You're standing in the middle of the seasonal aisle at a big-box store, and there it is. A massive, gleaming contraption of black powder-coated steel. It has three gas burners on the left and a heavy-duty offset firebox for smoking on the right. It looks like the ultimate backyard flex. You imagine yourself searing ribeyes for the kids on a Tuesday night while simultaneously low-and-slow smoking a brisket for the neighborhood party on Saturday. It’s the dream. But honestly? Most of these units are a compromise that will leave you frustrated within two seasons if you don't know exactly what to look for before swiping your card.
A gas and smoker grill combo is essentially the "Swiss Army Knife" of the patio world. It’s designed for the person who wants the convenience of propane but can’t live without the authentic flavor of wood smoke. It’s a niche market, but it’s growing fast. People are tired of owning three different cookers that take up the whole deck. Yet, merging these two worlds—direct high heat and indirect low heat—is an engineering nightmare that many manufacturers get wrong.
The Engineering Headache Nobody Tells You About
Here is the thing. Gas grills need airflow to stay lit, but they are generally designed to vent heat quickly so they don’t explode. Smokers, on the other hand, require meticulous airflow control. You want to trap that smoke, not let it whistle out of a massive gap in the back of the lid. When a company tries to build a gas and smoker grill combo, they often use the same thin-gauge steel for both sides to keep the price point under $600.
That’s a mistake.
Thin steel loses heat. Fast. If you're trying to maintain $225^{\circ}\text{F}$ on a windy October afternoon, a cheap combo unit will flicker and die or burn through an entire bag of charcoal just to keep the temp up. Meathead Goldwyn, the hall-of-fame pitmaster behind AmazingRibs.com, has often pointed out that "dual-fuel" grills frequently suffer from "Jack of all trades, master of none" syndrome. You end up with a mediocre gas grill and a leaky, frustrating smoker.
But it's not all bad news. There are ways to win here.
What Actually Makes a Combo Worth Your Money?
If you're serious about this, you have to look at the "marriage" points. Look at where the two cook chambers meet. Is there a shared wall? Is it insulated? In high-end models, like those from brands such as Oklahoma Joe’s or Pit Boss, you’ll see heavier lid construction. Weight is your friend. A heavy lid creates a better seal. If the lid feels like a piece of tin foil, walk away.
👉 See also: Finding the University of Arizona Address: It Is Not as Simple as You Think
Think about the fuel. You've basically got three types of combos:
- Gas + Charcoal/Offset: The traditionalist's choice. Propane on one side, a side-crank charcoal tray or offset firebox on the other.
- Gas + Pellet: The modern tech-heavy version. You get the sear of gas and the set-it-and-forget-it ease of a pellet hopper.
- The Hybrid Single-Chamber: These use a single cook box with a pull-out drawer for wood or charcoal. They are space-savers but can be a mess to clean.
Most people go for the side-by-side. It makes sense. You can roast corn and asparagus on the gas side while the main protein takes its sweet time in the smoke. It's about workflow.
The Durability Gap: Why They Rust
I’ve seen it a hundred times. A neighbor buys a massive combo unit in May. By the following April, the gas burners are corroded and the smoker floor is flaking off in rusted chunks. This happens because "combo" owners often forget that different fuels create different chemical environments.
Propane combustion releases a lot of moisture. Charcoal and wood create ash, which is incredibly caustic. When ash gets damp from the humidity trapped in the grill cover, it turns into a paste that eats through steel like acid. If you buy a gas and smoker grill combo, you have to be a clean-freak. You can't just leave the ash in the firebox for three weeks. You've gotta scoop it. Every. Single. Time.
Specific Models That Don't Totally Suck
While I'm not here to sell you a specific brand, real-world testing from groups like Consumer Reports and the BBQ enthusiasts over at the Smoked Meat Sunday forums point to a few standouts.
The Oklahoma Joe’s Longhorn Combo is the heavy hitter in the "affordable" category. It’s heavy. That’s why people like it. It uses 12-gauge steel in many spots, which is thicker than the "paper-thin" stuff you find at grocery stores. However, users often complain about the paint peeling on the firebox. That’s standard for any offset smoker—you just have to buy a can of high-heat spray paint and touch it up once a year.
✨ Don't miss: The Recipe With Boiled Eggs That Actually Makes Breakfast Interesting Again
Then you have the Camp Chef Apex. This is a different beast entirely. It’s a pellet grill that has a full gas burner kit you can swap in. It’s expensive. Like, "down payment on a used car" expensive. But it solves the airflow problem by using a single, highly insulated chamber.
The Hidden Cost: Propane and Wood Consumption
Don't ignore the math of the cook. A dedicated gas grill is efficient. A dedicated smoker is efficient. A combo? It’s often a gas hog. Because the chambers are usually smaller than a standalone unit to keep the overall footprint manageable, you might find yourself struggling to fit a full-sized packer brisket.
If you have to cut your brisket in half to fit it in the smoker side, you're losing juice. You're losing that uniform cook. Always measure the internal grate dimensions. Don't look at the "Total Cooking Square Inches" advertised on the box—that number includes the warming racks and the side burners, which is a total marketing scam. Look at the primary cooking surface of the smoker side specifically. If it’s under 18 inches wide, you’re going to struggle with racks of ribs.
Temperature Swings and the "Gasket" Trick
If you’ve already bought one and you’re realizing it leaks smoke like a sieve, don’t panic. There is a "pro" fix that costs about twenty bucks. Go online and buy some high-temp Nomex felt gasket tape. Stick it around the rim of the smoker lid. This creates a soft seal that forces the smoke out of the chimney rather than through the cracks in the door.
This simple tweak can stabilize your temperatures by $15^{\circ}\text{F}$ or $20^{\circ}\text{F}$. It makes the difference between a tough, "stall-heavy" pork shoulder and one that pulls apart with a gentle tug.
Is a Combo Actually Right for You?
Honestly, ask yourself how often you’ll use both sides simultaneously. If you’re a "hot and fast" griller 90% of the time, a combo might be overkill. You're paying for a lot of metal that’s just going to sit there and rust.
🔗 Read more: Finding the Right Words: Quotes About Sons That Actually Mean Something
However, if you have a small patio and you absolutely refuse to choose between a burger and a brisket, the gas and smoker grill combo is your best friend. It’s the ultimate weekend warrior machine. It allows for experimentation. You can start a reverse-sear steak on the smoke side, getting that deep mahogany color and woodsy aroma, then flip it over to the 500-degree gas side for a 60-second crust. That’s the "pro move."
Maintenance Checklist for Longevity
- Oil the exterior: Treat the outside of the smoker box like a cast-iron skillet. Wipe it down with a thin layer of vegetable oil while it’s slightly warm to prevent rust.
- Burn-off: After a gas session, run the burners on high for five minutes to carbonize drippings.
- The Ash Vacuum: Buy a cheap shop vac dedicated to ash. If you leave ash in the smoker side, the humidity will turn it into a rust-accelerant.
- Cover it, but vent it: A tight cover can actually trap moisture. Make sure there’s some airflow.
Real-World Limitations
Let's be real: you aren't going to win a Kansas City Barbeque Society (KCBS) competition with a $500 combo unit. The heat distribution is usually uneven. You’ll find "hot spots" near the transition point between the two chambers.
When you first get your grill, do the "white bread test." Lay out cheap white bread across the entire surface of both sides and turn the heat on. See which pieces burn first. This gives you a visual map of where the heat lives. This is the kind of nuance that separates a guy who burns meat from a guy who owns the neighborhood.
Actionable Next Steps
Before you buy, go to a physical showroom. Don't just order online. Open the lid of the gas and smoker grill combo and shake it. If it rattles and feels flimsy, it won't hold heat. Measure the smoker chamber—ensure it's at least 20 inches wide if you ever plan on cooking a full rack of St. Louis-style ribs without trimming them. Finally, check the warranty on the burners; the gas side usually fails before the smoker side does, and you want at least a five-year guarantee on those stainless steel tubes. If the manufacturer only offers one year, they don't trust their own product to survive the moisture of a smoker environment.