How to Choose a Barbecue Grill and Griddle Combo: Gas vs Charcoal?

Gas wins for speed and weeknight ease, charcoal wins on smoky flavor, and a combo unit buys you both at the cost of more cleaning and more space.

A rainy Tuesday and a hungry family is what actually decides most grill purchases — not brand loyalty. The right fuel for your patio depends on how often you cook, how much smoke you want on your food, and how much scrubbing you’re willing to do afterward. The safest framing for a US buyer is simple: choose gas for fast startup and routine cooking, choose charcoal when flavor matters more, and choose a combo when you want both and can live with the extra complexity, cleaning, and footprint that come with it.

Gas Vs Charcoal: What Actually Decides The Outcome

Gas burners let you nudge the flame up or down mid-cook, which is why they suit burgers, chicken, and anything you make on a Tuesday night without planning ahead. Charcoal burns hotter at the grate and produces the smoke compounds that give steak and brisket their flavor, but managing a charcoal bed means watching vents, timing the coals, and accepting that a bag of lump or briquettes runs out.

If flavor is the whole point of grilling for you, charcoal is the honest answer. If convenience is, gas is. Combo grills exist because plenty of people refuse to pick one.

What A Combo Grill Actually Gets You

Most “combo” grills sold today are gas-plus-griddle or charcoal-plus-griddle units, not a single standardized machine that does everything equally well.

Feature sets vary sharply by model, and some charcoal capability is sold as an add-on rather than built in. That distinction matters before you spend money. A few current examples show the range:

• The Char-Broil Commercial Series 2 Burner Gas Grill & Griddle is listed as a 2-in-1 gas grill and griddle, and Char-Broil says it can be upgraded to charcoal cooking with Gas2Coal charcoal trays sold separately. Char-Broil markets its Gas2Coal line around combining gas convenience with charcoal flavor.
• The Char-Griller FlexFuel Plus Grill, Griddle and Smoker is described by Char-Griller as a gas and charcoal grill, smoker, and flat-top griddle in one, with 30,000 BTUs and a pre-seasoned flat-top griddle included.

Check whether the griddle top, side burner, or charcoal tray is included or sold separately before you compare prices — that gap is where combo shopping goes wrong.

Safety Basics That Apply To Every Combo Grill

Every gas, charcoal, and combo grill is an outdoor appliance, and the manuals are unusually blunt about it.

A Char-Broil gas-grill-and-griddle manual states the unit is for outdoor use only and is safety certified for use in the United States and/or Canada. It says not to use it in a building, garage, or other enclosed area, and warns never to attach the grill to the self-contained LP gas system of a camper trailer, motor home, or similar vehicle.

That same manual says never to use charcoal, lighter fluid, lava rocks, gasoline, kerosene, or alcohol with the gas product, to turn the LP tank valve to CLOSED and all control knobs to OFF before storing, to keep children and pets away, and to avoid using the griddle in high winds. If an oil or grease fire starts, don’t throw water on it — use a type BC dry chemical fire extinguisher or smother the flames with dirt, sand, or baking soda.

A Blackstone combo owner’s manual adds that you should never operate the grill unattended, never store gasoline or other flammable liquids or vapors nearby, and notes that burning wood gives off carbon monoxide, which is why it must never happen in homes, vehicles, tents, garages, or enclosed areas.

How To Pick The Right One For Your Patio

Match the grill to your cooking routine, not to the biggest spec sheet, and you’ll use it far more often.

1. Count how many nights per week you’ll actually cook outside. Two or more points toward gas; a weekend-only ritual points toward charcoal or a hybrid.
2. If you want smash burgers, eggs, or stir-fry, a flat-top griddle matters more than burner count.
3. Measure your patio and storage space. A combo cart takes up noticeably more room than a single-fuel grill.
4. Confirm what’s in the box: griddle top, side burner, and charcoal tray are frequently separate purchases.
5. Set a budget ceiling and compare combos within it, not against single-fuel grills. If you’d rather compare real options before buying, this roundup of the best barbecue grill combos, tested and ranked covers the tradeoffs model by model.

One honest warning: exact feature sets change between model years, so verify the current spec sheet on the manufacturer’s page before you order. Char-Broil’s Commercial Series 2 Burner Gas Grill & Griddle listing shows how the Gas2Coal add-on works for that specific model.