5 Best Smoker Grill Combos – Our Top Picks

5 Best Smoker Grill Combos – Our Top Picks

Looking for the best smoker grill combo to buy this year? Read on for the top 5 options that guarantee delicious BBQ and offer great value for your money.

If you love a good cookout a smoker grill combo is the way to go – you get the best of both worlds for your all of meat (and veg) and only pay for the one item. Also the best smoker grill combos are so much more versatile than a standard offset smoker – more on that later!

Smoker grills tend to vary a lot in terms of what fuel they use and how much they cost, but we’ve researched and reviewed hundreds to come up with our top 5.

We’ve aimed to include smoker grill combos for every budget and we also discuss what to look for in your smoker grill combo in our buying guide, which is complete a section of frequently asked questions.

Best Smoker Grill Combos (Winner)

Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett WiFi Controlled Portable Wood Pellet Grill – DCWF

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Best Smoker Grill Combos – Comparison Table

Image Product Our Rating Buy
Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett WiFi Controlled Portable Wood Pellet Grill – DCWF CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON
Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill Smoker with 2019 Newest Digital Controls CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON
PIT BOSS 72700S PB72700S, Pellet, Electric Grill CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON
Traeger Grills TFB38TOD Renegade Pro Pellet Grill and Smoke CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON
Camp Chef PG24MZG SmokePro Slide Smoker CHECK PRICE ON AMAZON

Best Smoker Grill Combos – Reviews

#1. Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett WiFi Controlled Portable Wood Pellet Grill – DCWF (Our Overall Top Pick)

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This is one of our absolute favorite grills – how often do you see a portable smoker with a digital WiFi controller!  You can monitor your cooking and control the smokers’ temperature through Green Mountain’s iOS or Android mobile application, right on your phone or tablet!

This is helped by its Sense-Mate which is a thermal sensor which constantly monitors the grill temperature, so you can sit back and have a drink, safe in the knowledge that you can be informed of the grills’ temperature without leaving your seat, or worse still, opening the cooking chambers.

Although you need electricity to use it, the fuel for the smoking is achieved by wood pellets – perfect for that lovely wood chip flavor pairing.  (Our buying guide has more details on this.)

In addition to Sense-Mate, there’s also meat probes, so you can check the temperature not just of the cooking chamber as a whole, but also check the temperature right in the meat – you can’t go wrong!

It’s portable too – it will fit in in your truck easily.

Green Mountain is a big brand in the world of smokers, and from looking at this products’ build quality we can see why!

Pros

  • WiFi controlled temperature setting
  • Portable
  • Good build quality
  • Great value for money
  • Comes with a heat shield
  • Easy to use
  • Highly recommended by users

Cons

  • Not the cheapest smoke grill combo

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#2. Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill Smoker with 2019 Newest Digital Controls

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If money were no object this would be our number one – not only does it grill and smoke it also bakes, roasts, braises and sears!

What makes it different is that it’s fan forced convection cooking eliminates the need for a rotisserie, enabling you to do that much more.  Not only that but it has a special auger to feed the pellets into the firebox. This is why it’s number two on our list.

There’s a great cooking surface area on it too – you can fit up to 20 burgers, 5 whole chickens, or 6 racks of ribs.

It features a digital control board, which ignites the grill and allows you to set the cooking temperature anywhere you like from 180 degrees to through to 450 degrees.  The smart digital controller keeps temperatures within a temperature window of plus or minus 20 degrees – which is pretty great in comparison to some smokers.

It’s fueled by 100% hardwood pellets, which infuse your food with that wonderfully savory wood-fire taste.

The build quality, much like the overall quality is superb.  It’s no wonder it comes with a 3 year warranty! And if you do have any questions for the manufacturers, you can talk to them directly – no problem.

We also like that it comes with a handy grease bucket, which the hot grease drains straight into, instead of accumulating in the bottom of the grill.

Pros

  • You can do a lot more mere than smoking and grilling
  • Smart digital control board for temperature
  • Plenty of room to cook all your meats
  • Fueled by wood pellets
  • 3 year warranty

Cons

  • Premium product at a premium price

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#3. PIT BOSS 72700S PB72700S, Pellet, Electric Grill

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Pit Boss is another well trusted brand, and this series of their pellet grill offers the best value per square inch!  This particular smoker grill combo features 700 square inches total cooking surface. You can feed 4 to 6 people pretty comfortably.

It exhibits all that build quality you’d expect from a big, trusted brand – with heavy gauge steel components for insulation and durability.

You can rest assured its built to last.

Their byline is “Bigger. Hotter. Heavier.” which sums up all of the Pit Boss products.

We also like its locking castor wheels, to make it that much more secure (we don’t want any accidents!)

This is an 8 in 1 grill, whereby you can grill, smoke, bake, roast, sear, braise, barbecue or char-grill to perfection.

It features a digital control board where you can control the temperature, taking it anywhere from 108 degrees all the way to a staggering 500 degrees.

We also highly recommend Pit Boss spices, which taste just great and are all gluten free.  There’s plenty of other accessories you can get from them too.

Pros

  • Excellent build quality
  • 8 in one – several ways to cook all your food
  • Digital control board for precision cooking
  • Locking castor wheels for safety

Cons

  • Not big enough for a large crowd

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#4. Traeger Grills TFB38TOD Renegade Pro Pellet Grill and Smoke

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With this trusted brand you get a build quality that is unsurpassed!  Its thick steel construction and durable powder coat finish mean that its sturdy and super durable.

The compact size and its all terrain wheels mean you can take it anywhere you want to go.

Despite its comparatively small size, it sports enough cooking surface area to feed the whole family, 380 square inches all together, meaning you can fit 2 whole chickens, 3 racks of ribs or 12 burgers.

It also features a high precision temperature control with the Digital Pro Controller, which maintains a temperature of plus or minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

It even has dual meat temperature probes that go right into the meat so you can see the temperature where it really counts!

It uses wood pellet loading for that all important wood chip smokey taste.

We love how it’s so versatile – you can cook hot and fast or slow and low.

The smoker has easy to clean porcelain grill grates and customers say it’s easy to assemble and use.

Pros

  • Good build quality
  • High precision temperature control
  • Easy to use

Cons

  • Not suitable for a large gathering

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#5. Camp Chef PG24MZG SmokePro Slide Smoker

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This smoker is not just for smoking and grilling – you can also bake, roast, braise and barbecue (very similar to the Z Grills above).

It has a lovely slide and grill feature, whereby you just slide and go from indirect to direct flame mode.

Another thing we like about this one is its bonus dual upper shelf, which almost doubles the cooking surface area, with dual adjustable and removable shelves above the stainless steel firebox.  You get 811 inch total cooking surface.

There’s a front shelf too, and all the shelves come right out and you can fit them in a dishwasher.

There’s a unique ash clean out system too – and it’s as simple as pulling a lever!

It offers Smart digital temperature control, and it features temperature gauges that go right into the meat for that high precision control.

You can choose from several different compatible Camp Chef accessories if you so wish, such as an optional sidekick flat top, or an optional sear box.

Pros

  • Slide and grill feature
  • Lots of cooking space
  • Smart digital temperature control
  • Great accessories and add ons available
  • Easy to keep clean and maintain

Cons

  • Premium product at a premium price

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Buyers Guide

This buying guide assumes that you have a sufficiently big back yard or cooking area for a standard sized smoker grill combo, and that where you live or cook has the right weather conditions for offset smoking.

Build Quality

Of course you will need a good build quality for your smoker grill combo.  In our top 5, we have exclusively concentrated on top well known brands and models to make sure this is covered. You might notice some well known brands like Oklahoma Joe’s were excluded from our list, which shows how competitive our picks are.

What we mean by build quality is things like: is it made from a heavy gauge metal, for adequate insulation, is it rust proof, does it have good quality seals.

We talk a little more about build quality in our other article Best Offset Smokers under $1000, which you can view at your leisure on this link.

Size of the Cooking Surface

For us the ideal cooking space is crucial – you don’t want to find yourself without enough room for all the meat for all your family and guests.

There doesn’t seem to be a standard size for smoker grill combos as such, but you can be assured that all of the best smoker grill combo in our top 5, have a decent amount of cooking surface area.

Fuel Source

There are various ways to fuel your smoker grill combo, and you need to choose the one that’s right for you.  Each has its advantages and disadvantages and we will walk you through them.

Gas, first of all, is very popular.  It generally heats up faster than other fuels and to add to the convenience, a gas smoker grill combo is easier to clean up than your other smoker grill combos. A gas grill however does nothing for the flavor of your smoked meats.

Charcoal based fuels is another common feature in smoker grill combos.  It’s fast to heat up and most charcoal grill and smoker feature an ash pan, so charcoal based smoker grill combos can be super easy to clean too.

If you wanted to go for a natural fuel source you could go with pellets.  Pellets are completely free of the artificial adhesives you find in other fuels, so your smoked meat taste won’t be compromised. Check out our pellet smoker buyer’s guide.

Now wood, my personal favorite, can really enhance the flavor of your meat.  They range in flavor strength from apple and cherry which are mild, through to pecan and hickory for a good medium strength, right the way through to mesquite for flavor with that bit more depth.

Temperature range

Temperature range is imperative in your smoker grill combo.  Some people like to do their grilling at 165 degrees Fahrenheit, while you’ll want your smoking to be set between 200 and 220 degrees Fahrenheit.

We aim to cover temperature range in each of our reviews in our top 5 smoker grill combo reviews.  All of our picks feature built in temperature gauges, and some of them even sport temperature gauges that go directly into the meat itself for precision grilling and smoking.

To tweak the temperature of your combination grill, you can add heat by simply adding fuel, or you can cool it down by adjusting the vents and dampers.

Ease of maintenance

Your grill smoker will come to you in excellent condition – and you’ll want to keep it that way!  We highly recommend that you purchase a compatible cover to go over your smoker grill combo when you’re not using it, to prevent it from rusting.

You may also like to check whether your grill smoker combo features easy ash removal, and whether the cooking racks are easy to clean or even dishwasher safe.

Affordability

You won’t believe how much grill smoker combos vary in price!  Some are under $100 while others go up to $1000 plus! With our top 5 smoker grill combos, we examine value for money.  With us behind you you won’t be ripped off!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is smoked meat tastier?

When you smoke a piece of meat for a long period of time, the smoke physically changes the meat, breaking down the tough muscle tissue protein called collagen, thus making the meat more tender, and hence more juicy and palatable.

How does smoking meat help to preserve it?

Before the age of refrigerators, the smoking of meat was often implemented as a means of preserving it.  The smoke itself acts like an acidic coating on the meat’s surface, preventing the growth of bacteria. Furthermore, the smoking process also helps to dehydrate the meat, making it less hospitable for bacteria to live and grow.

If the meat comes out pink, does that mean it’s not cooked?

When smoked meat is done right, the outside will be dark brown and charred, then there should be a pink layer underneath, known as a smoke ring, followed by the traditional meat color in the middle.

So, in short if the meat has turned pink in places, this does not necessarily mean that the meat isn’t cooked.

How long does it take to cook a meal on a smoker-grill combo?

On average smoking takes 6 to 8 hours, but some items such as brisket can take up to 22 hours.

For a quicker meal prep you could just use the grill and not bother with the smoking chamber.

Should you flip meat on a smoker?

By all means flip meat on the grill but DO NOT flip the meat in your smoking chamber.  Since the meat is cooked from the smoke rather than over a direct heat source, both sides should be cooked evenly, negating the need to flip.

Not only that but if you were to open the smoking chamber to flip your meat, you will lose both heat and smoke from the cooking chamber and you’d be delayed as you wait for the chamber to get back up to the right temperature.

Can you offset a smoker as a grill?

Yes, it is possible to grill within the firebox of a traditional offset smoker, however it’s not what they’re designed for and we would recommend purchasing your smoker with all of your intended cooking methods in mind.

Are vertical smokers better?

Vertical water smokers tend to be a lot smaller in size than their horizontal counter parts.  This means they’re more efficient in terms of not needing as much fuel to run.

What is a reverse flow smoker and do I need one?

A reverse flow smoker is one that will force the smoke back over the meat again before allowing it to escape from the chimney.  Whilst they do provide more smoke for your meats, they don’t generally come with grill functionality too.

Accessories

If you are getting serious about upgrading your outside cooking area then add a versatile griddle to your outdoor range. A griddle gives you even more cooking capability, capacity and options.

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