Best Small and Portable Pellet Grills: Six Compact Grills for Patios, Camping and Tailgates

A small pellet grill solves a real problem. Plenty of people want wood-fired flavor but have a narrow patio, a small yard or a camper to load. A full-size pellet grill needs a lot of space and weighs a lot. A compact one gives you the same basic cooking method in a package you can store in a closet or lift into a trunk.

The catch is that small and portable are not the same thing. A truly portable grill is built to travel, with folding legs and a light body, and it gives up cooking area to do that. A compact patio grill is bigger and stays put. The right choice depends on whether the grill will leave your yard. Prices change often, so the table shows typical ranges, and you should confirm the current price on Amazon before buying.

Portable or compact: decide this first

Portable grills run from about 250 to 300 square inches. They are light enough to carry and usually have folding legs. They suit tailgates, camping and a balcony where space is tight. Expect a smaller hopper, which means refilling during long cooks.

Compact grills run from about 450 to 520 square inches. They are larger and heavier, and they are meant to live on a patio. They give you far more room, which is the difference between cooking for two and cooking for a family.

If you will take the grill on trips a few times a year, buy portable. If it will sit in the yard and you only want a smaller footprint, buy compact. Mixing the two goals usually leaves you unhappy with both.

What a small grill does well and what it does not

Small grills are good at the foods most people cook most often: chicken, ribs cut into halves, burgers, sausages, vegetables, a small pork shoulder or tenderloin. They preheat quickly and use fewer pellets per hour.

They are poor at big, long cooks. A full packer brisket does not fit on a 256 square inch grate, and a small hopper may not carry you through an overnight pork butt without a refill. A small hopper is the single most common complaint with portable pellet grills, because a long smoke can burn through it faster than you expect.

If you often cook for a crowd, skip this category and read our guide to large pellet grills instead.

Our six picks

Pit Boss 150: best low-cost portable grill

A small pellet grill with 256 square inches, a 7 pound hopper and a flame broiler that opens for direct searing. It is priced low, and well over a thousand buyers have rated it, so there is plenty of real-world feedback to read.

The cooking area is small, and the 7 pound hopper is fine for a couple of hours but not an overnight smoke.

Buy it if you want the cheapest portable pellet grill with a solid track record. Skip it if you plan to cook for more than a few people at a time.

Traeger Tailgater: best known portable grill

The Tailgater has about 300 square inches and folding legs, so it moves from garage to campsite without a fight. It comes from the brand with the largest pellet and parts network, and hundreds of buyers have rated it.

It costs more than the Pit Boss 150 and the cooking area is still small.

Buy it if you want brand support and an easy cook. Skip it if price matters more than the name.

Green Mountain Grills Trek Prime 2.0: best portable grill with WiFi

A portable grill with WiFi app control from an established pellet grill brand. For a tailgate or a campsite, being able to watch the temperature from your phone is a real help, since you can step away without hovering over the grill.

It is priced like a premium small grill, and the cooking area is small compared with full-size models. Check the listing for the exact cooking area and hopper size before you buy.

Buy it if you want WiFi in a travel-ready grill. Skip it if you will only use it at home, where a bigger grill costs less per square inch.

Z Grills ZPG-450A2: best compact grill for a small yard

A compact grill with 459 square inches, a PID V3.0 controller, a foldable front shelf and side shelf, and a meat probe. Thousands of buyers have rated it, which is a big sample.

There is no app control, and at this size it is a patio grill, not a travel grill.

Buy it if you cook for two to four and want the best value in a small footprint. Skip it if the grill needs to ride in a trunk. It also appears in our guide to pellet grills under $500.

Brisk Zelos-450: best small grill with app control

WiFi and app control, a PID controller, a meat probe and a 12 pound hopper in a 450 square inch body, at a modest price. The large hopper makes it more useful for long cooks than most grills this size.

Brisk is a newer brand, and a couple of hundred buyers have rated it so far.

Buy it if you want app control in a compact grill. Skip it if you want a long-established brand.

Pit Boss 440 Mahogany: best low-cost patio grill

A 518 square inch grill with a flame broiler and an LED controller, priced low. Well over a thousand buyers have rated it, so you can read plenty of experiences before you buy.

The 5 pound hopper means refills on long cooks, and the build is lighter than pricier grills.

Buy it if you want more room than a portable grill at a low price. Skip it if you smoke for many hours at a time.

What to check before you buy a small grill

Hopper size. The hopper decides how long you can cook without refilling. A 5 pound hopper might last a few hours at low temperatures. A 12 pound hopper stretches much further.

Power. Every pellet grill needs electricity. For camping, check the power needs and plan a source, such as a portable power station or a campsite hookup.

Weight and handles. If you will lift the grill into a vehicle, check the weight and look for sturdy handles or a design that folds.

Cleanup. Small grills have small fire pots and grease trays that need regular emptying. A clean fire pot lights reliably.

Cover. A fitted cover protects a small grill from rain and sun, and it is the cheapest way to extend its life.

Tips for cooking on a small pellet grill

Cut large cuts to fit, such as a rack of ribs in halves. Keep the lid closed to hold heat, since a small chamber loses temperature fast when you open it. Fill the hopper before you start a long cook, and keep a spare bag of pellets handy. Use a separate thermometer to check the food, because small grills can run hotter near the fire pot.

Smoke flavor builds slowly, so plan on a few hours for ribs and chicken. For quick weeknight cooking, a small grill is surprisingly handy, with a short preheat and low pellet use.

When to buy a bigger grill instead

If you regularly cook for more than four people, or you want to smoke a full brisket, a small grill will frustrate you. Our guide to the best pellet grills covers full-size options, and our WiFi pellet grill guide shows which models add app control. For a first grill on a budget, see our beginner guide.

If the grill is headed to a campsite, our guide to camping pellet grills covers power and packing in detail.

If you plan to run a small grill from a portable power station, our guide to the best electric pellet grills explains the power basics.

Bottom line

Decide first whether the grill will travel. If it will, the Pit Boss 150 is the best low-cost choice, the Traeger Tailgater is the best known and the GMG Trek Prime adds WiFi. If it stays on the patio, the Z Grills ZPG-450A2 or Brisk Zelos-450 gives you much more room for the money. Confirm the current price, buy a cover and keep a spare bag of pellets nearby.