Top 10 Best Tailgate Grills For The Tailgate Party

If you’re the type of man who believes salad is what food eats then this post is for you! Grilling is the soul of a good tailgate party and no tailgater is complete without a good quality, portable grill. So here is a review of the best tailgate grills for your tailgate party.

Remember, no one can get fired up about the game without first having fired up the grill – and eaten enough meat to make our paleolithic ancestors proud.

You can’t just take any grill or BBQ to a tailgate party. When tailgating you need something that’s portable, reliable, robust and, most importantly, grills to perfection. It’s also essential to balance cost since not everyone can afford the latest Weber Q Portable, so this list includes affordable (but still high quality) options for those on a budget.

So here you have, in no particular order,

The Top 10 Best Tailgate Grills For The Tailgate Party.

Coleman Roadtrip Grill

1. The Coleman Road Trip LX Grill  Coleman is the most familiar brand at every tailgate party (as well as most outdoor events, picnics, camping sites etc). And there is good reason: it’s a quality brand with products designed specifically for an outdoor American lifestyle. This grill is perfect for tailgating due to its portability (it’s collapsible with detachable side tables) and rugged build. The Coleman Road Trip Grill has two fully adjustable 20,000 BTU burners with an aluminium grate and griddle and has the versatility to allow for mix-and-match cooking surfaces (grill, griddle, stove). I’m a big fan of the hibachi grills but the Coleman will win you over with its clever design and neat features like the side tables, quick setup, independent burners, utensil storage hooks, removable grease pan and easy push button ignition. The grills are porcelain coated with brushed stainless-steel table inserts making it much easier to clean than others. The Coleman Road Trip Grill works with a disposable 16.4 Ounce propane cylinder or 20 pound propane tank and is covered by a 5-year warranty.

• Cooking Area: 285 Square Inches
• Burner: 20,000 BTU
• Pros: Ultra Portable, Folds up Small, Easy Clean, Fast Ignition
• Cons: Price – you pay for what you get. It’s one of the more expensive tailgating grills

Weber Q Portable Tailgating Grill

2. Weber Q 100 Portable Grill It’s hard to fault the Weber Q. It truly is a masterpiece of top quality and super compact design. It’s extremely sturdy, weather resistant, has precision controls and a well balanced cast aluminum grill that cooks to perfection. The burner runs at only 8,500 but the Weber Q works like a pressure cooker when it’s on. The cooking grates are made from porcelain enameled steel, stainless steel and porcelain enameled cast-iron which means it’s durable and easy to clean. The proof really is in the cooking and anyone who has used a Weber BBQ before knows that cooking meat is perfection in one of these beauties. Steaks and chops sear succulently in the Q. For the traditionalist there is always the Jumbo Joe. Comes with a 5-year warranty.

• Cooking Area: 189 Square Inches
• Burner: 8,500 BTU
• Pros: Cooks perfectly, Portable, Robust, Easy to Clean, Fast Ignition
• Cons: Small Cooking Area relative to other highend grills

Picnic Time Tailgating Grill Set

3. Picnic Time Vulcan All-In-One Tailgaiting Cooler/BBQ Set with Trolley This great set-up has everything you need in one convenient tote. It’s not just a BBQ, it’s a cooler, storage bag and trolley. It’s big enough to hold 24 cans of soda and comes with three BBQ tools. The grill itself is nothing fancy but this is all about portability and convenience.

• Cooking Area: 180 Square Inches
• Burner: Propane
• Pros: Very portable, multi-purpose grill and cooler and tote. Super convenient.
• Cons: Not a great grill but does the trick. Price.

Weber Go Anywhere Charcoal Grill

4. Weber Go-Anywhere Grill This is the super-affordable, super portable, super convenient, no mess, no fuss option for those wanting something simple, cheap and effective for their tailgate party. Well, it’s not actually ‘no mess’. It’s more like ‘less mess, less fuss’. But the grilling bars are triple nickle-coated while the bowl and lid are porcelain enameled making them easy to clean and the unit itself is so minimal that there isn’t really much to go wrong. The design is for compactness: the nickel-plated legs fold up to lock the lid in place for travel and storage and, when in use, the lid can be fit to the hangers on the side of the grill and acts as a wind barrier. But this is no light-weight. Being a Weber™ it has a well designed grill using patented ‘Flavorizer’ technology which basically means it can cook a good steak. There are both options: propane and charcoal (which is the same grill unit fueled with charcoal or gas).

• Cooking Area: 160 Square Inches
• Burner: Disposable 1-pound LP cylinder.
• Pros: Ultra-compact and portable. Simple. Affordable. Good griller.
• Cons: Small Cooking Area, Legs can be unsturdy. Sits low to the ground.

Smokey Joe Tailgating Grill

5. Weber Smokey Joe Silver Charcoal Grill The Smokey Joe might just be one of the greatest inventions ever made! So simple yet so effective it really is ideal for grilling at the tailgate party but should also be the required accessory to any meeting – or, should that be “meating”. It’s small and it grills. And the reason it is such a good griller is the Weber patented design triple nickle-plated grill. All essential parts are porcelain-coated for easy cleaning and weather-proofing, while the handle is glass reinforced nylon to keep it from heating. That’s why the Smokey Joe comes with a 10-year warranty.

• Cooking Area: 147 Square Inches
• Burner: Charcoal
• Pros: Very affordable. Can use anywhere. Grills nice.
• Cons: Legs a little unsturdy. Small grilling area. Sits low to the ground.

Pre-Seasoned Sportsman’s Charcoal Grill

6. Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Sportsman’s Charcoal Grill If ever a grill had “Tailgate Party” written all over it, it was the Lodge Logic Pre-Seasoned Sportsman’s Charcoal Grill. It’s rugged, very easy to clean, has no gimmicky parts and grills better than anything on the market. The draft door allows you to regulate heat so the Sportsman’s Grill can be used for heating, grilling as well as frying. But you have to be careful with a grill like this since hibachis get extremely hot. But what’s a few 3rd degrees burns between friends when you’re eating a perfectly seared steak and a couple of kabobs!

• Cooking Area: 153 Square Inches
• Burner: Charcoal
• Pros: Anything cooked on this will be delicious. Easy to clean. Affordable.
• Cons: Heavy. Takes time to cool. Slightly dangerous. Needs maintenance (oiling) every now and then.
• RRP: $107.99 – ($69.97 on Amazon.)

7. Fire Sense Notebook Charcoal Grill A clever idea that saves a lot of space,  the Fire Sense folds up like a notebook for storage down to a width of 1-inch. This is perfect for those with a small car or a motor bike who have limited carriage space. The setup is an extremely simple two-step process and it sits slightly higher than some of the other grills at just over 14-inches. However, the painted steel isn’t as robust as the porcelain coated grills and, because of the patented design, charcoal can fall out the bottom of the grill while barbequing.

• Cooking Area: Approx 150 Square Inches
• Burner: Charcoal
• Pros: Very portable. Great for storage. Quick setup.
• Cons: Not robust. Charcoal Embers not secure.

Cuisinart GrateLifter Portable Charcoal Grill

8. Cuisinart GrateLifter Portable Charcoal Grill The GrateLifter is a very high quality, durable charcoal grill from Cuisinart that has some really nifty features that make it stand out from the others. It has a large cooking area which is attached to the porcelain enamel cover and designed to lift up away from the charcoal bed so you can access the charcoal underneath. The base is very sturdy the the ash collection bin handy for easy cleaning. The GrateLifter also has a temperature gauge built into the lid so you can manage the temperature which is regulated by the precision designed air flow system. This is a very capable grill but, unlike a few others, doesn’t come with side tables or a lock. A lock really is essential for portable grills since you need to avoid spillage during transport!

• Cooking Area: 240 Square Inches.
• Burner: Charcoal.
• Pros: Very capable grill. Robust. Quick setup. Sturdy. Looks nice.
• Cons: No side tables. No lock. Pricey.

Bayou Classic Fold and Go Charcoal Grill

9. Bayou Classic Fold & Go Grill The Bayou is exactly what its name suggests: A Classic. When you want simple design you can’t get much more simple that this. The Bayou is focused on essentials: portability and large grilling area. It’s decent quality stainless steel grill is 198 square-inches and the body is black powdercoat finished. It’s cheap, compact, heats up fast and grills well. On the downside it isn’t made from top quality materials and won’t last many seasons of hard-core tailgate grilling. It also doesn’t have an efficient safe catchment area for the undercarriage so you wouldn’t want to use this on any flammable areas.

• Cooking Area: 198 Square Inches.
• Burner: Charcoal.
• Pros: Cheap. Portable. Light weight. Simple. Fast set-up.
• Cons: Not durable. Not weather-proof.

Margaritaville Tailgating Propane Grill

10. Margaritaville G1000 Ride-Behind Tailgating Propane Grill The G1000 was designed for the Tailgate Party to be used by the Tailgater while Tailgating.

UPDATE: August 2016: The Margaritaville is unfortunately no longer available! We’ll have updates as soon as it’s back on the market, or we find a better alternative tailgating grill.

It has a swing-out travel arm that attaches directly to the back of a standard 2-inch hitch receiver. But it’s not just a gimmick. This grill packs some real punch with 352 square inches of cooking surface it’s enough to grill up to 20 hamburgers or 4 or 5 good sized steaks with room for some corn. The grill is made from heavy-duty porcelain coated steel and the Margaritaville also features 2 resin side tables, fold down front condiment tray, utensil hooks and has integrated legs if you want to put it on a tab-top. Like the Coleman, it has push-button ignition for matchless startup but has a shorter warranty period of 3 years. It is designed for use with a 1-pound propane tank. This is really one very capable grill that won’t take up any space inside your SUV since it hitches to the back.

• Cooking Area: 352 Square Inches
• Burner: 20,000 BTU
• Pros: Ultra Portable (fits to the back of your vehicle); Robust; Easy to Clean; Fast Ignition
• Cons: Price; can only be used on a flat surface

BONUS TAILGATE GRILLS:

So that’s the top 10 best grills for your tailgate party. And now for the bonus round!

Here are 4 fantastic little units by Coleman plus 1 from Cuisineart. They aren’t the greatest grills on earth but are really suitable to tailgating because of their small, compact size and clever portable design.

Coleman Roadtrip Tailgate Party Grill

1. Coleman Roadtrip Party Grill A cute little grill designed specifically with tailgating in mind. It uses a small 8,000 BTU burner but the grill is balanced for even cooking via the Perfectflow flame regulator (though it tends to grill hotter in the center like most single burner grills). Like the high-end Coleman grills it has matchless lighting via the InstaStart Ignition and all the components are detachable so you can fold up the unit and pack it away in the carry-bag. Every part of the Coleman Roadtrip Party Grill (except the burners) are dishwasher machine safe which is awesome. It’s not a very sturdy grill but it is easy to set up and very small and portable.

• Cooking Area: Approx. 120Square Inches
• Burner: 8,000 BPU
• Pros: Small. Cheap. Portable. Light Weight.
• Cons: Unbalanced cooking surface. Not sturdy.

Coleman RoadTrip Sport Charcoal Grill

2. Coleman RoadTrip Sport Charcoal Grill The smaller cousin to the RoadTrip LX, the Coleman RoadTrip Sport is a decent grill at a decent price and very handy for tailgating. It has a generous 225 Square Inches of grilling area and a porcelain coated grate. It’s lightweight and easy to set up with collapsible legs that improve storage. It does lack the ability to raise or lower the gridiron which means that controlling the temperature is only done by controlling the amount or position of charcoal. The frame is made from durable steel but the handles are plastic.

• Cooking Area: 225 Square Inches.
• Burner: Charcoal.
• Pros: Portable. Fold-up. Easy Setup. Wheels.
• Cons: Not as robust as more expensive grills.

Coleman PerfectFlow Insta Start Propane Grill

3. Coleman PerfectFlow Insta Start Propane Grill A fantastic little grill that is really simple to set up, has a generous grilling area, a quality burner as well as many of the features of the higher-end Coleman grills such as InstaStart matchless lighting, Perfect Flow pressure-control system for consistent cooking performance regardless of the weather or amount of fuel left, Windblock windshield which double up as a side-table, and a grease management system with a removable dishwasher safe tray. The grill plate is good quality die-cast aluminum plated.

• Cooking Area: 180 Square Inches
• Burner: 11,000 BTU
• Pros: Portable. Even cooking. Fast setup. Works when windy.
• Cons: Difficult to clean. Not designed to cook with lid down.

Coleman Fold N Go Instastart Grill

4. Coleman Fold N Go InstaStart Portable Grill The little brother to the Coleman PerfectFlow at the same price but with more compact size and portability but reduced cooking area and burner power. The Fold N Go really is just what the name suggests. At just 11 pounds it’s light enough for pretty much anyone to carry under one arm which still including the patented Coleman InstaStart matchless ignition as well as dishwasher safe removable porcelain-coated stamped-steel grate and water-tray/grease pan. The dome-shaped lid makes it great for “real grill” cooking performance and heating efficiency. A convenient carry handle and secure lid latch make for easy transport; folding metal feet and handle tuck out of the way when not in use, for compact storage. It tends to be good for things like burgers and wieners.

• Cooking Area: 100 Square Inches
• Burner: 6,000 BTU
• Pros: Ultra compact. Well designed for less mess and easy cleanup.
• Cons: Small grilling area. Low cooking temperature.

Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill

5. Cuisinart Petit Gourmet Portable Tabletop Gas Grill  Said by some to be the perfect grill for the tailgate party, the Cuisinart Petit Gourmet has a great fold up design with a ‘briefcase’ handle and is lockable for safe transport. There’s enough room on the cooking area for 8 burgers, 10 chicken breasts or 4 p0ounds of fish. The aluminum legs fold up and out quickly and are very sturdy plus there is a very effective drip tray and an optional carry-bag (that doubles up as a cover).

• Cooking Area: 145 Square Inches
• Burner: 5,500 BTU
• Pros: Ultra compact. Great, portable design. Generous cooking area. Strong burners.
• Cons: Not as large as some of the more expensive grills.