Pellet smoker grill combo????

[Edude273]

My grill has finally kicked the bucket so I have been looking at all the propane grill and pellet grill side by side combos. Anyonen have positive/negative experiences? Would i be better off buying a separate grill and pellet smoker? I'm on a budget of 800-1200 $. Thanks in advance!

**UPDATE**: I have purchased a Webber Genisis II and am now searching for the best pellet smoker I can get with my remaining 500$ budget. I've always cooked on gas at home and as a restaurant chef, and have experience on wood smokers so that is what caused my decision. That being said... what do you guys recommend under 500?

 

[bauchjw]

I don’t have any experience with a side by side pellet/gas combo….I didn’t know they existed, but it’s not surprising. However, I’m not a big fan of multifunctional, I feel like they tend to do a lot ok, but none of it great. At your budget seems like you could go into a gravity fed charcoal or pellet and small gas as a separate station? Again, no experience, just an opinion! Good luck!

 

[DougE]

If you don't need a big gas grill, you could go with a Camp Chef pellet grill with the sidekick. The sidekick has a griddle, BBQ box, and pizza oven that can go on it.

 

[olecrosseyes]

For me, I'm a Weber 22" kettle guy, a 220 Q little gas grill and either a propane wood assist gas smoker (GOSM Big Block) or a Pit boss copper head 7( only because U bought it really right unused).

Each have their own special uses.

 

[bill1]

Quite a bit lately I've been using the crucible of my pellet "smoker" to light a basket of lump charcoal resting on racks (1/4" rebar) spaced about an inch over the open crucible. Then I grill over that. Great for just 2-4 people. A little more work than my propane grill but worth it.
For bigger grilling jobs I use my Weber Kettle...harder to start and clean up than the pellet machine but better heat distribution if feeding a crowd. I think it and will last forever.
I still have my old gas grill around the side of the house, but I doubt I'll ever use it again. Just don't get the same flavor as with charcoal.

 

[sandyut]

I absolutely love my rec teq pellet grill, but I do think a ”regular” grill of some sort is also a necessary tool. I kept my gasser and glad I did. The combo gives full versatility for any cook.

 

[schlotz]

While the combo sounds appealing, IMO most are better served by dedicated units which are best at what they do. Reqtec is a good choice for the pellet side. You can see if it will satisfy for grilling, if not, get a gasser replacement.

 

[negolien]

why? Just get a gravity feed there are two companies that make inexpensiave one's and others that make nicer ones. I love my gravity charcoal, wood, smoker, grill rotisserie lol. I can't imagine owning anything else. heck they even make some with griddles.

 

[Edude273]

why? Just get a gravity feed there are two companies that make inexpensiave one's and others that make nicer ones. I love my gravity charcoal, wood, smoker, grill rotisserie lol. I can't imagine owning anything else. heck they even make some with griddles.

I'm really looking to replace my propane grill since I mostly grill quickly steaks, vegetables and fish. The pellet smokers seem to be better for low and slow, not sure how it would handle high heat or if that's even an option

 

[tx smoker]

However, I’m not a big fan of multifunctional, I feel like they tend to do a lot ok, but none of it great. At your budget seems like you could go into a gravity fed charcoal or pellet and small gas as a separate station? Again, no experience, just an opinion! Good luck!

Jed makes a really good point here. It's kinda like using a KA stand mixer for grinding meat and stuffing sausage. It'll work but not very effectively. The gravity fed smokers / grills are a great option.

Reqtec is a good choice for the pellet side.

Matt also makes a great point, as Dave ( sandyut ) did above. I have a Rec Tec RT 700 and it is a very versatile unit. Extremely low temps for smoking bacon and sausage, mid level temps for long and slow BBQ, and high temps for grilling. If I could only have one cooker, this would be the one.

Robert

 

[Fueling Around]

I happened to go to a Bass Pro Shop / Cabela's store yesterday. I checked out the Pit Boss pellet grill (pooper) & gas grill combo unit.
Each side is actually pretty small compared to the overall size of the unit. Clunky to move around as I put my pellet grill in the garage after each use.
My other thought against a combo unit: what happens when one side dies?
I'm shopping for a small gas unit so my wife can grill when I'm working. She won't use the pellet or kettles without me to get them started.

 

[Fueling Around]

Quite a bit lately I've been using the crucible of my pellet "smoker" to light a basket of lump charcoal resting on racks (1/4" rebar) spaced about an inch over the open crucible. Then I grill over that. Great for just 2-4 people. A little more work than my propane grill but worth it.
For bigger grilling jobs I use my Weber Kettle...harder to start and clean up than the pellet machine but better heat distribution if feeding a crowd. I think it and will last forever.
I still have my old gas grill around the side of the house, but I doubt I'll ever use it again. Just don't get the same flavor as with charcoal.

Do you have a post of your using the crucible to light your charcoal chimney?

 

[negolien]

The gravities are great at smokin low guys here do jerky and fish all the time. They also smash the pellets for quick high temp grilling. This is for the Masterbuilt like I own but there's other one's out there for aw low as 400 bucks

 

[bill1]

Do you have a post of your using the crucible to light your charcoal chimney?

To tell the truth, I don't remember what I post and don't. But to give a little more detail, I have one of these:

Mine say cuisinart but it's identical to this. (To be honest, I haven't actaully used the crucible to light my chimney, but it ought to work if you don't have any newspaper.) After a couple dozen uses with charcoal it's a bit rusted and warped, but plenty of steel left to it. As posted, I have it spaced ~half-inch over the crucible (rests on 1/4" rebar) and my grates rest another inch or so over the top of this. I fill it with lump about half-way for burgers or chicken, about 3/4 for steaks.
I start the pellet grill at 500F while I go get the meat. In 5 minutes the coals have started in the middle and sometimes I start then, or let it go another 5 mins to get them all started. Then I set the pellet thermostat down to 300 or so, just to occasionally get some pellets feeding. I should also mention I switch resistors in line with the pellet combustion fan (pretty sure I've posted about this too) to slow the air flow down. (I do that without charcoal too...the huge airflow in these is great for getting a fire going in your crucible but is totally unneccesary afterwards.)
No, the fire is not perfectly equal, but that's always true of charcoal.
Hope this helps.

 

[TNJAKE]

My pellet smoker grills and sears very well although I prefer the Weber kettle for most grilling nowadays

 

[Edude273]

My pellet smoker grills and sears very well although I prefer the Weber kettle for most grilling nowadaysView attachment 528119

What brand do you have? How long does it take to get to grilling temp?

 

[TNJAKE]

What brand do you have? How long does it take to get to grilling temp?

Pitboss Austin XL. I guess it takes 20 minutes or so to hit 600+. Has a slide that exposes the firepot for searing. I call it the flamethrower

 

[bill1]

I happened to go to a Bass Pro Shop / Cabela's store yesterday. I checked out the Pit Boss pellet grill (pooper) & gas grill combo unit.
Each side is actually pretty small compared to the overall size of the unit. Clunky to move around as I put my pellet grill in the garage after each use.
My other thought against a combo unit: what happens when one side dies?...

Good point. It's Pit Boss so good value (quality for the dollar). And it looks integrated and neat.
I think a lot of spouses see backyards in magazines and are disappointed when theirs doesn't look like that. I think it's great that I have a variety of cooking devices--oh, how I've been Blessed! My wife doesn't share the excitement. This Pit Boss is a good way to have some flexibility without looking "cluttered".
How transportable it is probably depends on where you have to move it...of course a caster upgrade always helps matters in that regard.
And Pit Boss uses easy-to-get pellet parts and grill burners. If you're a bit handy I think you can keep both sides going for years. And it's still a fraction of the cost of high-end cookers.

 

[1MoreFord]

I'm going to second the idea that a combo unit is not as versatile as two separate units. If one side fails you've got to replace both if you want to keep both. JMO and $0.02 but buy two separate units to start with.

 

[Bimmernerd]

I'll third or fourth the idea that two separate units are better. My only experience with a combo unit was that it did both things but neither of them exceptionally well, granted that was over 15 years ago, but I think generally speaking it probably still holds true. I have a Weber Genesis gas grill and love it - it does one thing, and does it well. I have a Pitts & Spitts 1250 pellet pusher and it does it's job exceptionally well. Just my 2-cents.