Reviewing the Best Portable Gas Grills for On-the-Go Grilling

Looking to throw a BBQ party or campground feast? A gas grill is a killer app for advanced party hosts and campers.

While outdoor cooking can be tough and boring, a good portable gas grill is a game changer. Just like magic, your outdoor feast will become a fresh and fun treat for everyone involved.

A gas grill, propane grill, or burner, is a portable grill that uses propane gas for fresh and fast cooking outdoors. Compared to charcoal grills, propane grills are easy to operate and easy to control the temperature (just twist the knob!).

If you look on Amazon, most gas grills look alike but their prices vary crazily.

How to Choose a Suitable One?

When looking to purchase a new portable gas grill, consider the latest generation of portable gas grills. There are many different brands of portable gas grills available, but although they all claim to be portable, not all gas grills are created equal.

A good quality grill should last you at least 10 years. If you’re thinking that the one currently in your backyard is rusting away in less than 3 years, you’re not alone. There are a few things you should keep in mind as you prepare to make your next purchase for your backyard grill.

Some homework and a second thought are definitely necessary. This in-depth review of portable gas grills will save you time to sort it out.

Gas Grill Buying Tips

To assist you in your search for the ideal gas grill design, we have outlined a few pointers which should be considered before you even start analyzing the gas grill reviews online.

Once you have considered the above pointers, you should be in a much better position to find a gas grill that could have been tailor-made for your needs.

10 Best Portable Gas Grills 2023

In a hurry? Just check the quick editor’s choices:

1. Weber 46510001 Spirit E310 – Best Portable Propane Grill

Winner and one of the most popular gas grill on Amazon.

The Weber 46510001 Spirit E310 is a 3-burner grill, delivering 32,000BTU/h heat value. The electronic crossover igniter is a killer.

With a single push of the button, the burners heat up quickly.

The grill gets really hot (up to 550F-600F) even in winter, and the temperature will go down to 400F within a couple of minutes if you switch down the knob.

Great temperature control.

And the assembly is amazingly easy. All you need is to get a grill cover, and a Weber cover will do. The balanced performance earns Weber 46510001 Spirit E310 five stars.

2. Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven

Fancy a truly portable and sturdy oven for the camp cook?

The Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven is an angel. It’s just like a regular-sized kitchen oven.

Amazingly the 2-burner oven gets hot quickly on all sides. For biscuits at about 350F for ten minutes it gets very hot on all sides.

There’s a built-in thermometer.

To avoid overheating, just keep the season in mind, you can set the heat-control dial to maintain the temperature in a range of about 200F to 500F.

3. Weber 51080001 Q1200 Liquid Propane Grill

If you are looking for a stylish portable propane grill, the Weber 51080001 Q1200 Liquid Propane Grill is our first recommendation. Its unique colorful shroud and stand design are very capturing.

This portable gas grill is perfect for apartment balconies or patios and compact enough to travel with on road trips and camping trips.

With Weber’s 6557 Q Portable Cart, the combo is even more stylish and convenient.

When removed from the foldable portable cart, the Q1200 sits perfectly on a tabletop, on a camping ground, or at the beach.

Besides the design, the Weber Q1200 grill uses sturdy quality material: a cast aluminum lid, a durable porcelain-enameled cast iron grate.

The only complaint is its lowest flame: not quite low enough to be a ‘keep warm’ setting. A great grill for the value.

4. Char-Broil Classic 360 3-Burner Gas Grill – Best Under $300

The Char-Broil Classic 360 3-Burner Gas Grill is a good budget grill choice.

This grill features 3 burners that deliver 30,000 BTUs of heat (heats up very fast) and has 530 square inches of the total cooking surface, with a built-in temperature gauge.

The cooking area design is great: a raised 170 square inch secondary cooking area — great for slow cooking or keeping food warm. It is convenient to manage food at different temperatures and times.

In conclusion, it is easy for the wallet, and decent for the price.

5. Camco 57305 Stainless Steel Portable Grill – Best for Tailgating

This is the one we would like to recommend especially for trailer and RV use.

The Camco 57305 Olympian 5500 comes with a mounting bracket used to hang the grill from the side of the RV or trailer (if there’s a preinstalled mounting rail on your car).

It also includes a quick-connect hose and valve to use the low-pressure propane supply on an RV or trailer that has a built-in low-pressure quick-connect propane connection.

Overall, it is an affordable quality grill for RV/trailer.

6. Masterbuilt 20050211 Black Propane Smoker

How about seasoning your ribs and turkey with a smoking flavor?

The Masterbuilt Black Propane Smoker is a decent choice. We find it a great entry level smoker for the price. The propane smoker features a 2-door design, making it easy to control the temperature.

There’s no door seal though, which does allow smoke to escape but it isn’t enough to be a problem. The door latch is adjustable, so a simple tightening of it is all you need.

A good quality smoker sold by an excellent company with great customer service.

7. Coleman Road Trip Propane Portable Grill LXE

The Coleman Road Trip Propane Portable Grill LXE is a lovely-looking portable grill. The fun grill is super easy to use and clean (porcelain-coated surfaces with removable grease tray).

As a portable grill, it’s easy to assemble (10min!) and transport, and folds to a compact size with a large handle and wheels for easy pulling.

We are also satisfied with its heating system and igniter. The Coleman Road Trip Propane Portable Grill features a perfect flow pressure control system for a steady hat, even in the cold.

The ample cooking area can accommodate anything from a quick lunch to a small dinner party. The heat distribution is a bit uneven, but aluminum foil, works better.

A neat grill for its size and weight.

8. Cuisinart CGG-200 Tabletop Gas Grill – Best Tabletop Gas Grill

At around $100, the Cuisinart CGG-200 grill is a surprise (or steal) for the price.

This little portable tabletop gas grill is compact enough to use on a picnic table but large enough to feed six to eight people.

It features 12,000 BTU stainless steel burners, panels that distribute heat evenly, and standard porcelain enameled cast iron cooking grate.

The mini grill heats up to 550F in no time, so by the time you got the ingredients together, the grill is good to go.

Anyway, it is a nice addition to small space tabletop use.

9. Camp Chef Explorer 2 Burner Range

If you are looking for a burner of modular design, you can’t miss the Camp Chef Explorer 2 Burner Range.

This magical burner/stove easily fits optional accessories from Grill Box to Pizza Oven.

The burner itself is super easy to set up, just heave it out of the box, attach the legs, connect the propane tank and it will lit without any issue.

The legs are also easily detached for use on a table, and we find the insulting shield between the burners and tabletop very useful.

We really appreciate its good craftsmanship, sturdy build, and expect it to last years.

10. Cuisinart CGG-180T Petit Gourmet Gas Grill – Best Small Gas Grill

Last but not least- Cuisinart CGG-180T Petit Gourmet Gas Grill. As an adorable mini grill, it is a compact and high-performance one.

The grill heats up immediately and uses far less gas than a full-sized grill.

Best of all, with its great portability features, this grill can cook your meals wherever you go. You can cook 8 burgers, 8 steaks, 6-10 chicken breasts, or 4 pounds of fish with it at once.

Compact as it is, we find it solid and durable. It’s small in size but cooks as well as a full-size grill. The lid lock works very well to keep the lid secure.

Just take it anywhere to simplify your grill.

Best Gas Grill Under 1000

Weber 62010001 Genesis II E-410 Liquid Propane Grill

Weber surprised us with the introduction of the 62010001 Genesis II E410 in a four burner configuration. 2, 3, 4 and 6. In the past, Genesis units always had 3 burners for all.

Along with this relatively radical change in the number of burners came a change in the design of the igniter and burner.

The Genesis II E410 is also compatible with the iGrill 3 temperature monitoring system, which works via Bluetooth.

The stainless steel burner has an output of 12,000 BTU and the main burner has an output of 48,000. the total cooking area is 844 square inches, of which 646 square inches is the main grill area.

The ignition remains the same and you still get the ceramic coated cast iron cooking grates. The construction is fairly standard; it is made of stainless steel, enameled steel and cast aluminum.

Best Gas Grill Under 500

Weber 44010001 Spirit E-210 Gas Grill LP Outdoor

Just like other entry-level gas grills from Weber, the Spirit E210 makes you feel like a huge part of your payment goes to the brand name.

In some ways, this is good because using products from a trusted company can give you a lot of peace of mind.

Spirit E210 has two stainless steel tubular burners producing a combined 26,500 BTU. The total cooking area measures 450 square inches, of which 360 square inches comprise the primary cooking area.

As always, you get porcelain enameled steel, cast aluminum, and 400 series stainless steel. It also comes with a propane tank gauge (very helpful), a thermometer that sits on the hood, and a folding table.

As you may have noticed by now, it’s a small grill. This is great because it means you can use it in small spaces like balconies, it doesn’t take up much storage space, and it’s relatively inexpensive compared to other Spirit gas grills.

Aside from this huge change, the Spirit E210’s functionality is pretty standard. It even takes a while to preheat and the output is not amazing.

If you have fairly basic needs in terms of outdoor grilling and are willing to invest in a brand’s promise, then we think you will do well with Weber’s Spirit E210.

It is inexpensive, small, easy to use, and does what it needs to do.

Best Gas Grill Under 300

Char-Broil 463377319 4-Burner Liquid Propane Gas Grill

As an entry-level gas grill from Char-Broil, the Performance 463377319 did get a lot of attention when it was launched and continues to attract new customers to this day.

We think this is fairly justified, given the benefits of this model.

To familiarize you with Performance 463377319’s main features, its main burners produce 36,000 BTU, whereas the side burner gives 10,000 BTU. These are not bad at all, considering the price of the Performance 463377319.

The primary cooking space measures 463377319 square inches, which is already near the high-capacity end. The additional 175 square-inch swing-a-way rack is mainly for warming.

One thing you may not like

The Performance 463377319 is that the warranty pales in comparison with those offered by some of Char-Broil’s competitors. It is mainly part-specific and can last up to a year only.

All in all, we believe that Char-Broil’s Performance 463377319 is a good budget starter option. It is not perfect, but it offers a lot of extras for its price; this powerful gas grill should be your outdoor cooking companion for a long time.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Portable Gas Grills

First, let’s take a look at the key factors that decide the quality and performance of a portable gas grill.

• Size / Cooking Area

The first thing to think about when choosing a gas grill. We care about both the Assembled Exterior Size (if it fits your backyard) and the Cooking Area Size, which can also be gauged by the number of burgers.

• Igniter / Heat Value

There are mainly 2 kinds of igniters on the market: Electronic Ignition and Battery Powered Push Button. As the latter may require battery replacement regularly and may fail at a low battery, most people prefer the more reliable electronic ignition system.

Choose the heat value for your cooking style, e.g. if you are not a fast cook, a higher heat value may easily cause food to overcooked.

Heat value is measured in BTU, the higher the heat value is, the faster the grill heats up and the cook will be. Depending on the number of igniters, the heat value of a propane grill typically ranges from 3,000 BTU to 30,000 BTU.

• Installation

Basically, a portable gas grill consists of only 2 parts: a Grill Pan and a Propane Bottle. Just follow the user manual and most buyers can get it ready to cook within an hour. Some may prefer a built-in gas grill in the house, which requires a professional technician to do the installation.

• Accessories

According to our experience, you may consider getting an Extra Gas Bottle. The other accessories include barbecue toolkits, racks, temperature control lids, extra gas elements, and different grill plates, etc.

Why Use Gas Grills

Gas grills, when compared to charcoal ones, are adjustable and you can easily regulate their temperature which you cannot do with charcoal ones.

If you wish to adjust the height and temperature of the flame for a perfectly grilled steak, you can do it with ease with the use of a gas grill. Not only the precision of grilling is what you get but gas grills offer you a cleaner way of grilling.

Gas grills offer varied features one of which is different grilling zones with some appliances. So you can simultaneously grill different items and can adjust their temperature according to the cooking, grilling or heating requirements of each. Gas grills don’t take much time for lighting and heat up.

Conclusion

Remember that all the key basic features of a gas grill are really important whereas all the additional extra perks have very little use.

While looking for the best gas grill with all the features, you need to have a look at the price that these extra bonuses are costing you and you need to think whether paying extra for these benefits is worth it or not.

Make sure that you opt for a gas grill that only has the features you desire and keep yourself from paying extra for unwanted considerations.