Top 5 Best Combo Grills

The 5 Best Combo Grills

I love camping, but sometimes it’s not easy to get away and it’s pretty hard to take the best combo grill along. Instead, for a fun time on a weekend, I set up a tent in the backyard for the kid’s sleepover and cook my favorite grilled foods. Read our combo grill reviews & ratings to find the best combo grill for outdoor cooking today.

The 5 Top Combo Grills

There is something wonderful about the taste of food cooked on an outdoor grill, whether it’s while you’re camping or using a tailgate grill. Read my combo grill reviews & ratings to find the best combination grill available on the market today.

* Ratings are determined using our specialized rating system.

Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker, 8 in 1 BBQ Grill w/ Temp Control

The Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker, 8 in 1 BBQ Grill with Auto Temperature Controls uses wood pellets. It cooks in eight different ways, which include having the ability to barbecue, bake, braise, char-grill, regular grill, roast, sear, or smoke meats. The cooking heat is distributed by a fan, which eliminates the need to have a rotisserie. It is nice to put the meat inside, close the hood, and not have to turn it around for it to cook thoroughly. Its char-griller and searing functionality make this grill one you shouldn’t miss when creating flavor in your grilling.

The grill area is 19.2 inches by 26 inches. There is plenty of cooking area with a total of 700 square inches of rack space. An automatic wood pellet feeding system keeps the temperature at the right setting from the choice of between 180 °F to 450 °F. This pellet grill holds up to 20 pounds, so you can fill it up and forget about it while cooking. When cooking smoked meats on the cast iron grates, the smell wafts across the neighborhood.

You would be surprised to see how many of the neighbors might suddenly show up to get a taste. It makes everything that people love, including grilled hamburgers, steaks, hot dogs, roasted chicken, lobster, and even shish-kebob.

Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker with Auto Temperature Control

The Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker with Auto Temperature Control in Silver is the best combo grill for those who can pay a little more to get some nice upgrades to the Z Grills I reviewed above. It has similar specifications with improved wood-pellet feeding and digital temperature controls. The main difference is this grill comes with a silver-colored hood, which I find to be very attractive.

This combo grill works nicely when slow-cooking and as a smoker grill because of the huge amount of rack space. The operation is very simple. Fill the hopper with wood pellets, ignite it to start it up, and set the temperature on a low setting to get the type of smoke desired.

Royal Gourmet Dual 3-Burner Gas and Charcoal Grill Combo

If you prefer to use propane grills from a tank and charcoal instead of wood pellets, the Royal Gourmet Dual 3-Burner Gas and Charcoal Grill Combo in Black is a fantastic choice. There is a gas grill on the left side of this unit as an extra side burner and a charcoal grill on the right side, making this a versatile gas charcoal combo grill. Even with the best gas functionality on the left side, you do not get the benefit of wood smoke; however, it is much easier to control the temperature to a more exact level when compared to burning wood pellets.

This model has a black finish on its exterior, so it is nice-looking. There are also two different cooking areas, which is convenient. You can cook things at different temperatures. If you have a big party, you can cook things in advance and keep them warm on one side of the unit, while you cook more things on the other side. For example, you can make corn on the cob and baked potatoes and keep them warm on the gas side with its hood closed while charcoal grilling steaks on the right side.

If you are quite the outdoor chef, you may like the two different grills, which are 810 square inches each with the abundant rack spaces. You will be able to move things around as you cook a big meal.

Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker with PID Controller with 10 Pound Hopper

The Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker with PID Controller with 10 Pound Hopper has an old-timey style. One of my kids thinks it looks like an engine for a train. What an imagination! This grill runs on wood pellets, which are automatically fed from a 10-pound hopper. This is enough to cook three chickens, ten hamburgers, and three racks of ribs on the cooking grates. You can also bake cornbread, muffins, and make pizza. Inside, there is a large 399 square-inch cooking area and a 199 square-inch warming area, as well as an ash pan to catch ash from the wood pellets.

Just fill the hopper with wood pellets and set the temperature gauge. The range of temperature is from 180 °F to 450 °F. It starts up automatically with the push of a button. The classic chimney provides a visual guide to be able to monitor the cooking space and helps you to see how much smoke is inside the grill.

There is a nice grease trap in the bottom of this grill, which runs out to a drain on the right side where you can hang a metal bucket for easy cleaning. There is a wide, simple-to-open handle on the hood. It has large wheels, making it easy to move around. There is a shelf underneath for storing accessories and extra plates.

Monument Grills Stainless Steel 4 Burner Propane Gas Grill with Rotisserie

The Monument Grills Stainless Steel 4 Burner Propane Gas Grill with Rotisserie is almost too beautiful to use outside. Its full stainless steel design makes it look like it should be in the kitchen of a five-star hotel. It works with propane. The tanks store neatly and nicely away in the enclosed shelf below the grill.

I love the special features, which include a preparation area on the left and a warming plate on the right. It has a manual rotisserie, making it easy to cook a roast perfectly. There is a large 513-square-inch cooking surface with four separately controlled burners. It has a warming rack above it, which is the perfect place to put the dinner rolls or loaves of garlic bread to heat them.

This grill is very easy to roll around on the included heavy-duty casters. It makes an excellent addition to any stylish outdoor kitchen and goes well with other stainless steel appliances.

Features to Consider for the Best Combo Grill

I took a look at many features to make my choice for the best combo grill. The features most important to me were the fuel type, controls, construction, and warranty.

Fuel Type

There are three basic fuel choices, which are propane gas, charcoal, or wood pellets. Be aware the best combo grill designed to use gas is made for propane and not use akin to a natural gas grill. The pressure of the gas in the tanks is different. Propane gas is not interchangeable with natural gas, so if you get a unit that uses gas, be sure to use the right kind of gas according got the manufacturer’s specifications. If you want to smoke meat, you cannot use gas, nor can you use an electric grill. Instead, you will want to have a wood pellet stove because it makes the best smoke.

Controls

The controls for gas units of the best combo grill are more direct. You can see the height of the gas flame. There are digital temperature sensors on the wood pellet versions; however, the ability to maintain an exact temperature range is questionable. It would be nice if you could just set the grill to a certain temperature and leave it to work on its own. When the controls work well, this is possible; however, to be safer, watch it carefully the first few times to see how accurate the temperature is for your cooking needs.

Construction

One of the problems with the best combo grill is the ability to withstand the outside environment. Most are made from metal, which is strong enough; however, the painted surfaces may be susceptible to problems. These paint problems are avoided by choosing a grill made of stainless steel. Otherwise, the best painted combo grill comes with a fitted cover to help protect it from the elements.

Warranty

I like to have a decent warranty for an investment of this much money. A warranty is helpful if the controls fail to work, which is a problem if they are defective. It is nice to know if the manufacturer will stand behind the quality construction of the best combo grill.

Size

By nature, combination grills tend to be larger than other grills, but you may still be able to find smaller variations if you’re in need of a portable grill. By restricting yourself to a two burner grill or other compact style of grill, you should be able to find one that meets your size requirements.

Benefits of Using Combo Grills

For me, the biggest benefit is I can have a “stay-cation” and pretend with the kids that we are camping with a camping grill in the backyard. If I could, I would go camping every chance I get; however, sometimes there is just not enough time to drive to the camping spot, set up everything, and then have enough free time to enjoy it. We have our backyard camping club instead and all the neighborhood kids are welcome.

The other thing I enjoy is the taste of the food cooked outside. The flavors captured from the cooking heat and the smoking are exceptional. You will have a lot of fun planning meals and outdoor activities with the kids. Some combination grills can even serve as a boat grill!

Precautions of Using Combo Grills

If you choose to use get the best combo girl that uses gas, you need to be extra careful due to the dangers of using gas stored in a tank. For example, you do not want to leave the gas tank outside where it will be exposed to the hot sun.

You need to be cautious of leaks and never use the grill in an enclosed environment because the fumes are deadly without proper ventilation. If you are a smoker, you should never smoke near the tank in case of igniting a leak by accident.

All of these grills get very hot when operating, whether you use a combo grill or a flat-top grill, so be careful of the risk of fire spreading from the firebox as well and do not let children play near them when in operation.

Conclusion

My choice for the best combo girl is the Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker, 8 in 1 BBQ Grill with Auto Temperature Controls. For me, this charcoal smoker was a fairly easy choice because I wanted the best combo grill to do everything – and most importantly, to be able to smoke meats in a sturdy cast iron smoke hollow. My smoked turkey, ham, and homemade beef jerky are to die for. My mouth waters just thinking about the taste this hybrid grill provides.

You can somewhat fake the smoke taste by using smoke flavoring, but it is not the same as truly smoking the meats with fine wood pellets, which give the aroma of the smoke you want. All wood pellets are not the same quality. When burning, the aroma is quite different, so you will have fun choosing from a variety of wood pellets to use for your best combo grill, depending on your needs.

I like the Z Grills Wood Pellet Grill & Smoker, 8 in 1 BBQ Grill with Auto Temperature Controls as the best combo grill because it is all black. It has a very large hopper that holds about 20 lbs. of wood pellets, so it is not necessary to refill it while cooking most things. Just fill it up before starting and you are good to go.

I especially like the three-year warranty. If you pass by my home on the weekends, be sure to stop by if you smell the barbecue cooking!

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