According to the website Timeline.com, barbecue fanatics can thank Henry Ford and our military heroes for inventing the portable grill. Based on Ford’s 1930s “picnic kit” (a feature of his Model T) the government asked the Coleman Company to design portable stoves GIs could carry while on maneuvers during WWII. Coleman came up with the Pocket Stove in 60 days and it’s still considered the first generation of portable grills.
Was it inevitable that GIs would return home with a taste for outdoor cooking? Perhaps. The art of the barbecue was elevated to new heights when Weber founder George Stephen’s iconic hemispherical barbecue designs hit retail stores. By 1958, statisticians estimated that one in three families cooked outdoors.
These days, the portable travel grill has become one of the most valuable tools campers and picnickers can own, which is why so many of them are popping up on today’s market! Which one of the following 10 grills sounds like your best bet? We’ll help you make the right choice.
Product | Details | Price |
|---|---|---|
 Coleman LXE Portable Travel Roadtrip Grill | ||
 Cuisinart CGG-180T Portable Travel Grill | ||
 Cuisinart CGG—200B Portable Travel Grill | ||
 Smoke Hollow Portable Travel Grill | ||
 Weber Portable Travel Grill |
Coleman LXE Portable Travel Grill
Distinction: Most uniquely designed travel grill
Description: The Coleman LXE Portable Travel Grill looks a little like a spaceship but bears the iconic Coleman brand name, so you’ll be happy you invested in this propane grill for your outdoor adventures. This product offers outdoor cooks 285-square inches of grilling surface and 20,000 BTUs of heat, so this is no wimpy unit. You can swap out cooktops. Replace the grill with a griddle or stove grate (not included) to churn out everything from toasted cheese sandwiches for the kids to oversized steaks and burgers. This grill folds down for transport and easily fits into most car trunks.
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Cuisinart CGG-180T Portable Travel Grill
Distinction: Lightest propane travel grill
Description: Go ahead. Call it cute! The Cuisinart CGG-180T Portable Travel Grill is little and the 13.5-pound unit may look small, but it’s mighty, inviting owners to pile on the meats: 4 pounds of fish; up to 10 chicken breasts, 8 steaks or plenty of burgers. The grilling area measures 145-square-inches and the burner puts out 5,500 BTUs via the porcelain-enamel grate and stainless steel burner. Use the carry handle to get it from your car to your cooking site, pull down the aluminum legs fitted with stabilizing feet and let the party begin. When you pack up at day’s end, the lid lock keeps everything secure.
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