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These Lightweight, Portable Grills Are The Perfect Addition To Your Late Summer Cookouts

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There’s nothing better than grilling season — it’s that time of year when you can drop everything and throw your mini-cooker in the car, head outside with friends, and feast all day in the glorious sunshine. Having the best portable gas grill will make this awesome experience even better. So what should you look for in a good one?

On top of searching for something that’s lightweight, easy to carry, and built with strong materials, think about power and efficiency. This is typically measured in BTUs (British Thermal Units) so the higher you can find, the better. Another important factor is heating capacity or, more specifically, how evenly it will cook your food. Grills that get hot spots or don’t circulate air well will leave you with burned or undercooked meat.

Beyond all of those considerations, consider your personal preferences. How much grilling space do you want, for example? Are you trying to fit a dozen burgers on one grate, or is something smaller and more compact sufficient? If you're particularly smoke-averse, an infrared grill might be the right choice for you, over a conventional convection cooker.

Regardless of your preferences and styles, there's a great gas grill for you. Here's a list of the best portable gas grills for every style and personality.

1

The Overall Best

This popular gas grill features robust cast-iron cooking grates coated in smooth porcelain enamel — durable materials that yield an even cooking experience. The lid and body are built with tough cast aluminum, making this a great investment you can cook with for a long time. The electronic ignition is easy to get started and once you have it going, it burns efficiently at 8,500 BTU-per-hour. The cooking area has 189 square inches of grilling space which offers enough room to fit all your burgers without being too big or clunky. It can withstand impressively high temperatures and the shape of the cook box facilitates better circulation to heat your food evenly. The grill also has fold-out sides for plates or cooking utensils, and comes in eight different colors.

2

The Lightest Grill

At 13.5 pounds, this portable gas grill is nearly half the weight of your average cooker, making it one of the lightest options you can find. It's an excellent choice if you're grilling in the park or going places where you have a bit of a hike from the car. The grilling area is 145 square inches which is smaller than some of the others on this list but negligible compared to the tradeoff in weight. It still manages to cook eight burgers, or 4 pounds of fish in one session. The cooker has mini foldaway legs that hover just off the ground and provide extra stability while you're grilling. Lastly, the porcelain-enameled grate and 5,500-BTU burner work together to evenly and efficiently heat up your food.

3

The Best Foldable Full-Size Grill

This foldable gas grill from Coleman features collapsible legs that are super compact, and wheels that allow you to roll it like a carry-on suitcase. Once expanded, the grill showcases an extra large, 285-square-inch double grate that offers a giant space you can go crazy cooking on. It has two adjustable burners that work independently of one another, letting you customize the heat with greater precision. On top of that, there's an easy-start push-button ignition, two slide-out stainless steel shelves, and a built-in thermometer to perfect your grilling mastery.

4

The Best Infrared Grill

Unlike your standard convection cooker, this infrared grill uses special technology that heats the cooking area more evenly, reducing hot spots and making your food more uniformly cooked. On top of that, this grill is less prone to flare-ups, making it top-of-the-line in safety. But, one thing to note with infrared grills, they tend to heat up faster and it is easier to burn food while using infrared technology. But, the stainless steel cooking grate provides 200 square inches of space while the cast aluminum body keeps it sturdy and stable. On top of all of that, the lid features strong steel latches and its hood-mounted temperature gauge is built in to ensure your brats and burgers are properly cooked.

5

Also Great: That Best Portable Gas Griddle

While technically this is not a grill in the traditional sense of the word, there are benefits to this portable gas griddle. The biggest benefit benefit being that, since there is no open flame, the griddle doesn't get smoky. It's also easier to control the temperature and you won't lose hot dogs or veggie kabobs through the grate and into a fit of fire. Additionally, it lets you cook things like pancakes and eggs so it's more versatile. The downside of the griddle option is that the meat doesn't cook quite as quickly and some people think it loses some of its flavor with the rich smokiness. This griddle, which has porcelain enamel coating and a simple piezo ignition system, comes in two and three burner options, each of which offers 8,500 BTUs of cooking power.

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