Best Grill Smoker Combos for Backyard BBQ 2026
Owning a dedicated smoker and a dedicated grill sounds great until you realize they take up half your patio and you still have to manage two fires. Combo units have gotten genuinely good in the last few years, and if you pick the right one, you are not compromising on either job.
This list covers six real options across different price points and fuel types. Whether you want a budget charcoal rig with a side firebox, a pellet grill that can also sear a steak, or a three-in-one gas, charcoal, and offset setup, there is something here that fits the way you actually cook.
Every product here is available on Amazon, with real reviews from people who have put ribs and brisket through them. Prices reflect 2026 availability.
Best Budget Offset Combo for Weekend Beginners
The Royal Gourmet CC1830SC gives you a 443-square-inch main charcoal cooking area and an offset firebox that lets you run a proper low-and-slow smoke without any complicated setup. For a first-time smoker who also wants to grill burgers after the ribs come off, this is the cleanest entry point under $200 you will find.
It fits comfortably on a 10x10 deck or patio without dominating the space. The offset chamber is sized right for a full rack of baby backs or a small pork shoulder, and the main grill handles four to six burgers at a time. It is not a competition rig, but it produces genuinely smoky results when you manage your charcoal and wood chunks well. For a family who wants to experiment with smoking before investing in something serious, this is hard to beat.
Royal Gourmet CC1830SC Charcoal Grill with Offset Smoker
$159
6,800+ reviews
A surprisingly capable budget combo that handles both direct grilling and offset smoking on patios of any size.
Shop on Amazon →Best Gas and Charcoal Combo for Versatile Weeknight Cooks
The Char-Griller 5050 Duo splits its cooking surface right down the middle, with a three-burner gas side on the left and a charcoal side on the right. You can have the gas side ready in 10 minutes for a Tuesday night steak while you load the charcoal side for anything that benefits from real smoke flavor. It is one of the most practical setups for people who cook frequently and do not want to commit to a single fuel type.
With an optional side offset smoker attachment that Char-Griller sells separately, you can convert this into a full three-function unit: gas grilling, charcoal grilling, and offset smoking. Even without the add-on, the charcoal side produces enough indirect heat to slow-cook a chicken or a rack of ribs with the lid closed. It handles a backyard group of 8 to 12 people without breaking a sweat, and the total footprint is about 60 inches wide, which fits most standard patio setups.
Char-Griller 5050 Duo Gas and Charcoal Grill
$419
3,200+ reviews
A true dual-fuel combo with separate gas and charcoal cooking zones, plus an optional offset smoker attachment.
Shop on Amazon →Best Pellet Grill Smoker Combo for Set-It-and-Forget-It BBQ
The Z Grills ZPG-700D4E runs on wood pellets and holds temperature with a PID controller that stays within a few degrees of your target. You set it to 225 and walk away. That is genuinely useful when you are managing a 12-hour brisket and also trying to have a life. The 700 square inches of cooking space handles a full packer brisket, two racks of ribs, or a spatchcocked turkey without any shuffling.
It does not have a gas burner or charcoal capability, but it does reach 450 degrees, which is enough to reverse-sear steaks or finish chicken with some char. Pellet grills are not the best tool for high-heat searing, and you should know that going in. But as a combination smoker and oven-style grill for anything under 450 degrees, the Z Grills delivers performance well above its price point. This is the right pick if you want simplicity over maximum flexibility.
Z Grills ZPG-700D4E Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker
$449
9,400+ reviews
A PID-controlled pellet grill that nails low-and-slow smoking and reaches enough heat to finish a sear.
Shop on Amazon →Best Three-in-One Combo for Serious Backyard Pitmasters
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Combo gives you a gas grill, a charcoal grill, and an offset smoker in one connected unit. It is a big piece of equipment at roughly 72 inches wide, so you need a patio or deck that can absorb it, but the payoff is total flexibility. You can have brisket running in the offset at 225 degrees while the gas side handles hot dogs and corn for the kids, all at the same time.
The charcoal barrel is generously sized, the offset firebox has proper airflow controls, and the gas side has three burners that heat up fast. For people who host regularly and cook a wide variety of things, this is the unit that stops you from ever wishing you had something else. It has more surface area than any two separate grills you would normally own, and it comes in under $600. The assembly takes a couple of hours, but the construction feels solid once it is together.
Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn Combo Charcoal/Gas Smoker & Grill
$549
2,100+ reviews
A full three-function unit with gas, charcoal, and offset smoking capability in one well-built rig.
Shop on Amazon →Best Mid-Range Pellet Combo with a Direct Flame Sear Zone
Most pellet grills cannot get hot enough to put a proper crust on a steak. The Pit Boss 1150 Pro Series solves this with a slide-and-grill technology that opens a direct flame zone in the center of the cooking grate. You smoke your ribeyes at 225 for an hour, then slide the plate open and sear them directly over the fire. It is the reverse-sear method built directly into the grill design.
The 1,150 square inches of cooking space is large enough to feed 10 to 14 people, which makes this a strong choice for people who host. The hopper holds 31 pounds of pellets, so you are not refilling it every few hours during a long cook. At around $650, it lands in a competitive range against Traeger models that cost more and do not include the direct-flame option. If you want pellet grill convenience without giving up real sear capability, this is the one.
Pit Boss 1150 Pro Series Wood Pellet Grill
$649
5,700+ reviews
A large-capacity pellet grill with a slide-and-grill direct flame zone for real searing alongside low-and-slow smoking.
Shop on Amazon →Best Premium Pellet and Propane Combo for Outdoor Kitchen Setups
The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 is a pellet grill with a Sidekick propane burner attachment that turns the right side of the unit into a 28,000-BTU single-burner stove. You can smoke a pork butt on the pellet side for 8 hours while the Sidekick boils a pot of corn, sears a cast iron skillet, or runs a wok. It is genuinely the closest thing to a full outdoor kitchen in a single freestanding unit.
The smoke control system on the Woodwind Pro lets you dial in smoke intensity on a numbered scale, which gives you more nuance than most pellet grills that just run their auger at a fixed rate. It connects to Camp Chef's app for temperature monitoring, and the ash cleanout system means you are not digging around with a shop vac after every cook. At just over $1,100, it is a real investment. But for people who are building out a patio cooking setup and want one piece of equipment that handles everything, this is the smartest buy on the list.
Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 36 Pellet Grill with Sidekick
$1,199
1,800+ reviews
A premium pellet grill with adjustable smoke control and a propane Sidekick burner attachment for full outdoor kitchen capability.
Shop on Amazon →Quick Tips for Getting the Most from a Combo Grill
- Use dedicated thermometers, not the built-in gauge. Lid thermometers on most combo grills read the air at the top of the dome, not at grate level where your food sits. A two-probe wireless thermometer gives you the actual cooking temperature plus the internal temp of whatever you are smoking.
- Season your offset smoker before the first cook. Coat the inside of the firebox and cooking chamber with a thin layer of cooking oil and run it at 300 degrees for an hour. This seals the metal and prevents rust, and it removes any manufacturing residue.
- On pellet grills, go up in smoke intensity at lower temperatures. Pellet grills produce the most smoke flavor below 250 degrees. If you are running at 350 or higher, you are essentially baking with wood-flavored heat. Low-and-slow is where these units shine.
- Preheat your combo grill's charcoal side with a chimney starter. Lighter fluid leaves a chemical taste that shows up in your food. A chimney starter gets charcoal hot in 15 minutes with no additives. It is the single biggest quality improvement for charcoal cooks.
- Control temperature with airflow, not fuel. On offset and charcoal units, adjusting the intake and exhaust vents is the primary way to manage heat. Adding more charcoal raises the floor, but vents are what let you hold a steady 225 for a long cook.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a combo grill smoker as good as a dedicated smoker?
For most backyard cooks, yes. Dedicated offset smokers have a slight edge for very long cooks because of their larger fireboxes, but a quality combo unit like the Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn or Camp Chef Woodwind Pro produces results that are indistinguishable to anyone but a competition judge. The tradeoff in performance is minor compared to the convenience of having one appliance.
What is the best grill smoker combo for a small patio?
The Royal Gourmet CC1830SC is the most compact option and fits on a 6-foot section of patio easily. The Z Grills ZPG-700D4E is also a reasonable footprint for a pellet grill. Avoid the three-in-one combos like the Oklahoma Joe's Longhorn if you are working with less than 8 feet of space.
Can you use a pellet grill as a regular grill for steaks and burgers?
Yes, but check the max temperature before buying. Most pellet grills top out between 450 and 500 degrees, which is enough for a decent sear. The Pit Boss 1150 Pro and Camp Chef Woodwind Pro both have features specifically designed to improve high-heat searing, which makes them better dual-purpose options than standard pellet grills.
How long does it take to smoke ribs on a combo grill?
Baby back ribs take about 5 to 6 hours at 225 degrees using the 3-2-1 method: three hours of smoke, two hours wrapped in foil, one hour unwrapped to set the bark. Spare ribs run closer to 6 to 7 hours. The method works the same whether you are using an offset, pellet, or charcoal combo unit.