7 Best Portable Pellet Grills (2023) Ranking the Top Brands

1 - Traeger Tailgater

Traeger is one of the most well-known brands in the world of pellet grills, and the Traeger Tailgater pellet grill justifies the brand’s reputation.

The Tailgater portable grill has folding legs you can latch onto the grill’s side for safe portability.

This small pellet grill has a 15 Amp power source and a built-in meat probe, so it’s easy to cook at your tailgate. It has 300 square inches of cooking area, which is enough to cook for several people.

I can easily fit two chickens or three racks of ribs without cramping the cooking area.

Moreover, this portable pellet grill can be used as a smoker whenever you crave smoke-infused food.

The pellet hopper is 8 lbs, which is on the small side, but I could smoke for several hours without refilling.

There’s also no direct-flame access or a PID temperature controller that higher-end Traeger grills have.

2 - Camp Chef Pursuit Pellet Grill

Camp Chef Pursuit portable pellet grill has a locking lid and hopper. The folding legs turn into handles, so it’s easy to pack and safely transport the grill. You can roll it behind you.

The cooking area is among the largest found in portable pellet smokers. There are 253 square inches of lower grill area and 248 on the upper rack, for a total of 501 square inches of space.

This grill reaches an impressive 500 degrees, which means you can sear your food.

The Pursuit pellet grill is equipped with a Camp Chef Gen 2 controller with PID technology [1]. This means you’ll have accurate temperature — the maximum the temperature can vary from the set level is five degrees.

This pellet grill has a temperature range of 160 to 500 degrees, and you can have both direct and indirect cooking areas.

I used it for different cooking styles, from braising, roasting, searing, and baking and the results were amazing.

3 - Traeger Ranger

Traeger Ranger portable pellet smoker belongs to the tabletop pellet grill category. It has 184 square inches of cooking space, which fits six burgers, ten hot dogs, or a rack of ribs.

Unlike other portable pellet grills, Ranger has large cast-iron grates without any gaps, making cleaning easier.

This pellet grill has Traeger Digital Elite Controller that lets you choose between 12 temperatures at once, so you can have direct and indirect grilling.

What sets Ranger apart from the Tailgater is the grilling technology. You can control this grill from your phone or tablet, so there’s no need to keep an eye on the grill or stand next to it during the grilling.

Ranger also has a Keep Warm feature that lets you maintain the warmth in the cooking chamber by setting the temperature at 165 degrees. This keeps the food warm but prevents overcooking.

4 - Z Grills Pioneer 450B

Z Grills Pioneer has one of the largest pellet hoppers on this list at 15 lbs, so you can grill for hours before having to refill. Moreover, the hopper has a window, so you can check on the pellet level without opening the lid.

Another nice feature is the pellet hopper cleanout chute. I could open the rear cleanout on the hopper and easily switch out the pellet flavors. This means you don’t need to burn through the wood pellets first to clear out the hopper.

This pellet grill has 128 square inches of cooking space on the top rack, which is removable, and another 331 square inches on the main rack for a total of 459 square inches.

The portable wood pellet grill can be used as a grill and a smoker. The PID controller keeps the temperature stable, especially around 250 degrees when smoking meat.

5 - Pit Boss Sportsman 820 Wood Pellet Grill

Pit Boss Sportsman portable pellet grill has the largest pellet hopper capacity on this list at 21 lbs. It also has a massive cooking surface of 849 square inches, so you can cook up to 45 burgers at once.

This grill has a digital control panel that makes the use very simple. The control board works together with the meat probes to check the meat’s doneness and adjust the temperature as needed.

You can set the pellet grill and walk away. The grill will do the work for you.

You can use the Sportsman portable pellet grill to smoke, bake, roast, barbecue, sear, grill, braise, and char-grill, so you get incredible versatility.

The legs are foldable and made to slide in one movement without having to fold one at a time. The handles are compact and lightweight, so it’s easy to carry the pellet grill.

6 - Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett Pellet Grill

Green Mountain Davy Crocket pellet grill has a standard wall plug, but you can also plug it into a 12 V socket in your generator, battery pack, or vehicle, which is incredibly useful when grilling on the road.

I even used the alligator clips that came with the portable grill and clamped them onto my car’s battery. Overall, you can grill anywhere with this portable pellet grill.

The support legs fold up over the cooking chamber, and you can use them as handles. The portable pellet smoker weighs 71 lbs, so you may need help carrying it, but the portable design is still useful.

I liked that the grill has temperature probes that connect straight to the digital display, so I didn’t have to guess if the meat was done or buy a digital thermometer.

This is a rare portable pellet grill with a side shelf and utensil hooks, so you can set things down.

7 - Cuisinart CPG-256 Portable Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

Cuisinart CPG-256 is a tabletop pellet grill. It’s the lightest on this list at 45 lbs, so you can easily take it anywhere.

This portable pellet grill has 256 square inches of cooking space with an integrated sear zone that lets you smoke, barbecue, grill, bake, braise, char-grill, roast, and sear.

Its temperature range is 180 to 500 degrees, so you can cook various meals and sear food. It’s also one of the more affordable portable and tabletop pellet grills, so it’s a good choice if you’re on a budget.

The start is extremely easy, thanks to the electronic auto-start ignition. All you need to do is press a button. The LED display shows the temperature in real-time, so it’s easy to keep an eye on your food.