This is our review of the best smoker grill combos.
We’d venture to say that two of the most common questions we see on BBQ forums are: Can I smoke on a grill? or Can you grill on a smoker?
The simple answer to both questions is YES but not on EVERY grill or smoker.
We reviewed smoker grill combos for their ability to both smoke and grill. The smoker grills that made our list below are great at both low-and-slow cooking and can sear a steak perfectly.
What To Look for In a Smoker Grill Combo
To successfully grill on a smoker and smoke on a grill, you want to buy a grill or smoker that has specific features to ensure you can use both cooking methods.
Temperature
Fuel Type
Single or Dual Chamber
Temperature: The best smoker grill combo should be able to reach temperatures of 500F for grilling but also have the ability to hold a low, steady temperature around 200-225F.
Fuel: The fuel type for grilling and smoking is critical for temperature but also for the flavor. The top smoker grill combos use wood pellets and charcoal. Wood pellets add smoky flavors similar to that of a stick burner smoker. Charcoal, especially when wood chips are added, is a sure fire way to get maximum smoke flavor.
Single (Single Fuel) or Double Chamber (Dual Fuel): Another important characteristic to keep in mind is whether the grill is single or double chamber. A single chamber has one cooking area for both grilling and smoking. However, a double chamber has two separate cooking areas attached on one platform. Typically each chamber uses a different fuel with the most popular being wood pellets and propane. Double or dual chamber grills are large and take up some space compared to a single chamber.
Best Overall
Recteq B380 Bulleye
Impressive Temperature Range
Riot Mode for Searing is great
Stainless Steel Construction
Legs can be wobbly
Top Features & Smoke Flavor
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24
Best Features for Smoking
High Quality Construction
Very Customizable w/ add-ons
Small Wheels to move around
Best Budget Friendly
Weber Kettle Premium 22″
Most Affordable Option
Easy to get a Perfect Sear
Ash Cleanout helps cleaning
Smoking on takes Practice
Keep reading below for a complete review of the best smoker grill combos that performance a a top level for both grilling and smoking.
Table of Contents
Weber SmokeFire EX4
BEST FOR: Those looking for a reliable pellet grill from a long-time, trusted brand.
How to Smoke on?: Set the temperature control to a low setting (200-250F). Use the “Smoke Boost” feature to maximize smoky flavor.
How to Sear on?: Set the SmokeFire Ex4 to the highest temperature setting. Wait a few minutes for it to heat up. The SmokeFire uses flavorizer bars, similar to those in gas grills, to distribute heat evenly. The flavorizer bars allow flame and heat to reach the food quickly at the highest temperature setting.
We like:
- Temperature setting up to 600F allows for a better sear when grilling.
- Loaded with cool (and useful!) features such as “Smoke Boost”, WiFi and app controls, and alerts when the hopper is low.
- Large, slide out grease and ash cleanout make cleaning up much easier.
- The sleek design with the signature, long-lasting porcelain-enamel exterior finish.
- Weber has a good warranty between 3-5 years depending on the part.
We don’t like:
- The price vs the cooking area versus other brands but the features do make up for this a bit.
- Roller wheels are small and best suited for smooth driveways and patios.
- The narrow hopper can be more difficult to fill without spilling pellets.
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24
BEST FOR: Those looking for the most feature-packed wood pellet smoker for the money. Also, those that want maximum flexibility for smoke flavors.
How to Smoke on?: The “Smoke Box” and smoke settings make the Woodwind Pro a top notch wood pellet smoker. For maximum smoky flavor: set the temperature control to a low setting, turn up the smoke setting, and fill up the Smoke Box with wood chunks.
How to Sear on?: We found heating a cast iron skillet up for 5-10 minutes at the highest temperature setting works best.
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro series of pellet grills has been well received by the barbecue community and for plenty of good reasons.
What makes the Woodwind Pro one of the best smoker grill combo is innovative new features that result in a versatile grilling and smoking machine. The first of which is the “Smoke box”, a sliding tray which allows you to add wood chips/chunks directly above the pellet fire box.
The Smoke Box, combined with the wood pellets, gives a sizable boost to the volume and quality of smoke flavor when smoking.
Also, Camp Chef doubled down on getting the desired smoke flavor with their “Smoke Number” function on their PID controller. You can set the Smoke Number between 1-10 and the pellet grill will automatically adjust the smoke flavor to your selection!
To top it off, Camp Chef pellet smokers are solidly built using high quality stainless steel meaning the barrel could literally last forever.
We like:
- Most useful features to get maximum smoke flavors.
- Ability with the Side-Kick to grill and smoke perfectly all on one grill.
- Built for high quality Stainless Steel.
- Large cooking area of 811 square inches
- Camp Chef’s 3-Year Warranty is industry average.
We don’t like:
- Less affordable than other options.
- Roller wheels are small and best for concrete driveways and patios
- The top rack sticks out pretty far and can make it difficult to access the bottom grate.
Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800
BEST FOR: Cooking with charcoal with the benefits of a pellet grill (temperature controller, hopper, etc.).
How to Smoke on?: Set the temperature to its lowest setting (around 225F).
How to Sear on?: Turn up the temperature control to the highest setting. Allow a few minutes for the Gravity Series to heat up before searing food.
When it comes to searing the Masterbuilt Gravity Series has a leg up on wood pellet grill smokers without direct flame options. By using charcoal as a fuel, the Gravity Series can reach temperatures up to 700F. More than enough to get great sear on your food.
We are impressed with the innovation that Masterbuilt had to create the Gravity Series to basically semi-automate charcoal smoking with a hopper feed design.
We like:
- Very affordable pricing for the features.
- Benefits of both char-broiled flavor from charcoal.
- Ability to add wood chunks for more wood fired smoke flavors.
- Hopper that allows you to smoke with charcoal without consistent monitoring and adding more fuel.
- Large wheels allow you to easily move it over uneven yards, gravel, etc.
- Getting up to 700F is great for grilling.
- Ash cleanout is perfect for cleaning up the spent charcoal.
We don’t like:
- It takes a few extra steps to start up compared to pellet grills.
- 1-Year Warranty is below industry average.
- The locking clips for the hopper and other doors seem to rust easily.
- The cast iron grates are great for heat retention but require seasoning and care to keep for rusting.
Weber Kettle Premium 22”
BEST FOR: Those that want a budget friendly grill that can offer maximum smoke flavor.
How to Smoke on?: You can smoke on the Kettle Premium by using indirect heat; that is placing the meat so that it is not directly above the charcoal. We find that the snake method using wood chips/chunks to be very effective.
How to Sear on?: By searing directly over red hot charcoal, the Kettle Premium can reach temperatures exceeding 700F. This makes it one of the best searing grill smokers on this list.
The Weber Kettle Premium 22” is a classic, no-frills charcoal grill that offers great char-broiled flavors to food. While you are probably familiar with Weber for grilling, not everyone knows that the Weber Kettle can also be used for low-and-slow smoking too.
When you combine charcoal with wood chips or chunks on the Weber Kettle, the result is a char-boiled, smoke flavor that is difficult to replicate on other grill smoker combos. All this flavor doesn’t come without some additional work on your part though.
While grilling on the Weber Kettle is very simple, smoking meats on this Weber requires some extra know-how. Smoking with charcoal and wood, especially without digital temperature controls like those found on pellet smokers, requires thoughtful preparation and continuous monitoring. The process of smoking with charcoal can be quickly learned such as using the well established snake method.
Pro Tip for Monitoring Temperature: We use a wireless/WiFi ThermoPro Temp Spike thermometer to monitor both food and ambient smoker temperature when smoking on our Weber Kettle. The Temp Spike connects directly to an app on your phone and includes an array of temperature alerts so you don’t have to physically monitor any temperature drops or spikes.
We like:
- Budget friendly option for both smoking and grilling.
- For grilling, it creates an amazing sear.
- Built to last for many years.
- Simple, time-tested design with no electrical parts to break
- Easy clean-out with the ash collection pan.
- Weber’s 5-Year Warranty
We don’t like:
- Low-and-Slow smoking on this Weber takes a little extra know-how to get right.
- Have to monitor temperature more frequently than other smoker grills.
- While it’s light enough to just carry around, the wheels aren’t very useful.
Pit Boss Navigator Pellet/Gas Combo
BEST FOR: Those that want both a pellet smoker and a propane grill but also have space for a larger grill.
How to Smoke on?: Simply use the wood pellet chamber at low temperatures (200-250F). You can also use the damper between the two chambers for cold smoking!
How to Sear on?: For the best sear you’ll want to use the propane chamber at high heat.
The Pit Boss Navigator Pellet/Gas Combo is the perfect example of a dual-chamber smoker grill combo. The left side is a wood pellet smoker and the right side is the time-tested propane grill. Adding up the cooking area from both chambers and you get over 1,000 square inches of grill grate space.
We like:
- A damper for cold smoking! The Navigator has a tube that connects both chambers with a damper giving you the option to cold smoke.
- Reinforced legs to support the double chambers.
- Has a ton of shelf space.
- Pit Boss’ 5-Year Warranty is a big plus.
We don’t like:
- It’s a big grill to move around and can take up a lot of space on a small patio.
- Have to buy propane and wood pellets. Not the end of the world but you do have to remember to check two fuel levels rather than just one.
Recteq B380 Bullseye
BEST FOR: A quality wood pellet smoker that can sear similar to a gas grill. The design is also great for those looking for a unique look for the patio.
How to Smoke on?: Set the temperature control to a low temperature (200-250F).
How to Sear on?: The Recteq B380 Bullseye has a unique “Riot Mode” which can heat the grill up above 700F. Simply set to Riot Mode, let it heat up, and sear your food. In this mode, you will get some direct flames in the grill.
We like:
- The Riot Mode for high heat is perfect for searing.
- Made with mostly Stainless Steel so it’s built to last.
- We liked the unique design between a traditional charcoal grill and pellet grill.
- Nice to be able to adjust temperature in increments of 25F.
- Large wheels make it easier to move around when needed.
We don’t like:
- Grease management is a bit tricky. Should use a drip pan on the heat deflector for better clean up.
- Reviews mention that the stand/legs can be wobbly when moving.
- On the smaller side at 380 square inches of cooking area. However, the price is in line with quality smoker grills that size.
- No Wifi or app capabilities.
Recteq RT-1250
BEST FOR: Those looking for a large smoker grill to feed big gatherings. A wood pellet grill that can reach high temperatures for grilling as well.
How to Smoke on?: Set your Recteq RT-1250 to a low temperature (180-250F).
How to Sear on?: Turn the temperature setting to the highest setting. Wait for a few minutes for the grill to heat up before searing. The RT-1250 can reach temperatures up to 700F; hotter than some other pellet grills.
We like:
- The massive 1,250 square inch cooking area – perfect for cooking for large groups.
- Recteq’s Stainless Steel construction could last forever, literally.
- Cast iron heat deflector holds and spreads heat evenly throughout the chamber.
- The front folding and side shelves are more than enough for shuffling food on and off the smoker.
- Recteq’s 6-Year Warranty is above industry average.
- Last but not least it can fit an impressive 170 chicken wings!
We don’t like:
- It’s a heavy grill to move around at over 200lbs.
- The price may be too much for those starting out.
- Not crazy about the electrical conduit under the side shelf but it doesn’t hurt anything I guess.
- The bull horn handles may not fit everyone’s style.
Pit Boss Mahogany
BEST FOR: Those starting out with pellet grills for smoking and grilling.
How to Smoke on?: Ensure the sear plate is closed using Flame Broiler lever. Use the temperature control to hold temperatures between 200-250F.
How to Sear on?: Open the sear plate using the Flame Broiler lever which allows direct heat up to the grates. Turn up the auger controller to a temperature high setting.
Thinking about buying a Pit Boss? Check out our review of the 6 Best Pit Boss Pellet Grills.
We like:
- The exterior holds up well for years when properly cared for.
- Sliding sear plate with a lever are easy to use. Makes it simple to switch between smoking, grilling, and reverse searing.
- Medium size wheels make it decent at moving around.
- The folding front shelf and SS side shelf are a nice addition for a pellet grill this size.
We don’t like:
- The PID controller is basic and lacks some popular features.
- Price seems to change frequently.
Having trouble finding the right grill or smoker? Check our more of our comprehensive buying guides.
Best Pellet Smokers for Searing – Using Direct Heat!
6 Best Pit Boss Pellet Grills – Full Review
Best Traeger Grill Alternatives
FAQs
What is a smoker grill combo?
A smoker grill combo is a grill which can both grill and smoke foods by using both a high and low heat setting. Common smoker grill combos include pellet grills, charcoal grills, and dual fuel grills that use both propane and wood pellets.
Can you grill on any smoker?
No, not every smoker can be used to grill food since some smokers can’t reach the high temperatures needed for grilling. To be able to grill food on a smoker, the smoker needs to be able to reach temperatures around 500 Fahrenheit.
How do you smoke meat on a grill?
If using a gas grill, ensure the grill is set to the lowest temperature. Add a smoke box or smoke tube to the grill. Pellet grills tend to be the most effective at both grilling and smoking as their temperature settings range between 200 F – 500 F.