Nexgrill Fortress 2-Burner Cast Aluminum

The odd one out in gas grilling: a WiFi- and Bluetooth-connected propane grill with a 13.8 qt air-fryer oven built into one end of the cart. Nexgrill's NEX-fi SureTemp controller holds a set temperature automatically through the app instead of leaving you to chase the knobs, and food probes report to the same app. 455.8 sq in of primary grate, 714.30 sq in total, from two 22,000 BTU burners. Liquid propane only — there is no natural gas conversion.

Nexgrill's fully-loaded Deluxe model and one of the highest-volume grills in US home improvement retail. Six stainless burners make 75,000 BTU over 563.55 sq in of primary grate — 768.14 sq in total — with an infrared ceramic searing side burner and, unusually at this price, a rotisserie kit included in the box rather than sold separately. Dual energy valves and natural gas orifices ship with it, so the propane-to-natural-gas conversion needs no extra parts kit.

The Daytona is Nexgrill's direct answer to the 36-inch Blackstone, and it undercuts it while adding a stainless lid as standard rather than as an upcharge. 792 sq in of hot-rolled steel over four stainless burners gives 38,000 BTU, with two side shelves and a lower rack on the cart. Nexgrill sells almost entirely through Home Depot, which is where the street price lives.

The Grill2Go X200 is Char-Broil's rugged portable: a cast-aluminum firebox and lid in a roll-cage-style frame, built to be thrown in a truck bed rather than carried carefully. It uses Char-Broil's Amplifire infrared-style cooking system, where a radiant plate sits between burner and food, which suppresses flare-ups and evens out the hot spots single-burner portables usually suffer. At 24.7 lbs it is half the weight of a Coleman RoadTrip, with 200 sq in instead of 285.

The portable that punches hardest on heat: 20,000 BTU from two independently controlled stainless burners over 275 sq in, in a 24 lb all-stainless tabletop box. That is more BTU than the Weber Traveler and the Weber Q 2800N+ combined, which is why it preheats fast and actually sears. Twist-to-start ignition, a lid thermometer, and folding legs that latch the lid shut for carrying.

The Q 1200 has been the default answer to 'best portable gas grill' for over a decade, and the review volume backs it up - it's one of the most-reviewed grills Weber sells. Unlike the thin folding camp grills it competes with, the Q is a real grill shrunk down: a cast aluminum cookbox that retains heat like a full-size Weber and porcelain-enameled cast iron grates that lay down legitimate sear marks on steaks and burgers. OutdoorGearLab has ranked it their top tabletop portable for years, and owner threads about balcony and tailgate setups almost always land here. Honest limitations: one U-shaped burner means no two-zone cooking, so thick cuts and bone-in chicken take lid management and patience; 189 sq in feeds about four people; it drinks 1 lb canisters, so most owners buy the adapter hose for a 20 lb tank; and the low-profile grease tray will flare if you never clean it. The regulator's low-flow safety lockout (weak flames after a bottle swap) is the most common owner complaint, fixable with the well-known reset ritual. Against a Blackstone 22 you're trading griddle versatility for real grill marks and a lid.