The 7 Best Smoker Grill Combo of 2022

We all love a good barbeque. There is nothing better than the smell of meat grilling in the open air. The sound of the grill always takes us back to summer days and cookouts with friends and family.

If you’ve been grilling for a while, you are no doubt aware of smokers. You may have seen these at barbeque competitions, or eaten at restaurants that served smoked food.

Smoking food takes barbecuing to the next level. But smoking is a longer process, and requires some more preparation. If you love cooking outdoors you may think you need to have a smoker and a barbeque.

Fortunately, there are some great smoker and grill combos that give you the best of both worlds at a more affordable price.

These combo units allow you to grill as normal, but use it for longer periods of smoking which gives the most juicy and flavorful meats you will ever have. They will have all the features of a grill, but contain the necessary accessories needed for smoking such as vents, hoppers, and ashtrays.

But where do you start if you’re looking to buy one? This is a look at 7 ideal smoker/grill combos.

Our Top Choices: The Best Grill Smoker Combos in 2022

MODEL	FUEL TYPE	COOKING AREA	RATINGS
Traeger Pro Series 575 (Best Overall)	Wood Pellet	572 sq. in.	4.8
Kamado Joe Classic II (Best Kamado)	Charcoal	508 sq. in.	4.9
Camp Chef SmokePro DLX (Best Pellet)	Wood Pellet	570 sq. in.	4.7
Char-Griller Akorn Grill (Budget Friendly)	Charcoal	447 sq. in.	4.8
Z Grills Pellet Grill Smoker (Runner up Pellet)	Wood Pellet	700 sq. in.	4.6
Oklahoma Joe’s Combo (Best Heavy Duty)	Propane/Charcoal	1060 sq. in.	4.4
Royal Gourmet Grill & Offset Smoker (Best Compact)	Charcoal	800 sq. in.	4.5

Best Overall: Traeger TFB57GZEO Pro Series 575 Grill

• Total Cooking Surface: 572 sq. in.
• Fuel Type: Wood pellet
• Hopper capacity: 18 pounds
• Weight: 124 lbs.

Traeger is one of the leading and best-selling brands when it comes to wood pellet grill and smokers, and there’s a saying about Traeger:

“You taste it once, and you have to own one.”

This is an Editor’s choice that has a great looking, bronze appearance and vintage look. It is made of porcelain and steel to make it great for cooking, and heavy duty.

For the cooking area, you get a generous 27 inches deep, 49 inches wide, and 53 inches high of space. The main rack is 418 square inches, and the extra rack is 154 square inches giving you a total of 572 total square inches of cooking space.

Besides the extra rack, it has a D2 drivertrain controller which uses advanced grilling logic to keep your grilling and smoking temperatures extremely accurate. This grill helps take the guesswork out of the exact temperatures you need to cook at to have the best food possible.

With the 575, it can easily handle: 4 chickens and 5 racks of ribs. This also equals to around 24 burgers. The hopper can hold up to 18 pounds of pellets which can provide up to 20 hours of solid heat.

This grill also has an amazing feature called WiFIRE technology – which enables easier temperature monitoring via Wifi network. All you have to download the Traeger App on your smartphone and control your grill from anywhere, as long as you’re connected with a Wifi network.

The Trager 575 uses a side, chimney-style venting system. It uses an induction fan to stoke the fire, then a hot rod to ignite the pellets in the fire pot before the smoke circulates the barrel and vents out the side.

So, if you really want a “set it and forget it” type of grill you should consider getting this one.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

Best Kamado: Kamado Joe Classic II Charcoal Grill

• Total Cooking Surface: 508 sq. in.
• Fuel Type: Charcoal
• Weight: 250 lbs.

The Kamado Joe will bring back memories of cooking in the park with it’s classic red, charcoal grill design. This is a solid unit weighing in at 250 pounds and made of stainless steel and ceramic.

The Kamado Joe gives you the perfect cooking size of 18 inches. It doesn’t have any side warming trays as this unit is all about creating the perfect cooking and smoking area.

The grill is large enough to cook up to 30 chicken drumsticks, or 6 salmon fillets and 18 scallops.

One of the most interesting feature on this Classic Joe is “Divide and Conquer” – which allows you to use any number of different half-rack shaped accessories to control the heat in the grill. This feature really comes handy when you want to do direct and indirect cooking at the same time.

This grill features an air lift hinge which allows you to open the lid with just one finger and also less heavier compared to other ceramic grills.

It also includes a premium cart which has wheels for easy transportation. The wheels also lock to keep the unit stable while you cook.

This charcoal grill uses a Kontrol Tower Top Vent system. This maintains consistent air setting for precise airflow management during dome opening and closing. This system is constructed of powder coated cast aluminum, and the dual-adjustment top vent is rain and mold-resistant.

This ceramic grill allows you to smoke from 225F all the way to searing at 750F.

If your top priority is great tasting smoked food and you don’t mind spending the extra buck for stability and durability, then the Kamado Joe Classic II is the right choice for you.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

Best Pellet: Camp Chef SmokePro DLX Pellet Grill

• Total Cooking Surface: 570 sq. in.
• Fuel Type: Pellet
• Hopper Capacity: 18 pounds
• Weight: 127 lbs.

The Camp Chef DLX is a great looking, all black grill. It is 45 x 21 x 51 inches and weighs 127 pounds. It is made of steel and looks like a professional smoker.

The Camp Chef gives you a very large 19.5 x 22 inch grilling area that can accommodate a decent amount of food. The smoking and warming rack gives you another 6 x 24 inches of space for a total of 570 overall square inches.

The grill will roughly hold 3-4 large chickens, or 15 large chicken breasts. You could also cook 3-4 racks of ribs while still having room for a large frying pan on the top rack to cook things like onions.

Accessory wise, you get a larger than average 18-pound pellet hopper meaning you don’t have to fill it as often and can spend more time smoking.

The DLX also comes with an automatic pellet dispensing system. This lets the smoker dispense pellets as needed, and then shuts down when it’s done. This allows you to get other things done while not having to worry about your smoking. You also get a stainless steel meat probe.

This grill has an easy-to-use Ash cleanout system, all you will have to do is pull the lever and wood ash will then drop into the ash catcher cup.

The venting system for the DLX goes through the top of the lid and there is an internal temperature system to let you know what heat you are at.

The only issue we noticed was internal temperature fluctuations by 10-30°F up and down, which increases your cook time. So, bear this in mind before investing in this grill.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

Runner up Pellet: Z Grills 700D Wood Pellet Grill Smoker

• Total Cooking Surface: 700 sq. in
• Fuel Type: Wood Pellet
• Hopper Capacity: 20 pounds
• Weight: 112 lbs.

This grill is 51 x 22 x 48 inches and weighs 112 pounds making it stable and solid. The heavy duty build is made up of porcelain coated cast iron, and has a brass-like finish that gives the entire thing a classic, vintage look.

With the Z Grills 700D pellet grill smoker, you get a large cooking area. It’s 19.2 x 26 inches which will cover you for big events like parties and birthdays. A great feature with this grill is that you get a separate smoking/warming rack which frees up even more space for cooking. All in all, you get 700 square inches of usable space.

This grill is large enough to cook a wide assortment of meat, and is big enough to smoke a 21 pound turkey, six pork butts or 6 rack of ribs.

This is a unique grill as it uses a fan-forced convection cooking system. This allows you to grill, roast, smoke, braise, and bake – which is absolutely wonderful.

According to Z grills, the pellet box (hopper) can hold up to 20 pounds of wood pellet which is going to last roughly 10 to 25 hours (high and low respectively).

This unit has an automatic electric feed system similar like other pellet smokers. This allows you to set it to the optimal temperature for smoking and this accessory does the rest. You don’t have to constantly monitor it.

It uses a standard chimney-style vent that is attached on the right side of the unit.

On the whole, this is a relatively affordable unit when compared with other pellet smokers in this section, which provides great value and has a ton of cooking space.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

Best Budget: Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Charcoal Grill

• Total Cooking Surface: 447 sq.in.
• Main Fuel: Charcoal
• Weight: 90 lbs.

If you want to get Kamado Joe Classic II, but don’t want to spend that much of money for it. Then Char Griller Akron could be your low-cost alternative – it’s inexpensive yet does the job exceptionally well.

This is a classic looking Akorn grill that is all about convenience and transport. It is made of graphite-colored metal which makes it not only solid–but incredibly light. The entire unit weighs only 90 pounds. The cooking surface is made of cast iron to make it more durable and long lasting. The interior finish is made of porcelain-coated steel.

This is a more compact unit, but still provides a great amount of grilling area. The primary cooking area is 314 square inches. You then have an additional 133 square inches on the removable warming rack for a total usable area of 447 square inches.

Even though it’s compact, this grill has enough room for 3 large steaks and 3 kebabs. If you are just cooking steaks, it can still hold 5 large steaks nicely.

You get two folding black metal shelves on either side of the grill for extra storage. There is a heat gauge to give you an accurate reading of your cooking temperature, along with a locking lid so nothing disrupts the cooking process. There is also an easy-dump ash pan that makes the clean up process quick and easy.

The Kamado grill comes with an adjustable top damper to control the venting and it maintains airflow and heat control. There is also a bottom damper to give you even more precise temperature control.

Although, this unit is not made of ceramic like other kamado cookers, but it is triple-walled insulated from top to bottom which retains heat very well, as good as ceramic models if not better. This charcoal egg maintains a minimum temperature of 200F for low-n-slow cook, and tops up to 700F for searing delicious steaks.

I think this is arguably the best kamado cooker on the market as far as value goes, which comes under $300 only.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

Best Heavy-Duty: Oklahoma Joe’s Combo

• Total Cooking Surface: 1,060 sq. in.
• Fuel Type: Charcoal, Gas
• Weight: 204.6 lbs.

This is a heavy duty black grill that looks like you could wheel it up to a bbq competition. The Oklahoma Joe is made of heavy duty steel and weighs in at a solid 204.6 pounds. The grates are made of porcelain-coated cast iron so they will give you years and years of usage.

This is a large grill/smoker combo that has a primary cooking surface of 750 square inches. There is another 350 square inch cooking surface in the firebox chamber giving you a whopping 1,060 total square inch cooking area. You will be able to cook for the entire neighborhood on the Oklahoma Joe.

How much food you can cook in it: A lot. You can cook everything you’ve seen on most other grills just on the one side of the Oklahoma Joe. You then have that extra 350 square inches to cook even more food.

Accessory-wise, you get 3, 12,000 BTU burners, and a professional temperature gauge for the most accurate cooking in both of the chambers. Each chamber is either charcoal grilling or gas grilling giving you the best of both worlds. The firebox door has an air damper which is there to make cleaning up much easier. There are also transportable wheels so you can move this grill around to wherever you need to set it up, and get cooking.

Since this has two chambers, the vent is right in the middle, on the top of the lid. This grill uses multiple dampers across the smoking chamber and firebox which allows for the ultimate amount of smoke while still giving you perfect heat control. There are two different lids on this unit and each one has its own temperature control gauge so you can monitor your grill, and your smoking.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

Best Compact: Royal Gourmet 30″ BBQ Charcoal Grill and Offset Smoker

• Total Cooking Surface: 801 sq. in.
• Fuel Type: Charcoal
• Weight: 54.2 lbs.

This is a smaller grill/smoker but perfect if you don’t have a lot of space. It’s ideal for small patios, or even the balcony at an apartment. This grill can also be taken camping so you can smoke and grill on your vacation. The Royal Gourmet is made of steel and uses porcelain-coated steel wiring grates, and a chrome-plated warming rack.

Despite being a smaller unit, this grill has a huge cooking area measuring in at 55 inches high, 48 inches wide, and 27 inches long. With the offset smoker, and warming racks, you get 800 square inches of cooking space.

This is your perfect choice to get smoking right away as the Royal Gourmet comes with Apple BBQ smoking chips for gas, charcoal, or electric grills. You also get Applewood that is heat-treated to eliminate and prevent mold, pests, and rot. Each package gives you 180 cubic inches of large-sized smoking chips so you can get started right away.

For a frame of reference, this grill can hold around 10 large chicken legs with room for 3-4 hotdogs.

The venting system is made up of a smoke stack that comes out of the top of the grill on the right hand side. This grill comes with a temperature gauge with the venting system and an access door on the side to tend to the charcoal. Besides the smoke stack, there is another side air vent.

What we like:

What we didn’t like:

What’s the difference between a grill and a smoker?

The main difference comes down to the type of heat used, and the time spent cooking.

Grilling is a quicker process using a higher heat and is most often associated with fuel like propane and charcoal. Where temperatures can get as high as 500+ degrees and requires more attention during the cooking process.

When you think of a smoker, think low and slow. Smoking uses a much lower temperature than a grill and the cooking time is much longer. “Quick” smoking can still take a few hours and some meats do better with 6-8 hours and even longer.

The other big difference with a smoker is using pellets or wood chips to create the smoke. Not only does it do this, but it helps to give flavor to the meats. Many varieties of wood chips exists such as mesquite, apple wood, and hickory. Each one gives their own unique aroma and flavor profiles to the meat being smoked.

Things to Consider When Buying a Smoker Grill Combo

Budget

First thing first, there are so many great options in the pellet grill market and that’s enough to get you confused. You can also easily spend thousands of dollars and pay more than you intended. The best thing to do is establish your budget first. Then, you can start to narrow down the options and find the best smoker grill combo for your budget.

Size

The next thing to consider is the space you have. If you have a big backyard, you can go for the largest option possible. If you live in a smaller area, or apartment, you still have options, too.

Cooking space

You also want to consider how much food you need to be grilling and smoking. If you host big parties, have friends over often, or have a big family then you’re going to need a smoker grill combo that has a large surface area for cooking such as Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill Smoker with the total cooking area of 700 square inches.

However, if you are in a household with just a few people and don’t entertain often, you will not need a giant cooking surface. In that case, you should consider a grill that is compact and easy to move. For example: Char-Griller Akorn Kamado Kooker with the total cooking area of 447 square inches which is perfect for a small family.

Accessories

Another thing to consider is how many features you like. Do you like precise cooking and technology?

You’ll want to go for a smoker grill combo that has accurate and electronic temperature control. This requires less attention and gives you the most precise cooking experience. If you like to take your time, and monitor the entire cooking process, you can go for an option that has limited features as you will be on top of the heat, temperature, and cooking process.

Venting

One last thing is to consider the venting. If you live in a crowded area, you will want to be conscious of the amount of smoke that comes through the venting. The bigger outdoor space you have, the bigger smoker grill combo you can get as it will create more venting. If you are worried about the smoke, you should choose a smaller smoker that gives great venting that you can be in control of.