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Blackstone Tabletop Griddle

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Best Portable Grill for Camping

Blackstone Tabletop Griddle

Technically this is not a grill, but hear us out: When going camping, especially for more than a weekend, a flat cooking surface is much more versatile for making everything from breakfast eggs and bacon to searing freshly caught trout fillets. Blackstone’s 22-inch griddle offers a roomy 339 square inches of cooking space—more than twice the area of the smallest grill on this list.

The two burners run off a liquid propane canister, with “H”-shaped burners for even heat distribution. When you’re finished cooking, the griddle flips over to form a top for storage. If its 32-pound weight and overall dimensions of 22.5 inches long by 19 inches wide by 9 inches tall have you wondering how you’ll transport it, you may opt for a smaller 17-inch size. Both can be purchased with or without a hinged hood for closed-lid cooking, though the lid adds more weight and size.

Pros

  • Suitable for making a wide variety of foods
  • Rear grease trap for easier cleanup
  • Raised edges around three sides to deflect wind and concentrate heat on the surface
  • The two burners can be lit independently, providing more heat control
  • The rubber feet can be adjusted for stability on uneven surfaces

Cons

  • Not technically a grill
  • Less portable than many

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Psst! While you’re at it, also check out the LoCo flat top grill.

What to Consider When Buying the Best Portable Grill

The best portable grills aren’t just small and lightweight. You’ll need to consider what size will fit how you travel and who you’re feeding. A larger portable grill that fits in a truck bed or RV may not work in a small car trunk. But more portability often means less cooking space, so if you have a larger group, you’ll have to cook in shifts. In general, you should figure 72 square inches per person per meal to determine how a portable grill might suit your needs. Some portable grills have lids, which can make cooking go faster but adds to the bulk of your cooker. At the minimum, look for sides that come up past the grill surface to help keep heat in.

Types of Portable Grills

The kind of fuel makes a difference, too. Charcoal grills create the best flavor, but the actual coals are heavy to lug with you, and you have to be able to dispose of hot coals safely if you aren’t staying long enough for the coals to cool completely.

The liquid propane canisters for portable gas grills usually weight only 1 or 1.5 pounds, but they won’t last longer than an hour or so each. Many portable gas grills can be converted to handle a 20-pound propane tank, but then you have that to carry a big tank with you as well.

Portable pellet grills provide smoky flavor without the mess of charcoal, but as these use both propane and wood pellets to cook, you’ll have to bring along both of those fuels to your campsite or party.

Finally, there are portable electric grill options, but for those, you need access to an outlet—which is why we didn’t include any of those on this list.

How We Found the Best Portable Grills

As shopping experts, our only job is to help you find a winning product. We start with the research and reporting basics—what products are made of, what they look like and how much they cost—to ensure that we’re only recommending the buys that are worth your time and money. Then we research the features that speak to the product’s quality, taking advice from industry insiders and subject-matter experts on what makes a product a smart value (or worthy of a splurge). Finally, we do the work of combing through user reviews to see how real people interact with the product, and if it stands up to the test.

FAQ

How do you clean a portable grill?

If you’re traveling with a grill, cleanup is an important consideration. Hot charcoal and ash has to be carefully disposed of, or you have to allow enough time for the coals to fully burn out and cool before dumping. Some portable grills have grease catchers that need to be emptied and cleaned. When camping in areas where bears might be present, it’s especially important not to leave a greasy grill sitting out in the open where the smell could attract them. Generally, you can get away with using a wire grill brush on the grates during your trip, but you’ll want to make sure to do a more thorough grill cleaning when you get home.

Can you put a portable grill on a plastic table?

If you don’t know what surface will be available, make sure you get a portable grill that has legs or feet. However, the bottom of the grill may still get hot enough to damage a plastic table, so use caution when you pick your spot for cooking.

How do you attach a propane tank to a portable grill?

The small liquid propane canisters simply screw into the attachment built into the grill. Some portable propane grills can be converted to attach to a propane tank, but you’ll have to buy a separate attachment.