Cooking outdoors is a fun activity, and having one of the best tabletop grills can help you take the experience on the road. This article will help you choose the best tabletop grill for your needs.

Cooking outdoors is fun, and we all love a great backyard barbecue! Food always tastes better when it is cooked outside. Tabletop grills are easy to carry on the go, so you can BBQ on family road trips or in the park for special occasions—or any occasion. But how do you choose the best tabletop grill? It all depends on your needs—do you want to barbecue on camping trips, picnics, or maybe just on your patio or deck? Whatever your grilling needs, this article helps you understand what to consider when shopping for the best tabletop grill.

This guide will help you figure out what you need to know to pick the best tabletop grill. Photo by AlexRaths via iStock by Getty Images

Different Types of Fuel for Your Tabletop Grill

Fuel is the most important thing to consider when choosing the best tabletop grill. The primary fuels for tabletop grills are propane, charcoal, and wood pellets. For ease, propane beats the other two hands down. The fuel isn’t messy, and it doesn’t produce ash you need to safely discard. For that reason, most grills on the list of best tabletop grills are gas grills.

Propane gas comes in 14.1- and 16-oz disposable canisters. It also comes in refillable tanks. As a rule of thumb, a disposable canister will supply a 20,000 BTU grill for about an hour. A 20-pound refillable tank will last about 20 hours.

When choosing a grill, remember that disposable canisters and refillable tanks use different connections. It is a good idea to know which connector your grill uses. If you want to use a type your grill is not equipped for, you can buy an adapter to make it fit.

Things to Look for When Choosing the Best Tabletop Grill

You need to consider many things when shopping for a grill—other than where to find the best meat for your barbecue! To find the best tabletop grill for your needs, consider BTUs, the available cooking surface, the type of grate, the ignition source, the heat source, and available accessories.

BTUs

BTUs, or British Thermal Units, measure the energy the grill uses. This relates to how much fuel the grill uses. It also indicates how much heat the grill produces, though many other factors affect heat, including cooking surface area. For the best tabletop grills, look for a 70 to 100 BTU per square inch rating.

Cooking Surface Area

The cooking surface area you need depends on how many people you are trying to feed. The more burgers you need to crank out, the more cooking area you need. A single burger takes up about 32 square inches, so a 200-square-inch grill can cook about six burgers simultaneously. When we talk about the best “tabletop” grills, the recommendations tend to be small but should work for a family of four.

If you regularly cook for a bigger crowd at home, a full-size grill or built-in setup from the My Cozy Outdoors outdoor kitchen store will give you far more cooking area than any tabletop model.

Type of Grate

Grill grates keep food from falling into the flames. You want the bars close enough together so your food doesn’t fall through, but far enough apart to let heat and smoke through.

Stainless steel bars are the premium choice. They are tough and easy to clean.

Many expert cooks prefer cast-iron grates. They absorb heat from the flame, distributing it more evenly. Cast iron also creates those grill marks on food. Cast iron requires more maintenance than other grate materials. It is more difficult to clean and rusts if the grill is not used frequently. Many cast-iron grates have a porcelain coating that prevents rust and retains heat distribution properties.

The economy option is chrome or nickel-plated wire. This option is less popular than it once was. It provides no heat distribution, and you can easily damage it by cleaning it with a wire brush.

Type of Ignition

While you can light all gas grills with a match or lighter, the best tabletop grills have a built-in igniter.

Heat Source

A gas grill generally has two heating methods—convection and infrared. Convection, which most of us are familiar with, heats the air under the cooking surface. Then, heat transfers to the food.

Infrared uses a conductive element. The gas flame heats the element, emitting infrared radiation to heat the food directly. Because infrared doesn’t rely on heated air that can dry out food, the food tends to retain more natural juices.

Infrared is typically more expensive than convection. Using an infrared heat source without burning the food takes practice. So before choosing an infrared grill, make sure you’ll mostly grill meat and are okay with the learning curve.

Available Tabletop Grill Accessories

Many accessories, such as covers and cookware, are available for the best tabletop grills. Be sure to check which accessories are available for the grills you are considering. If you think they will be helpful, that can be a deciding factor.

If the grill you choose uses an external refillable propane tank, you may want to buy an adapter to use disposable cylinders instead.

Best All-Round Tabletop Grill for Your Barbecue Needs

Pit Boss 75275 Portable Grill

The Pit Boss works well for camping, picnicking, and tailgating. It delivers plenty of heat and a large cooking surface while weighing only 23 lbs. It also includes a built-in carrying handle and folding legs for easier transport.

• Propane (refillable tank)
• 20,000 BTUs (72 BTU/Sq In)
• 276 square inch Cooking Area (8 burgers)
• 23 lbs
• Stainless-steel Grate
• Electric Ignition
• Purchase the disposable cylinder adapter to make your grill even more portable.

Best Infrared Tabletop Grill for Your Barbecue Needs

Magma Newport 2 Infrared Gourmet Grill

Like all the Magma grills, the Newport is designed mainly for use on boats. This means they are built tough, with marine-grade stainless steel and no sharp corners. Plus, the infrared heating element gets hot, perfect for searing steaks.

• Propane (disposable cylinder)
• 11,200 BTUs (69 BTU/square inch)
• 162 square inch (5 burgers)
• 20 lbs
• Electric Ignition
• Stainless-steel Grate

Simplest Tabletop Grill for the Everyday BBQ Enthusiast

Cuisinart CCG-190 Portable Charcoal Grill

The Cuisinart 190 is simple to use. Just add some charcoal, light it up, and in a few minutes, it is ready to cook those burgers and hot dogs for any outdoor barbecue. The grill has clips on the lid to keep all the parts together during transport.

• Charcoal
• 165 square inch (5 burgers)
• 2 lbs
• Chrome Plated Wire

Best Value in a Tabletop Grill

Megamaster 820-0033

The specs of the Megamaster—while still great—are just a little less than some of the other grills. But you are getting a lot for your money at a fraction of the cost. This is the best tabletop grill for the cost-conscious griller who wants to heat up the BBQ without breaking the bank.

• Propane (refillable tank)
• 16,000 BTUs (80 BTU/square inch)
• 199 square inches (6 burgers)
• 19 lbs
• Piezo Ignition
• Stainless-steel Grate
• Purchase the disposable cylinder adapter to make your grill even more portable.

Most Innovative Design for a Tabletop Grill

NomdiQ Portable Gas Grill

The NomdiQ Portable Grill is designed from the ground up for portability. Its clever design lets you fold the grill into a light, easy-to-carry package. This is the one to take on a road trip, so you can grill burgers at a picnic area and then tuck it away until next time.

• Propane (disposable cylinder)
• 9,200 BTUs (41 BTU/square inch)
• 226 square inches (6 burgers)
• 12.3 lbs
• Piezo Ignition
• Ceramic Coated Cast Iron Grate

Most Portable Grill for Every Barbecue Need

UCO Flatpack Stainless-Steel Grill

The Flatpack folds down to about the size of a book and fits snugly in its canvas pouch. It also makes a very nice portable fire pit. For the ultimate in portability, there is a mini version.

• Charcoal/Wood
• 130 square inches (4 burgers)
• 3.3 lbs
• Chrome-plated wire grate

Don’t forget to keep all of your picnic supplies chilled and ready to use. Need some suggestions for a cooler that won’t fail you? Be sure to look at our suggestions for the Best Coolers for Road Trips.

Once you are outfitted and ready to go, check out Wander With Wonder’s road trip suggestions. Have fun with your barbecue adventures and happy grilling with one of the best tabletop grills.