The 7 Best Portable Pellet Grills in 2022 [Reviewed and Rated]

Sometimes you just don’t want to go away for the weekend. A whole weekend without smoking? It is just too much to bear! Well, fear not this is both an over-exaggeration of how much I love smoking and totally unnecessary. Why not go away and smoke up a treat with one of the best portable pellet grills.

Yes, these generally massive and heavy (but clever and brilliant) machines come in smaller, portable versions. In this post, we will review the best portable pellet smokers on the market to help you decide which is right for you.

They are all good but some are bigger than others and some are more expensive than others so we hope that this in-depth guide to the best portable pellet smokers will help you in your search.

The 7 Best Portable Pellet Grills Reviewed

Green Mountain Grills TREK

The Green Mountain Grills Trek is an updated version of the hugely popular Davy Crockett pellet grill. It retains the key features that made that such a well-loved grill but has been updated to keep up with the times.

Pros of the GMG Trek Pellet Grill

WiFi allows you to set and monitor your cooking from your phone
Can be plugged into your car for use on the go (also has a normal plug)
Large cooking capacity and enough space for big cuts
A wide temperature range allows all types of cooking
Extra durable thanks to the stainless steel lid and grates

Cons of the GMG Trek Pellet Smoker

Tabletop pellet grills are a bit more sturdy
Needs to be kept upright, no catch on the lid

One of the key features of this portable wood pellet grill is that it comes with wifi. This takes the ease of use and set and forget nature of a pellet grill to a whole new level. You can use the wifi controller to set the temperature at 5 degree increments anywhere from 150°F to 550°F, which is a pretty decent range.

The GMG Trek comes with a meat probe that allows you to monitor the progress of your cooking from your phone, and you can easily adjust the temperature or set alarms from your phone. You now have even less reason to stop staring at your phone!

This is not the biggest portable pellet grill in this test, but you get 219 square inches of cooking space which should be enough to feed a family or a few friends (I reckon 4-6 people depending on appetites).

The Trek doesn’t have full folding legs like the Traeger Tailgater, instead, you put it on a table to give the required height (it does have its own tiny legs though, and you could use it on the ground if you wanted).

This is a well-made machine with lots of stainless steel components that make it a very durable pellet grill. And it has been designed by people that know what they are doing, with a nicely peaked lid that allows you to cook some larger cuts on this small pellet grill.

Another nice touch is that GMG has given some thought to how this pellet grill can be used on the go. As we know, pellet grills need electricity and it is not much good having a nice compact, portable wood pellet grill if you can’t power it.

With this in mind, the GMG Trek can be run straight from your car’s lighter port thanks to the really long lead that they have provided, or you can use the alligator clips to attach it to your car battery, or you can just use the standard 120V plug that they have also included. So, they have thought of everything making this Green Mountain portable pellet grill one of the most practical portable pellet smokers.

Specs for the Green Mountain Trek WiFi Tabletop Pellet Grill

Barbecue material: Stainless and powder-coated steel
Grate material: Stainless steel
Cooking capacity: 219 sq in
Pellet hopper capacity: 9 lbs
Heat range: 150°F – 550°F
WiFi: Yes
Fuel type: Wood pellets
Model: Trek
Price guide: $
Assembled size (in): 24H x 32W x 16D
Weight: 63 lbs
Warranty: 3 years

Camp Chef Pursuit

The Camp Chef Pursuit is a fully-featured pellet grill that can be folded down and made more portable. You still get all the bells and whistles like PID control, dual meat probes, and variable smoke settings.

Pros of the Camp Chef Pursuit Portable Pellet Grill

Very solid construction
PID temperature controller
Great control of how smoky your food is thanks to the separate smoke level adjuster
You can direct grill over the flame at a high heat
Easy to move – Folding legs turn into handles, wheels for pulling
You can lock the lid and cooking chamber
Comes with 2 meat probes for accurate monitoring
You can cook lots thanks to the full-sized top rack
3 year warranty

Cons of the Camp Chef Pursuit Portable Pellet Grill

No WiFi
Not insulated

One of the reasons that I think this is one of the best portable pellet grills is that it is so easy to move. You, know it is actually portable! That’s kinda what we’re looking for here!

Why is it easy to move? Well, that’s thanks to the clever design that means the legs fold away and become handles whilst the wheels allow you to pull it along like a suitcase. Thankfully it’s got bigger wheels than your average suitcase and thanks to the sturdy build quality it feels secure even when being hauled across bumpy ground.

So this Camp Chef portable pellet grill ticks all the boxes when it comes to portability but how does it cook? It cooks great! Phew! There is no point moving it about if it doesn’t do the job when it comes time to cook! It’s actually really easy to cook on and I have been able to get very consistent results when using this foldable pellet smoker.

The digital control panel makes it easy to set up and it quickly gets up to temperature and, crucially, it stays at the temperature you have set (within 5°F), thanks to the PID temperature controller.

On top of this, there is also a separate smoke control that means you can set the level of smoke how you like it from a subtle hint of smoke to a full-on smoke fest. There are 2 meat probes so you can monitor the progress of your smoke and will know when the time is right to take the meat out.

A final feature that shouldn’t be overlooked is the brilliant Slide and Grill feature. This lets you grill over the flames for direct high heat at the touch of a button (well it’s a lever actually but the pull of a lever doesn’t sound quite so good).

All these features make it one of the best portable pellet grills you can buy.

Specs for the Camp Chef Pursuit Pellet Grill

Barbecue material: Powder-coated steel with stainless steel lid
Grate material: Enamel-coated wire
Cooking capacity: 501 sq in
Pellet hopper capacity: 10 lbs
Heat range: 160°F – 500°F
WiFi: No
Fuel type: Wood pellets
Model: Pursuit PPG20
Price range: $$
Assembled size (in): 38 W x 18.5 D x 41 H
Weight: 82 lbs
Warranty: 3 years

Grilla Grills Chimp

GrillaGrills makes some really cool pellet grills and the Chimp Tailgater is their portable pellet grill. It is pretty much a scaled-down version of their other pellet grills and has all of the same features, just in miniature. Well, maybe not quite miniature but smaller for sure. And folding.

It folds nicely. There is a nice snap-lock feature on the legs that allows you to press a little button and they fold away with ease.

Grilla Grills Chimp portable pellet grill

Pros of the Grilla Grills Chimp:

Top-quality at an affordable price
Insulated cooking chamber is great for all weathers and fuel-efficient
Choice of traditional or PID temperature controls
Quality materials (stainless and powder-coated steel)
Snap lock folding legs are so easy to use

Cons of the Grilla Grills Chimp:

Top temperature is only 500F so not great for searing

What you get is a top-quality pellet smoker that uses durable powder-coated steel with stainless components. One area where this small pellet grill excels above some of the others in this best portable smokers review is that it is insulated from the grates down.

This makes it much better for use in cold weather as it will maintain temperature better and won’t burn through your pellets quite so fast. You also get both PID and traditional temperature controls (traditional is the one to go for if you want more of a smoky flavor).

Sizewise you get two racks that provide 340 square inches in the bottom rack and 120 square inches up top. You get a decent-sized 15-pound hopper that gives a decent cooking time between refills.

Specs for the Grilla Grills Chimp

Barbecue material: Powder-coated steel with stainless steel lid
Grate material: Stainless steel
Cooking capacity: 460 sq in
Pellet hopper capacity: 15 lbs
Heat range: 180°F – 500°F
WiFi: No
Fuel type: Wood pellets
Model: Chimp
Price range: $
Assembled size (in): 38W x 20D x 41H
Weight: 90 lbs
Warranty: 2 years

All in all, this is a great folding pellet grill that has quality in all the right places but comes at a nice low price. Definitely, one to consider.

Z Grills Cruiser 200A Portable Pellet Grill

Now, if you are looking for something that is truly portable then The Z Grills Cruiser 200A might be just the thing that you are looking for. It’s not quite pocket-sized but this is one of the smallest pellet smoker grills and has been designed specifically for ultra-portability and use when camping.

It is a tabletop grill so there are no legs to worry about and you can place it on any reasonably flat surface and get grilling.

Pros of the Z Grills Cruiser 200A:

Good temperature control
Decent capacity despite tabletop size
Wide temperature range so you can smoke, grill, barbecue, roast, bake
Big hopper for up to 10 hours uninterrupted smoking
Very lightweight and compact
Handles on the side for easy carrying
Good build quality

Cons of the Z Grills Cruiser 200A:

No meat probe included
You have to open the cooking chamber to refill the hopper

Of course, with this level of portability, you are not going to get the world’s biggest pellet grill, but you do still get 202 square inches of cooking space.

This is half as much space as some of the other grills on this list. But if portability is key then it is a fair trade-off.

The cooking space is all on one rack and should be big enough to cook for around 4 people.

For such a small grill, the fact you get an 8lb hopper is pretty impressive, and depending on weather conditions, you should get up to 10 hours of continuous low and slow cooking.

If you need to top up the hopper, access is not as easy as on a standard pellet grill, and you will need to open up the cooking chamber to add more wood.

The Z Grills Cruiser maintains temperatures well and has a good range, going up to 450F. This allows you to do all sorts of cooking, you can smoke, grill, barbecue, roast, and bake depending on what you fancy eating. The compact size makes this one of the best portable pellet grills for RV’s.

Specs for the Z Grills Cruiser 200A

Barbecue material: Powder-coated steel
Grate material: Porcelain-coated steel
Cooking capacity: 202 sq. in.
Pellet hopper capacity: 8 lbs
Heat Range: 180-450°F
WiFi: No
Fuel type: Wood pellets
Price guide: $$
Model: Cruiser 200A
Assembled size (in): 25 L x 20 W x 13 H
Weight: 40 lbs
Warranty: 3 years

Pit Boss Sportsman

The Pit Boss Sportsman combines being easy to fold, move and take anywhere with being able to smoke food quickly and efficiently. It’s compact but can be relied upon to produce great results comparable to a full-sized pellet smoker.

It has a distinctly rugged look and will stand up well to being carted about on your travels.

Pit Boss Sportsman- one of the best portable pellet grills

Pros of the Pit Boss Portable Sportsman:

Top-quality stainless steel construction
Durable porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates
Easy to slide folding legs
Wide temperature range with direct and indirect cooking
Convection fan to keep the temperature steady in the cooking chamber
Comes with a meat probe
Good warranty

Cons of the Pit Boss Portable Sportsman:

No WiFi
No insulation (fuel usage higher if using it in cooler conditions)
Not PID temperature controller so the temperature varies more

One of the things that makes this a great portable pellet grill is the way that the legs have been designed to slide together in a single movement. It is a really neat design and you will quickly and easily be able to wheel it away on the solid wheels, just like pulling a suitcase.

Pit Boss Sportsman portable pellet grill folded

It’s not all about the portability though. This is a solid piece of kit that is built to last. It is well made using powder-coated stainless steel construction and porcelain-coated cast-iron cooking grates.

You get a good-sized cooking area of 387 square inches so plenty of space to cook for a small group of people. The 19lb hopper means that you won’t need to top up the pellets too often and the digital controls make it easy to use.

This Pit Boss portable pellet grill can reach temperatures up to 500F which is a good effort for a comparatively small pellet smoker.

There is a lot of flexibility too with both direct and indirect cooking options so you can smoke, grill, sear, bake, braise or roast anything you like.

There is no WiFi control but for the price, you can’t grumble at that. You get quality in all the right places with this portable smoker and can be confident that you are getting a robust and reliable machine. For added peace of mind, you get an impressive 5-year warranty with this top portable pellet smoker.

All in all, this could be the best portable smoker for camping and offers great value for money.

Specs for the Pit Boss Portable Sportsman Pellet Grill and Smoker

Barbecue material: Powder-coated stainless steel
Grate material: Porcelain-coated cast iron
Cooking capacity: 387 sq in
Pellet hopper capacity: 19 lbs
Heat range: 180°F – 500°F
WiFi: No
Fuel type: Wood pellets
Model: PB 260PSP2
Price range: $$
Assembled size (in): 25.2W x 25.2D x 37.5H
Weight: 80 lbs
Warranty: 5 years

Traeger Ranger

The Traeger Ranger is a tabletop pellet grill from the oldest pellet grill manufacturer. It is designed to look like a hard suitcase and fitting it in your trunk is just as easy as packing an extra case. This makes it the perfect portable pellet grill to take away with you.

Pros of the Traeger Ranger Pellet Smoker:

Really small and easily portable (the lid locks which is a nice touch)
Decent cooking area (176 square inches)
8 pound pellet hopper lasts a while
Can you for all sorts of cooking (You get a smoking grate and a cast iron grate for grilling)
There is a meat probe to monitor how your meat is cooking
Awesome keep warm feature keeps your food just right until dinner time
Good Traeger warranty

Cons of the Traeger Ranger Pellet Smoker:

It’s really quite heavy (60 pounds) despite the small size.
The internal hopper is hard to refill when cooking.
Limited cooking capacity, but you can’t complain given the size of it.
No WiFi – Not really a deal breaker but worth knowing.

So this is a nice compact pellet grill from Traeger, it measures 21 inches square and weighs in at a heavyish (but much lighter than most of these grills) 60 pounds. Finding space for this in the trunk will be no problem.

Of course, given that this is one of the most portable pellet grills around, you will not be feeding the 500 hundred on this bad boy. But you get a decent 184 square inches of cooking space so 2-4 people can eat well with a few steaks or burgers fitting with no problem. You could even fit a couple of small chickens on.

The max temp on this portable Traeger grill is 450F so you get enough heat to do a bit of grilling as well as smoking. It’s always good to have this versatility on a pellet grill and it’s probably even more important for a portable grill.

The pellet hopper is inside the cooking space so you won’t want to be refilling it during cooks if you can avoid it. Luckily the 8lb hopper should give a decent run time on a small grill like this.

The Traeger Ranger uses the Digital Arc Temperature Controller so you can set the heat in 5°F increments and it is pretty good at holding a steady temperature. In nice feature is the keep warm mode which means that if you aren’t ready to eat yet you can keep your food warm without overcooking and ruining it.

As you would expect from Traeger, you get a really well-built machine and they have faith in it as shown by the long warranty. It comes with some quality extras like having a cast iron griddle for grilling as well as the expected cooking grate. You also get a meat probe so that you can monitor how your food is cooking without having to open the lid up.

This is a truly portable pellet grill and one of the best tabletop pellet grills available. It definitely fits the bill if you are looking for one of the top pellet grills for camping

Specs for the Traeger Ranger Pellet Smoker

Barbecue material: Powder-coated steel
Grate material: Porcelain-coated steel and cast iron griddle
Cooking capacity: 184 sq in
Pellet hopper capacity: 8lbs
Heat range: 160°F – 450°F
Model: TBT18KLD
Assembled size (in): 13(H) x 21(W) x 20(D)
Weight: 60 lbs
Warranty: 3 years

Traeger Tailgater Pellet Smoker

This is another great portable pellet grill from Traeger. It is not as small as the Ranger but you get a lot more cooking area and the folding legs mean that it is still a very portable

Pros of the Traeger Tailgater Pellet Smoker:

Top-quality from leading brand
The Arc Controller accurately keeps temp where you set it
Can be used for smoking, baking, and roasting
Small and portable with folding legs so easy to store or transport
3-year warranty

Cons of the Traeger Tailgater Pellet Smoker:

Small cooking surface and small hopper
Not great for grilling

The Traeger Tailgator offers a respectable 300 square inches of cooking space which is enough for 12 burgers, three racks of ribs, or two chickens.

The Tailgater comes with Traeger’s Arc Controller which allows you to set the temperature fairly precisely in 5 degree increments. This smoker does a great job of maintaining the set temperature.

The maximum temperature is 450 degrees Fahrenheit which is hot but not quite hot enough for decent grilling. It is more like a hot oven than a true grill so despite the marketing claims this is probably not the ideal pellet grill if you are planning to do much grilling.

This smoker has been designed for portability and has nice sturdy legs that fold away when needed but it also offers the convenience of having legs when you need them. Overall it definitely qualifies as one of the top portable pellet smokers you can buy.

Specs for the Traeger Tailgater Pellet Smoker

Barbecue material: Powder-coated steel
Grate material: Porcelain-coated steel
Cooking capacity: 300 sq in
Pellet hopper capacity: 8lbs
Heat range: 160°F – 450°F
Model: TFB30KLF
Assembled size (in): 36(H) x 37(W) x 18(D)
Weight: 62lbs
Warranty: 3 years

The Best Portable Pellet Smokers – Final Thoughts

I hope that you have enjoyed reading our best portable smokers review. I have covered a few different grills here that are all great options if you are looking for a new portable pellet grill.

The features vary and you will need to decide whether you want the most compact pellet grill smoker (Traeger Ranger) or whether you are happy to have something relatively bulky but that offers more cooking space (Pit Boss Sportsman).

Either way, you get to smoke meat even when you are away. What could be better than that?

FAQ

Does Traeger make a portable grill?

Traeger does make a portable pellet grill. Their smallest, lightest and most portable pellet grill is the Traeger Ranger. The Traeger Tailgator is also pretty compact and is designed to be taken away with you.

Does Pit Boss make a portable pellet grill?

The Pit Boss Sportsman is a portable pellet grill. It has brilliant folding legs on wheels and can easily be transported to where you need it. It has an impressive cooking area and is perfect if you want a good-sized grill that can be taken on your travels.