grab it in the included carry case and go. Unlike some of the grills, it has a fully integrated fuel compartment for an eight ounce butane canister (fuel canister not included). It fires right up with an auto-ignition.Unlike some of the grills that have a steel grate, this one has a non-stick ceramic one that makes cooking easy and clean-up even easier. Set it up on a picnic table and be cooking in no time.
Being a self-contained system with butane, this grill doesn’t need the external hookup of a propane canister, giving you one less thing to carry. I like how portable it is, but the cooking space is rather small. Still, it’s perfect for burgers.
Pros/Small, portable and self contained
Cons/Butane canisters not as easy to find
Bottom Line/A great option for a compact, self contained unit, making it one of the best portable grills you can get
5. Camp Chef Big Gas Grill
One of the common issues with the other portable grills on this list is that there isn’t much cooking space. That’s not the case with the Camp Chef Big Gas Grill. This grill is not as easily portable as the others, but is still pretty easy to move and can be taken on camping trips, to tailgate parties and more. It has a big 16in by 38in Cooking grate (608 sq. in. total cooking area) with three cast-aluminum 30,000 BTU burners. It includes Camp Chef’s 16×24 Professional BBQ grill box accessory which gives you multiple cooking options. There are other accessories available from Camp Chef, too, like their stone pizza oven.
If you feed a big group in camp, or at the pre-game festivities, this is the way to go. And, it’s Camp Chef, so you know it’s good and will work great. It uses a full-size propane tank.
Pros/Big cooking surface giving you more options
Cons/Bigger grill and bigger tank
Bottom Line/A great option if you are cooking for a bigger group
Portable grill safety
Like any grill, portable grills suffer from the same general heat and emission dangers that any cook surface does. Since most of these are propane grills, they come with the same cautions as your regular grill would have.
Propane grills produce carbon monoxide so it’s best to make sure that when using your portable grill you use it a safe distance from any flammable materials and in a well ventilated area. Beyond that, portable grills should be much safer than other open flame cooking methods.
Portable grill fuel
Unlike packable camp stoves, that use a multitude of fuel sources, all of the grills on this list can use standard 14.1 or 16.4 ounce liquid propane cylinders. Other portable grills can be found to work with Jet Boil fuel canisters or even be heated by charcoal but with that comes the need to cart around bulky fuel which is also quite messy.
I find that the small portable propane canisters are the safest and most convenient way to grill on the go. these canisters are readily available and carry a very reasonable price tag.
Grill maintenance and storage
Unless you have coated grill grates, rust is often just something you have to deal with when you store your grill for any significant amount of time. Even if it is not directly exposed to moisture the grill will tend to take the ambient moisture in the area and start to rust after a few uses.
The best way to combat this is to meticulously clean it and it is also why I highly recommend the Blackstone style griddle over standard non-coated grill grates. The cook surface on the Blackstone is extremely easy to clean and extremely rust resistant. It’s also best to make use of some sort of grill cover if you plan on leaving your grill outside overnight.
Like cast iron pans, it also helps to season the grill plate. There is several ways to do this, but my favorite is to coat it with a layer of grease, like lard, and set it over a campfire. Let the metal heat evenly and completely, and it won’t take long for the seasoning effect to take hold. This gives you a good start to a long-lasting grill.
Can I leave a portable grill unattended?
Never, ever leave any grill unattended, and make sure to keep children at a safe distance, too.
Are portable grills safe?
Yes, a portable grill is safe. The biggest issues are leaving it unattended, creating a fire/burn hazard, and trying to pack it up before it completely cooled down. Trying to put away a hot grill creates a long list of issues, the least of which is being another fire hazard.
About the Author
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