6 Best Smoker Grill Combos For Outdoor Cooking That Master More Than BBQ

You’ve got a beautiful Saturday, a backyard full of friends, and a cooler full of food. The plan is ambitious: slow-smoked ribs that fall off the bone, but also perfectly seared steaks for those who want them later. This is where the classic kettle grill hits its limit and the world of versatile, multi-function cookers opens up.

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More Than Smoke: Selecting a Versatile Outdoor Cooker

The line between a "smoker" and a "grill" has blurred beautifully over the last decade. A smoker grill combo isn’t just a smoker that can get hot; it’s an outdoor oven designed to excel at multiple cooking styles. Think of it as a quiver of arrows—you need the right tool for the job, whether that’s low-and-slow smoking at 225°F, roasting a chicken at 375°F, or searing a ribeye at 600°F.

Your first decision isn’t which brand to buy, but how you want to cook. Are you primarily a weekend brisket warrior who occasionally grills burgers? Or are you a weeknight steak-and-chicken griller who wants to try smoking on the weekends? Answering this honestly will steer you toward the right fuel source and design, preventing you from buying a specialized tool for a job you rarely do.

The core tradeoff in this category is often convenience versus flavor intensity and searing power. Pellet grills offer incredible ease of use, while charcoal-fueled cookers provide a distinct flavor profile and searing capability. Understanding this fundamental difference is the key to finding a cooker that you’ll be excited to fire up year after year.

Traeger Pro 575: Set-It-and-Forget-It Simplicity

If your goal is to produce consistently delicious smoked and roasted food with minimal fuss, the Traeger Pro 575 is a benchmark. This is the cooker for the host who wants to mingle with guests, not babysit a firebox. Its wood-pellet-fueled system is governed by a digital controller that maintains a precise temperature, essentially making it a wood-fired convection oven.

The real magic for the modern outdoor cook is the WiFIRE technology. You can monitor and adjust the grill’s temperature from your phone, whether you’re inside prepping side dishes or down the street at a neighbor’s house. This removes the guesswork and anxiety from long cooks like pork shoulder or brisket, making incredible barbecue accessible to everyone.

The tradeoff for this convenience is high-heat performance. While it can get hot enough to grill, it won’t produce the deep, crusty sear on a steak that you’d get from direct, high-intensity flame. It’s a master of everything from 180°F to 450°F, making it an ideal choice for smoking, roasting, and even baking, but less so for the dedicated sear-master.

Masterbuilt Gravity 560 for True Charcoal Flavor

For those who believe true barbecue flavor can only come from charcoal but crave the convenience of a pellet grill, the Masterbuilt Gravity Series is a brilliant hybrid. It uses a tall, gravity-fed hopper that you fill with charcoal briquettes or lump charcoal. A digitally controlled fan then stokes the embers to maintain your target temperature with impressive accuracy.

This design gives you the best of both worlds: the rich, smoky flavor of charcoal with the set-it-and-forget-it ease of a digital controller. More importantly, it solves the searing problem. This cooker can rocket up to 700°F in under 15 minutes, giving you a screaming-hot surface for searing steaks and getting that perfect burger crust, a feat most standard pellet grills can’t touch.

The compromise here is in the fuel and cleanup. It burns through charcoal more quickly than a traditional smoker, and the ash management requires more effort than the simple pot cleanout on a pellet grill. But for the flavor purist who wants automation without sacrificing the authentic taste of cooking over charcoal, the Gravity 560 is a revolutionary machine.

Weber SmokeFire EX4 for High-Temperature Searing

Picture a classic Weber kettle grill, beloved for its direct-heat grilling prowess, reimagined as a modern pellet smoker. That’s the ethos behind the SmokeFire. It was engineered from the ground up to be a fantastic grill that also happens to be a very capable smoker, directly addressing the searing limitations of many competitors.

Its design allows pellets to combust directly beneath the cooking grates, and Weber’s iconic "Flavorizer Bars" work to vaporize drippings, creating smoke and sizzle for that classic grilled taste. It can reach 600°F, making it one of the best pellet-fueled options for achieving a legitimate, high-heat sear. The integrated Weber Connect smart technology offers step-by-step cooking assistance, which is a huge confidence-booster for new and experienced cooks alike.

The primary consideration is that its design prioritizes grilling performance. While it’s a capable smoker, some users find the smoke flavor is more subtle compared to cookers designed exclusively for low-and-slow cooking. It’s the perfect choice for the person whose outdoor cooking is 70% grilling and 30% smoking, not the other way around.

Kamado Joe Classic III: The Ultimate Ceramic Cooker

If you see outdoor cooking as a craft to be mastered, the Kamado Joe is your instrument. This isn’t an automated machine; it’s a thick-walled ceramic vessel that offers unparalleled heat retention, moisture control, and fuel efficiency. Once you learn to control the airflow through its top and bottom vents, it can hold a low 225°F for over 18 hours on a single load of charcoal or rage like a pizza oven at over 750°F.

The Classic III model introduces the SloRoller hyperbolic insert, a technology that optimizes airflow for even heat and smoke distribution during low-and-slow cooks, producing incredible results. From smoking brisket and baking bread to searing tuna steaks and grilling vegetables, no other type of cooker offers this sheer range of culinary capability.

This versatility comes with a steep learning curve and a significant physical footprint. Kamados are extremely heavy and require practice to master temperature control. They reward patience and skill with some of the best food you will ever cook. It’s an investment for the dedicated enthusiast who values performance and flavor above all else.

Camp Chef Woodwind Pro Adds Authentic Wood Smoke

The Woodwind Pro tackles the most common critique of pellet grills head-on: the subtlety of their smoke flavor. For pitmasters who grew up on the deep, potent smoke of an offset "stick burner," standard pellet smoke can feel a bit one-dimensional. Camp Chef’s solution is both simple and revolutionary.

The key innovation is the Smoke Box, a drawer that allows you to burn real wood chunks or charcoal directly over the pellet-fueled fire pot. This lets you layer the consistent, gentle heat of pellets with the robust, complex flavor of hickory, oak, or mesquite wood chunks. It gives the user ultimate control over the flavor profile, from a light kiss of smoke for fish to a heavy, blue-smoke flavor for brisket.

This added feature, combined with Camp Chef’s reliable controller and easy-to-clean ash system, makes it a top contender for the flavor-obsessed cook. The tradeoff is a higher price point and one more variable to manage during your cook. It’s the ideal unit for the pellet grill user who is ready to graduate to a more advanced level of flavor creation.

Pit Boss Lockhart: Pellet Smoking Meets Gas Grilling

Sometimes, you truly want it all, all at once. The Pit Boss Lockhart is for the ultimate backyard entertainer who refuses to choose between low-and-slow smoking and the convenience of a quick weeknight grill. This isn’t a hybrid unit; it’s two distinct, high-performance cookers fused into one epic station.

The lower chamber is a full-featured pellet grill for your weekend smoking projects. Above it sits a separate, four-burner gas grill, ready to fire up instantly for burgers, hot dogs, or grilled chicken on a Tuesday night. It even includes a side smoker cabinet for cold-smoking cheese or fish. This setup allows you to smoke ribs for six hours while simultaneously grilling appetizers for arriving guests.

There’s no hiding the tradeoffs: this unit is enormous and represents a significant investment. It demands a large patio and a serious commitment to outdoor cooking. But for the family or host who needs maximum capacity and the distinct advantages of both pellet and gas cooking without compromise, the Lockhart is in a class of its own.

Fuel, Grate Space, and Tech in Your Smoker Grill

Ultimately, your choice comes down to a few key decisions. First is fuel. Do you prioritize the convenience and mild flavor of pellets, the authentic taste and searing power of charcoal, or the instant-on speed of gas? There is no "best" answer, only the one that fits how you live and cook.

Next, consider your cooking area. A 500-square-inch cooker is great for a family, but if you’re hosting neighborhood parties, you’ll want to look at models with 800 square inches or more. Don’t just look at the total number; consider the layout. A second, upper rack is invaluable for smoking large quantities of food.

Finally, decide how much technology you want. Wi-Fi connectivity and integrated meat probes are fantastic tools that can make you a better cook by providing data and remote control. However, they also add cost and complexity. If you prefer a more hands-on, analog experience, a simpler cooker might be a better and more reliable partner for your outdoor adventures. The goal is to find the tool that empowers you to get outside and share a great meal.

Don’t let the pursuit of the "perfect" cooker keep you from firing one up this weekend. The best smoker grill combo is the one that gets you cooking, experimenting, and sharing food with friends and family. Pick the one that matches your style, learn its personality, and start making memories.