The portable grills that fit in my mini-van and work at most parks and public beaches

Every portable-grill roundup I’ve read starts with propane. Mine can’t. None of the parks or grounds near us allow gas grills, so I stopped looking at them a long time ago. What’s left is charcoal, plus one pellet grill that’s the exception because it needs a power supply.

These are the four I actually own. Not four I’d like to own, not four that arrived in the mail last week: the ones that have been in and out of the van enough times that I know what’s annoying about each one.

Why there’s no gas in this post

Simple: I’d be recommending grills I can’t use. If your local parks allow propane, great, you’ve got more options than me. If they don’t, this list is the one you were looking for.

The pellet grill on this list is the only one that needs power. Everything else is a bag of briquettes and a chimney.

The trip that sold me on a cart

We took the PKTX to Liberty State Park. The picnic grounds are a long walk from the parking area, and the two things the kids can’t help carry are the grill and the charcoal bag, so that trip usually takes me twice.

This time the grill rolled on its cart with the charcoal bag laid on top, which left me one hand free for the Milwaukee tool box I keep filled with fire starters, lighters, gloves, thermometers and cleaning wipes. Everything we needed to grill, one trip, and the kids weren’t hauling anything heavy. That’s the whole reason “portable” is in the name of this site.

The four grills

Most portable · the one I use most

M Grills C4 portable insulated charcoal grill

$359.99

This is the grill that comes along on a normal day. It’s the smallest of the four and it needs the least charcoal to get going. Six to eight briquettes and I’m cooking. That matters more than it sounds: a grill that’s cheap and quick to light is the grill you actually take out on a Tuesday.

It fits in any trunk. If you only ever grill for your own family, this could be the only grill on the list you need.

What bugs meIt's heavy for how small it is. That's the thick steel, and I'd rather have the steel, but pick it up before you assume.

See it at M Grills

Best overall

PK Grills PKTX Grill & Smoker, with the cart

$599.99

The capsule shape is the trick. Set the coals to one side and it smokes with indirect heat; set them under the food and it grills. Four vent slides make holding a temperature easy, which is why I’d hand this to a beginner before any other charcoal grill. Managing the fire is not a skill you need to already have.

It’s the one that feeds a small gathering instead of a small family, it rolls on its own cart, and there’s a whole ecosystem of accessories that expand what it can do. Those get their own post; this one’s about which grill goes in the van.

What bugs meIt doesn't come with tie-downs to keep the grill secured to the cart.

See it on Amazonaffiliate link

Best portable pellet grill

Traeger Ranger

$479.99

This is the plug-and-play smoker. Set the temperature, the Ranger holds it, and you go play catch. It also comes with a cast-iron griddle that runs hot enough for burgers, eggs, pancakes and steaks, so it covers breakfast as well as dinner.

The catch is in the name of this section: it needs power. At a park that means a portable power station. I run it off a DJI Power 1000, which gets about 17 hours out of the Ranger on one charge. Some parks prohibit power stations, so check before you plan a brisket around it.

What bugs meYou have to clear the pellet hopper and auger after every cook, and you need a small vacuum to do it.

See it on Amazonaffiliate link

Best fire pit / grill for camping and the beach

Fireside Outdoor Pop-Up Fire Pit, base kit

$99.95

This one’s a fire pit first. It gives you heat, it does s’mores, and it’s just a good thing to sit around at the end of a beach day. Where open flames are banned, the add-on grill accessories turn it into a legal cook surface instead.

It’s also the lightest thing on this list by a wide margin, and it packs flat.

What bugs meOnce food grease gets on it, it's a pain to clean and keep clean. It also eats a lot of charcoal if you want to cook across the whole surface.

See it on Amazonaffiliate link

What fits where

I never carry all four at once. Here’s the sizing, in van terms:

If you drive something smaller than a mini-van, the bottom two rows are your list.

Charcoal, and the box that goes with it

• Briquettes, not lump. They’re easier to light, and easy-to-light is the whole point when there are three kids waiting.
• Keep a bag in the van. Mine’s just always there.
• A charcoal chimney is a must. Mine folds flat. When the big grill is full during a long cook, the chimney doubles as a hot-dog grill for the kids.
• How much? The C4 lights on 6 to 8 briquettes. The PKTX depends on whether I’m grilling direct or smoking indirect, so check PK’s own guidance rather than guessing from a blog post.
• The tool box. Fire starters, lighters, heat gloves, thermometers, cleaning wipes. One box, always packed, never searched for.

Rules to check before you load the van

Three things have caught me:

1. No gas grills. Common around here. It’s why this list is charcoal.
2. No portable power stations. Rarer, but it takes the Ranger off the table for that park.
3. No open flames. Turns the Fireside from a fire pit into a grill, which is fine, that’s what the accessories are for.

Five minutes on the park’s website beats packing up and going home.

If you only buy one

The C4, unless you regularly cook for more than your own family. Then it’s the PKTX. The Ranger is for when you want to set a temperature and walk away, and you’ve confirmed you can run power. The Fireside is the beach and campsite answer, not a replacement for any of the others.

The power station has its own post now: the DJI Power 1000 review. The PKTX accessories are next.