Best portable grill overall

This sleek portable gas grill from Weber is superior in almost every category and was a fairly clear winner as the best portable grill overall. It's easy to assemble, with just a few parts, and once   best small grill 2022  completed feels solid and sturdy, even when given a few vigorous shakes. The igniter works well and, once lit, the grill got hot, reaching its advertised 500 degrees Fahrenheit after just 15 minutes with the lid closed. The flame is easy to control and keeps a consistent temperature throughout cooking, even when grilling with the flame turned low. 

With 189 square inches of cooking surface, this grill was not the biggest on the list, but it's plenty big enough to cook burgers, chicken, fish, and veggies for a group of six hungry people. It's also nice-looking with flare-out trays to hold your plates and grilling tools, plus an ergonomic design. It comes in a bunch of fun colors, or jet black if you prefer. Despite its sturdy build, the Q-1200 is still light and limber enough for a camping grill to take on a camping trip or for one person to carry with relative ease. This grill, like all on the list, can use any small propane tank sold at most camping or hardware stores.

NomadiQ portable propane grill

While all the grills on this list are portable to some degree, certain models are decidedly more portable than others. The NomadiQ portable propane grill folds up into a case the size of a small bag, with easy-grab handles. It also weighs just 12 pounds, making it the best truly portable gas grill I tested.

So how did it actually work? Pretty darn well I have to say. Setup was a snap -- you simply unhinge the sides and the entire thing opens up like a clamshell. The grilling space is large too with 226 square inches of ceramic-coated nonstick grates.

At under 10,000 BTUs, it didn't get quite as screaming hot as my top pick -- the Weber Q -- but it is decidedly more compact and easier to transport. Though the grill has a large cooking area, some parts of the nonstick grill surface got much hotter than others, but they did so in a consistent fashion so you simply have to learn where the real heat comes from and where the cooler spots are (mostly around the edges and middle). 

The NomadiQ grill is not particularly cheap, clocking in at $300, but if you want something that is truly portable -- I mean, you could bring this on a last-minute trip to the beach without breaking a sweat -- this is the perfect small gas grill.