10 Best Portable Gas Grills:
Definitive Review (Buyer’s Guide) 2024

Different Types

When it comes to portable stoves and grills, there are various types available to suit your needs.

Gas Grills

Portable gas grills are convenient and versatile. They’re very transportable and are equally suitable on a patio as they are at the beach, on camping trips, or tailgating.

Gas grills don’t take much time to light and heat up. They can be single, double or triple burners. They can also come with features like warming racks and temperature gauges.

Gas grills are ideal for precision grilling as you can adjust the height and temperature of the flame.

This is exactly what you want for the perfectly grilled steak!

Double or triple burners mean you can have different grilling zones that allow you to cook different items simultaneously.

In this review, we created a shortlist of the best gas grills under $200 for you.

Charcoal Grills

If you’re looking for an authentic BBQ experience, charcoal grills can be a great choice.

When hot, the coals provide the heat for cooking. They generally don’t flare up like open flame gas grills. 

You need to know – Charcoal burns hotter than gas., and you have limited options for controlling the heat.

Camping Stoves

Camping stoves are generally a small stove that has a pot stand directly attached to the pressurized fuel canister.

They can be solid fuel, liquid fuel, or canister gas stoves. Canister gas stoves are the most common, which is our focus in this review. They’re lightweight, simple to use, and have good flame control. They’re great for hiking, but if you like a more camping bbq experience, you could be better off with a grill. 

Grilling Surface Area

An important factor:

The size of the grilling area – how much space you have to cook.

Generally, a small gas grill will be enough for two people. Some small grills can even allow cooking for larger numbers. This makes them the ideal choice for campouts or tailgating. For larger families, gas grills with at least 300 square inches of cooking surface are ideal.

BUT:

Camping stoves are suitable for 1-2 persons, and pot stands are available to increase cooking functionality. 

It really depends on knowing how much you plan to cook. The more servings you need, the more square inches you should be considering.

Cooking Performance

Cooking performance should be your top factor to take into consideration after you’ve decided what type of grill or stove you’re looking for.

Bad design can cause poor cooking performance. Uneven heat distribution, inconsistent temperatures, and uncontrolled flare-ups are real problems when grilling.

You’ll find:

The Masterbuilt Smoke Hollow Tabletop Grill could give an uneven cook. By contrast, the Grillerette was packed with features that allowed for a nice even cook.

Some grills are designed with features to minimize these differences and increase the overall quality of cooking.

BTU Output

The heating power of gas grills is measured by BTUs (British thermal units per hour). The higher the BTU is the more cooking power the grill has. BTU /hr also tells you how much gas a grill uses.

I should point something out:

Generally speaking, the higher the heat value is, the faster the grill heats up and the hotter it will be. Small and cheap gas grills will have lower BTU, which translates to longer cooking time.

Gas grills tend to run around 10,000 to 20,000 BTUs.

Remember though…

…it’s not the measure of better cooking. Some foods don’t suit fast or high-temperature cooking.

Choose the heat value for your cooking style. If you like your steak seared, a higher BTU value is better. If you like to cook slowly, the higher heat can burn food, while leaving it undercooked on the inside.

Burner Control

BTU power isn’t the only factor affecting grill performance.

Look for burner valves with settings like flame control, so you can fine-tune the heat levels.

In camping stoves, the simmering ability will make the stove more efficient.

It also means…

…less accidentally burnt pans and more flexibility in timing meals with different components.

Even if you don’t plan to cook complicated meals, simmering is a crucial aspect. Operating at low heat means better fuel efficiency, which also means better value for money.

Wind Resistance

One of the most important factors in a stove or a grill’s performance is wind resistance.

If the slightest breeze can blow out the flame, the grill is suddenly rendered useless. For some stoves, even the smallest bit of wind can drastically affect a flame and impact its efficiency or cooking time.

Understandably, this can make or break a cookout.

Some grills and stoves come with windscreens that are lightweight and flexible. They also provide a boost in performance on breezy days.

Additional Features

At their most basic, grills do a variety of cooking tasks for you. Having additional features is always an advantage for those willing to pay for extra value. 

Let’s take a look at what else you can get with your grill!

Even some of the inexpensive gas grills can come with extras. These could be warming racks, extra gas elements, or a gas gauge to tell you how much gas you have left.

Some good cheap grills even include extra side burners where you can heat food pots and warm buns. This is especially great if you’re cooking for larger groups of people.

Some grills also include their own cooking and cleaning tools. You can always buy kits separately, but this can be an additional cost. If you can, have these included with the price of your gas grill.

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