I bought a cheap grill two years ago just to get us through. Its time to buy something that will last a little longer. Im looking at a combo grill, a smoke hollow. my budge is 500 and under, I know that's low but that's what it is! Any one have any input???

Save a little more and get a Big Green Egg.
There are some similar knock offs that are a bit cheaper than the BGE.
If you like to grill then this is the one.
It is not as convenient as a propane grill but man does it ever cook great especially if you want to smoke meat slowly the way it is supposed to.

For around $250-$300 you can get a STOK Island grill which I've owned for a couple years and am happy with it. It's like a Weber kettle but gas and has a cart attached with a work surface and shelf.

I love this thing, I can get it super hot and sear steaks really well and it has an insert system where you can buy accessories like griddles, smoking racks, kettles etc that fit in the center hole. I just did some seared ribeyes in the cast iron kettle than came out phenomenally well!





My ribeyes!






STOK Island

What do you mean by combo grill?

grill and smoker

gas grill and charcoal grill

If it's the first bullet, then the kamodos such as big green egg, primo, and kamodo joe are ideal. It won't last as long, but at your price point an Akorn is all there is. =28&field_fuel_tid[0]=1&&field_primary_capacity_value[1]=0&field_primary_capacity_value[2]=0&field_primary_capacity_value[3]=0&field_primary_capacity_value[4]=0]For reviews, I recommend anything Amazing Ribs rates as gold or silver.

If it's the second bullet, I'd suggest a new plan. It'll be a 3 year grill at your price point.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
Save a little more and get a Big Green Egg.
There are some similar knock offs that are a bit cheaper than the BGE.
If you like to grill then this is the one.
It is not as convenient as a propane grill but man does it ever cook great especially if you want to smoke meat slowly the way it is supposed to.

I have to agree with this, after having been through numerous gas grills and charcoal grills over the years there is nothing like the Big Green Egg (or replicas). My kids gave me one as a retirement gift 6 years ago and I have been cooking on it several times a week ever since. Add a Digi-Q for temperature control and you have cooking/smoking perfection

Nearly new Big Green Eggs can be had regularly for half price on Craigslist, etc. Just inspect carefully for cracks, etc.

Weber Performer. Charcoal grill with gas assist lighting. Made in the USA and they stand by all their products - and in my experience, even those items outside the warranty period.

I smoke ribs and grill steaks, chicken, burgers etc. A little more difficult to hold the low temperatures for smoking than a BGE, but with a little monitoring gets the job done nicely.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 12GA,

Here's mine, they are pretty inexpensive, and you can find them at most grocery stores...

No to hijack the OP's thread but i need a new one as well..
What if your price point was $1K?

I was thinking of this...
https://www.amazon.com/Weber-6...eywords=weber+grills

quote:

Originally posted by 12GA:
Weber Performer. Charcoal grill with gas assist lighting. Made in the USA and they stand by all their products - and in my experience, even those items outside the warranty period.

I smoke ribs and grill steaks, chicken, burgers etc. A little more difficult to hold the low temperatures for smoking than a BGE, but with a little monitoring gets the job done nicely.

Have you considered purchasing a Smokenator? They get really good reviews for converting a Weber kettle into a smoker.

I have BGE's but the Weber kettles are a good choice. It is difficult to grill a steak on them in the subzero weather we get here in the winter which the Egg does easily but the cost vs. performance of the Weber kettle is hard to beat and they are well made and supported by the manufacturer. The gas lighting feature on some models is convenient.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Have you considered purchasing a Smokenator? They get really good reviews for converting a Weber kettle into a smoker.

That Smokenator looks promising-I do more grilling than smoking so my next purchase for the Weber is going to be a rotisserie. I've been grilling beer-can chicken but would love to do a couple rotisserie chickens at a time.

quote:

Originally posted by 12GA:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Have you considered purchasing a Smokenator? They get really good reviews for converting a Weber kettle into a smoker.

That Smokenator looks promising-I do more grilling than smoking so my next purchase for the Weber is going to be a rotisserie. I've been grilling beer-can chicken but would love to do a couple rotisserie chickens at a time.

I quit doing beer can chicken and now exclusively spatchcock chicken as it's faster and just as juicy.

Chargriller Akorn, same questions as everyone else. What combo are you looking for?

2nd vote for the Stok, if propane is what you looking for. Love mine!!

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
For around $250-$300 you can get a STOK Island grill which I've owned for a couple years and am happy with it. It's like a Weber kettle but gas and has a cart attached with a work surface and shelf.

I love this thing, I can get it super hot and sear steaks really well and it has an insert system where you can buy accessories like griddles, smoking racks, kettles etc that fit in the center hole. I just did some seared ribeyes in the cast iron kettle than came out phenomenally well!





My ribeyes!






STOK Island

How do you add the smoke flavor?

Highly recommend the two I have...

Yoder YS640 Pellet Smoker/Grill
Weber Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill (under your budget and will do everything)

Look for a used BGE on Craigslist. They show up. They will last forever and it is fine to buy used. Just load it up with lump charcoal the first time and burn it out for a couple of hours. Then it will be all sanitary and ready for action.

We just bought a new Oklahoma Joe's offset smoker/charcoal grill.

It was like $269 at Walmart (not my first choice - we actually found it at Lowe's (or home depot, I forget), then searched online for a better price and saw the Walmart in town had one on the shelf).

It's VERY heavy, and has lids that overlap the lower portion properly, so there's a pretty good seal for smoking. It was easy to accidentally get the temperature over 300 degrees this past weekend while doing a pork butt.

They also make a combination gas/charcoal unit if that floats your boat, but it's maybe $100 more.

quote:

Originally posted by smlsig:
No to hijack the OP's thread but i need a new one as well..
What if your price point was $1K?

I was thinking of this...
https://www.amazon.com/Weber-6...eywords=weber+grills

Also look at the Napolean grills