Charcoal and Pellet Grill Combo | One Rig, Two Fuels

Most outdoor cooks reach a point where they want both the intense sear of charcoal and the set-and-forget ease of a pellet smoker. Buying two grills takes up deck space and empties the wallet twice. A combo unit solves that by splitting the cooking area—one side for charcoal, one for pellets—so you can swap between fuels or run both at once. The result is a single piece of gear that handles everything from a 500°F reverse-sear steak to an overnight pork shoulder, without storing a second cooker.

What a Charcoal and Pellet Combo Actually Does

A dual-fuel grill has two independent cooking chambers or zones: one burns charcoal for direct, live-fire cooking, and the other feeds wood pellets through an auger for regulated smoking and grilling. The pellet side typically tops out around 500°F and uses a digital controller to hold a set temperature, while the charcoal side gives you the open flame and higher heat that pellet grills can’t match. The Pit Boss Charcoal/Pellet Combo model 11013, for example, splits its 1,260 total square inches evenly—630 on each side—so you can smoke a brisket on the pellet side while searing burgers over charcoal.

The Price Range Tells the Story

You will find combo grills at nearly every price point because the build quality, control features, and capacity vary widely. The Pit Boss 1230 model, released at a $599.99 retail price, offers a 1,230-square-inch cooking area, a 12-pound pellet hopper, two meat probe ports, and a 180-to-500°F pellet range—a solid entry point sold exclusively through Tractor Supply. At the other extreme, the Pitts & Spitts The Hybrid Grill runs from about $5,175 to $10,000. That premium model effectively adds a pellet hopper to a traditional 24-by-48-inch offset smoker, giving you a stick burner and a pellet cooker in one heavy steel frame. Most shoppers land somewhere between $800 and $2,500, depending on whether they want features like Wi‑Fi control, thicker steel, or extra cooking space. For a full comparison of tested models across price tiers, check our roundup of the best charcoal and pellet grill combos for a side-by-side view.

Key Features That Separate Good Combos From Bad

Not every combo grill handles both fuels equally well, so three features deserve your attention before buying. First, the cooking-area split matters: a 50/50 division (630 pellet / 630 charcoal on the Pit Boss 11013) lets you truly use both zones at once, while some models bias heavily toward one side and relegate the other to a secondary role. Second, temperature range and control: the pellet side of most combos stops at 500°F, which is fine for smoking and grilling but not for searing at charcoal-level heat—if you want a crusty steak, the charcoal side is where you go. Third, smart controls like Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth, present on the Pit Boss 11013 but absent from the 1230 model, let you monitor and adjust the pellet side from your phone, which matters for low-and-slow overnight cooks.