When you’re shopping for grills, it can seem like walking a minefield.
Many people insist on nothing but charcoal grills or smokers for an authentic BBQ experience. Some even go to the lengths of making their own charcoal from wood.
For others, there is no substitute for the convenience of a natural gas grill, a liquid propane gas grill, or an electric smoker.
Today, though, we bring you the best of both worlds with our showcase of the best gas charcoal grill combos. Get the simplicity of cooking with gas without needing to sacrifice the benefits of a charcoal grill.
Fortunately, choosing the best combo gas/charcoal unit is pretty straightforward. Keep your eye on the following areas when you’re comparing combination grills and you can’t go wrong.
OK, with those basics in place you should be nicely positioned to explore the best charcoal gas grill combos so you can see if any make the right fit for your yard.
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The 6 Best Gas Charcoal Combo Grills
1. Our Pick Char-Griller 5050 Gas and Charcoal Grill
Features
In our considered opinion, the Char-Griller 5050 is the best gas charcoal combo grill you can find, even if it’s not the cheapest grill on our list. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for here, so what does that entail?
The first thing that strikes you is the subtle and understated design. The classic cart-style combo grill is made from steel and finished in a muted matte black. This grill will set off any patio or deck, and you won’t want to hide it away (although you should cover it when not in use).
The electronic ignition ensures the trio of burners fire up first time, every time. In addition to these primary burners totaling 40,800 BTU in output, you also get a 12,000-BTU side burner ideal for widening your grilling options.
You can control the temperature of the burners independently, giving you enormous latitude when you’re grilling out.
This gas and charcoal grill combo has a sprawling total cooking surface area of 1260 square inches, more than enough to cook up a storm for a large gathering.
The vast bulk of user reviews of the Char-Griller 5050 are positive, but we found some scattered complaints about rust marring otherwise excellent feedback.
If you can’t make up your mind between a charcoal or a gas grill, why compromise? The Char-Griller 5050 is a flexible workhorse that’s not especially cheap, but should return years of faithful service.
2. Char-Broil Liquid Propane and Charcoal Hybrid Grill
Features
Next up comes an entry from the highly reputable brand Char-Broil in the form of this hybrid liquid propane and charcoal grill. As with all the units on our shortlist, you broaden your options when you’re grilling, with this unit converting from LP to charcoal quickly, easily, and tool-free.
The generous primary cooking area measures up at 420 square inches. You’ll also benefit from a 120-square inch warming rack.
The cooking grates are made from cast iron treated with porcelain enamel, standard for grills and helping to keep as much food debris as possible from sticking to the grates.
When it comes to the charcoal tray, intelligent design means you should experience far fewer flare-ups when you’re grilling out with charcoal.
Kiss goodbye to the tedium of starting up a charcoal grill, though. With the LP function, you can harness the electronic ignition for first time startup every time.
Rugged stainless steel burners are rated at a total 52,000 BTU, ensuring you have more than enough heat for all your grilled favorites.
There is a temperature gauge baked into the lid of this combo grill. You would always be advised to use a third-party thermometer as well, though.
Backed by a class-leading warranty, the burners are covered for 5 years, while the lid and firebox are guaranteed for 2 years, and all other parts for 1 year. This shows the confidence Char-Broil place in this grill. Invest in this hybrid and spend the rest of the summer congratulating yourself.
3. Oklahoma Joe’s Charcoal/LP Gas Smoker
Features
When you’re comparing the best gas charcoal grill combos, you can’t escape Oklahoma Joe’s, a grill specialist with decades of experience helping home grillers just like you. How does this hybrid grill stand and fall?
Firstly, you need to make sure you have space in the yard for this beast. The cart-style grill weighs over 200 pounds, and the overall dimensions are a substantial 31.5 x 74 x 50.6 inches. What do you get in return if you have space to accommodate, then?
Well, the total cooking surface area exceeds 1000 square inches, offering you the freedom to cook up grilled and smoked delicacies for a large gathering of guests or a big family.
The primary cooking area is composed of 6 cast iron grates treated with porcelain enamel.
In the firebox chamber, you get an additional 310 square inches of space for your smoked treats.
A trio of 12,000-BTU burners in the gas grilling chamber provide ample power in reserve. These are independently controlled, and you can fire them up with push-button ease. You also benefit from a 12,000 BTU side burner on this grill.
Temperature control is crisp and precise, and you get a thermometer baked in. As with all grills, you may want to consider supplementing this onboard temperature gauge with a third-party gauge if accuracy is key.
Cleaning this grill is just as easy as using it, giving you an incredibly versatile unit that’s reasonably priced considering the showstopping performance and flexibility.
4. Pit Boss Memphis 4-in-1 LP Gas/Charcoal Smoker
Features
Pit Boss has a deep bench of grills and smokers. The Memphis is one of their more popular models, combining the functionality of a gas and charcoal grill and smoker in one enticing package.
Although this is unit offers a sprawling total cooking area, it’s lighter and less bulky than some cart-style grill combos in this class.
The electric smoker offers you a cooking area of 1327 square inches. The grilling plates provide you with an additional 840 square inches of space, so you can whip up a wide variety of grilled and smoked dishes for a large group of guests.
The charcoal grilling grate is completely adjustable and easy to keep clean. As with all the most effective cooking grates, these are made from porcelain-coated enamel over cast iron.
The smoker element is rated at 1500 watts, and will provide you with all the oomph you need when you’re cooking low and slow.
You’re spoiled for choice with the Pit Boss Memphis. 4-in-1 functionality lets you use this unit as a charcoal grill, liquid propane gas grill, infrared searing burner, or smoker firebox. Few models on the market will afford you this degree of scope when you’re next hosting a cookout.
You can tweak the vents to promote either offset or cold smoking, just one more area where the flexibility of this grill impresses.
In spite of some scattered complaints about issues with the electronic igniters, this is overall one of the best gas charcoal grills on our shortlist. If you feel you’ll take advantage of all the functions onboard, you won’t be disappointed with this Pit Boss grill/smoker combo.
5. Blossomz Dual Fuel Charcoal/Gas Grill
Features
As we near the end of our hunt for the best gas charcoal grill combos, we have a great mixed-use unit from Blossomz. Now, this might not be the first name that springs to mind when you’re shopping for grills, but what do you get for your money if you’re prepared to take a chance on an outsider?
This cart-style combo grill is constructed from steel throughout, and it’s finished in a muted matte black. Weighing just over 100 pounds and boasting lockable casters, you shouldn’t have too much trouble shifting this grill around the yard.
The trio of stainless steel burners are rated at a total of 24,000 BTU. You control these with seamless electronic ignition, and you can manipulate the temperature of the burners separately.
The total cooking surface area is reasonable. You get 262 square inches when you’re cooking with charcoal, and there is an additional 295 square inches of space when you’re using liquid propane to fuel this grill.
As with all gas charcoal grill combos, you’ll need to make provision for a 20-pound tank of propane gas which is not supplied.
Aside from some isolated complaints about quality control, most user testimony concerning this combo grill is positive, so see if it meshes with your grilling needs for the rest of summer.
6. Royal Gourmet Gas Charcoal Grill Combo
Features
Last but by no means least in our quest for the best gas charcoal grill combos comes from the ever-reliable Royal Gourmet. How does this grill stack up, then?
Well, as you would fully expect from this brand, build quality is commendable. You get double-layered stainless steel throughout, so all the heat is locked inside when you’re grilling out.
With almost 750 square inches of total cooking area, you can rustle up grilled snacks for a large family and guests. You get cooking grates totaling 576 square inches. These grates are made from cast iron and treated with a porcelain enamel coating. This will minimize food splatter catching on to the grates. You also benefit from a spacious warming rack roomy enough to keep over 30 patties warm before serving.
There are 3 powerful burners delivering a combined output of 27,000 BTU, so you’ll have ample firepower under the hood here.
Although this a heavy and bulky grill, you get casters and wheels underneath, allowing you to shift this thing around without straining yourself. These lock into place to provide you with a safe and stable grilling surface.
You get a pair of dampers mounted in the lid, and there is also a front air vent that slides away.
While the majority of user reviews of this gas charcoal grill combo are favorable, we found a number of gripes concerning the difficulty of assembly. If you’re not too practically inclined, you may want to consider one of the other combo grills on our shortlist. Overall, this is one of the best charcoal and gas combo grills you’ll find if you don’t object to the tasky assembly.
FAQs
1) Can I use charcoal in a gas grill?
It’s possible to use charcoal in a gas charcoal grill combo unit, but you must put the charcoal only in the designated component of the grill. Never attempt to use charcoal as fuel for a natural gas grill or a propane grill.
2) What makes a serviceable BTU rating?
As a rule of thumb, look for a rating between 75 BTU and 100 BTU for every square inch of cooking space. Using this guideline will ensure your grill will get up to temperature quickly, and it will also help guarantee the cooking power is consistently maintained. Infrared grills allow you to get away with a lower BTU rating due to their energy-efficiency and highly effective heat distribution.
3) What are the benefits of using a gas and charcoal grill combo?
If you want to enjoy the unrivalled convenience of a gas grill, but you’re not prepared to lose out on the smoky flavor imparted by cooking with charcoal, a combo unit will satisfy both desires. Many models also allow you the ability to smoke food, or to cook with wood chips for a full-blown BBQ experience. Although most combo units will be more expensive than a single-function grill, you’ll still save money over buying two separate grills. So, if you can’t do without either gas or charcoal grilling, a combo unit is a cost-effective solution. For anyone operating with limited space in the back yard, a combo unit serves as a space-saving alternative to cramming in two grills.
4) What are the drawbacks of using a gas and charcoal grill combo?
As you would expect, gas charcoal grill combos are not perfect and come with a handful of drawbacks. Many combo grills are inexpensive, but they are also lacking in terms of build quality. Be prepared to dig a little deeper and you might save money over time: buy cheap, buy twice. Although you benefit from remarkable versatility, you are unlikely to find the grill is as accomplished as one dedicated to a single fuel source. In some ways, you could consider a combo unit as a jack of all trades but master of none. While most of the combo grills we review offer reasonable overall cooking areas, this presupposes you will be cooking with both types of fuel. If you are not planning on using charcoal much, for instance, you will effectively be looking at halving the available cooking space. You will also need to make room for a larger and bulkier grill when you’re investing in a combo unit. They typically feature two cooking areas side-by-side. Think about how much space you have available before blundering in and discovering you are working in too tight a space. Only you can decide whether these drawbacks outweigh the benefits above, and only you know if a gas charcoal combo grill is the best option for you, or whether you might be better advised to opt for a pair of separate grills. Let us know how you get on!
Conclusion
Well, you may have arrived here at Royal Tavern today with no idea about how to choose the best charcoal gas grill combos. With any luck, that should no longer be the case.
Regardless of the product, you should always think closely before buying any combo unit. Ask yourself whether you feel you will make full use of both functions. If not, we would advise sticking with a dedicated charcoal grill or a standalone liquid propane gas grill. For anyone who appreciates the benefits of each of these cooking methods, though, you can’t compete with a combo grill when it comes to overall value.
You can further widen your cookout options by opting for a grill/smoker combo that also offers you a choice of two fuels. We’ve included something for everyone today, so we hope you found what you were looking for. Bookmark our blog before you head off and be sure to pop back soon. We update our content several times weekly, so don’t miss out!
