No. SmokyHQ only reviews grills and publishes guides. We don’t stock, sell or ship anything. Retailer links let you check availability with the retailer directly.
Table of contents13 sections
- 1What is SmokyHQ?
- 2Why does SmokyHQ exist?
- 3Who do we write for?
- 4What do we do, and not do?
- 5How are our reviews different?
- 6Who tests the grills?
- 7How do we test grills?
- 8When did SmokyHQ start?
- 9Which grills do we cover?
- 10How does SmokyHQ make money?
- 11How do I contact SmokyHQ?
- 12Common questions
- 13More about SmokyHQ
In short
What is SmokyHQ?
SmokyHQ is an independent site for hands-on grill reviews and BBQ guides. Every grill we review is bought with our own money and cooked on for weeks by one of our two named testers, Marcus Reilly and Tom Bricker, then fact-checked by the other. We aren’t owned by a grill brand or a retailer, and affiliate commissions don’t change scores.
- Who tests: two people with 25 years of grilling and barbecue between them, including a KCBS Certified Judge. See our testers.
- How we test: timed preheats, probe readings across the grate, sear and low-and-slow cooks, weighed fuel, cold and wind cooks. See how we test grills.
- How money works: retailer links may earn a commission; brands can’t pay for a review, a ranking or a score. See how we’re funded.
Our mission
Why does SmokyHQ exist?
A grill is something you live with for years, yet most “best grill” lists are rewritten spec sheets. They tell you the BTU number and the square inches, then stop. They skip the question that decides whether you’ll be happy: which grill suits the way you cook?
A grill that’s perfect for a family who grills burgers three nights a week can be the wrong choice for someone who wants to smoke a brisket once a month. A pellet grill that holds 225°F beautifully may never give you a proper steak crust. A tabletop grill that’s great at a campsite may struggle to feed six on a patio. Those trade-offs only show up when you cook on the grill, over weeks, in real weather.
So that’s what we do. Every review is built from cooks, not copy: overnight briskets, cold-morning starts, flare-ups, cleanup and the small annoyances you only notice on the tenth cook. Every verdict says who a grill suits and who should skip it. And because owning a grill doesn’t stop once it’s on the patio, a large part of our library is cooking technique, maintenance and troubleshooting.
We review; we don’t sell. SmokyHQ doesn’t stock, ship or sell anything. When we link to a retailer, it’s so you can check current availability for yourself.
Our readers
Who do we write for?
Most people who land on SmokyHQ fit one of four situations. Every review and guide is written so at least one of them gets a straight answer in the first screen.
The upgrade buyer
You’ve owned a grill or two that rusted out and want one that lasts ten years. You want a clear pick, a score, who it suits and proof we cooked on it.
See every category winnerThe first-timer or small-space cook
A balcony, a small patio or a campsite, a modest budget and maybe a landlord’s rules. You want plain answers, real sizes and the cheapest grill that won’t disappoint.
Portable grill reviewsThe pitmaster in training
You already grill and want to smoke brisket, ribs and pork shoulder properly. You want exact temperatures and times, and gear advice only where it helps.
Start with brisketThe fixer
Your grill won’t light, won’t heat or needs a deep clean, and you’re standing next to it with your phone. You want the likely cause first, then the steps.
Browse fixes and care guidesScope
What do we do, and what don’t we do?
We do
- Buy, cook on and review grills: 39 so far across 7 grill types
- Publish 39 cooking, comparison, buying and maintenance guides
- Rank every tested grill in its category hub
- Tell you who should skip a grill, and when a cheaper one is good enough
- Answer reader questions, fix confirmed errors and note material changes
We don’t
- Sell, stock or ship grills, or handle orders and returns
- Accept free products, loaners or paid reviews
- Publish sponsored posts, guest posts or paid links
- Review grills we haven’t cooked on
- Hide a flaw to protect a commission
- Refresh a date without changing the page
Our approach
What makes our hands-on grill reviews different?
There are plenty of grill reviews online. These are the things we do on every one of ours, so you can judge them for yourself:
Bought with our own money
We don’t accept free samples or loaners, so no grill arrives with strings attached.
Cooked on, not unboxed
Scores come from several weeks of real cooks on the grill, not a first impression on delivery day.
One scorecard for every brand
A small tabletop and a flagship are judged on the same six categories, so scores compare across the site.
A “skip if” on every verdict
We name the buyer who should choose something else, and point them to the alternative that fits them better.
Two names on every article
The person who tested and wrote it, and the second tester who checked every number before it went live.
Verified specs
When our measurements and the manufacturer’s published specs disagree on a fixed fact, such as cooking area or warranty, we use the confirmed figure.
Real update dates
The “updated” date changes only when the content does. We never bump dates to look fresh.
Expertise
Who tests the grills?
SmokyHQ is deliberately small. Two testers write and fact-check everything on the site, with 25 years of grilling and barbecue experience between them. Each leads the grill types closest to their experience and checks the other’s work, so no article is published on one person’s word.
Marcus Reilly
Head Pitmaster & Lead Tester
KCBS Certified Judge · 15 years competition BBQ
Marcus Reilly is a KCBS Certified Judge with 15 years of competition barbecue. He leads SmokyHQ’s smoker, pellet, charcoal and kamado testing, so if you’re choosing a cooker for brisket, ribs or overnight smokes, his reviews tell you which ones hold temperature and which ones fall short.
Leads: Smoker, pellet, charcoal and kamado reviews; smoking and cooking technique guides
Full profileTom Bricker
Consumer Research Analyst & Lead Tester
10+ years grilling across every fuel type
Tom Bricker has 10+ years of grilling on every fuel type and a consumer-research background. He leads SmokyHQ’s gas, portable, electric and flat-top testing, so if you’re weighing price against how long a grill will last, his reviews show which ones are worth the money.
Leads: Gas, portable, electric and flat-top reviews; price-tier buying guides; maintenance and troubleshooting
Full profileMore on how the work is split, and how many articles each tester has written and checked, is on our testers page.
Experience
How do we test grills?
Every grill goes through the same five stages before a score is published. Nothing is skipped because a brand is well known or a grill is cheap.
- 01
Cook on it
Weeks of real cooks: steak nights, indirect chicken, and long low-and-slow sessions on smokers.
- 02
Measure it
Calibrated probes across the grate, preheat timing, fuel use, cold and wind checks.
- 03
Score it
The same six-category scorecard for every grill, from a small tabletop to a flagship.
- 04
Check it
The other tester fact-checks the numbers and the verdict before it goes live.
- 05
Keep it current
Model changes, spec updates and long-term notes are revisited; dates change only when the page does.
A finished review shows the result of each stage: a scorecard, the test results, real pros and cons, who it’s best for and who should skip it, and the alternatives we’d point you to instead. The full protocol, scoring bands and per-category tests are on our testing methodology page.
Background
When did SmokyHQ start?
SmokyHQ went live on with its first reviews and guides. It was set up to answer one question with evidence instead of spec sheets: which grill should I get, and will it last? Marcus Reilly brought 15 years of competition barbecue and KCBS judging; Tom Bricker brought 10+ years of cooking on every fuel type with an eye on value.
Since launch the site has grown to 39 hands-on reviews and 39 guides across 7 grill types, with every article written by one tester and fact-checked by the other. The plan from here is the same as day one: test more of the grills readers ask about, keep existing reviews current, and add long-term notes as the grills we own age.
Topical coverage
Which grills do we cover?
We cover the 7 main grill types for backyards, balconies and campsites. Each category hub ranks every model we’ve tested, explains what to look for, what each budget gets you, and links to the guides that go deeper.
🔥 Gas Grills8 tested 💨 Pellet Grills7 tested 🪵 Charcoal Grills6 tested 🍳 Flat Top Grills & Griddles4 tested 🎒 Portable Grills6 tested 🥚 Kamado Grills5 tested 🔌 Electric Grills5 tested
Alongside the reviews, the guides library has four kinds of article:
- Best-of guides that pick the right grill for one job: a budget, a fuel, a small patio or great steaks.
- Comparisons such as gas vs charcoal vs pellet, kamado vs a regular grill, or one brand against another.
- Cooking guides for brisket, ribs, pork shoulder, chicken, steak, reverse searing and safe temperatures.
- Care and fixes for cleaning, seasoning, winterizing and the common problems that stop a grill heating properly.
Our top picks page pulls together the winner in every category and the ten highest scores across the site.
Trust
How does SmokyHQ make money?
SmokyHQ is free to read and reader-supported. If you buy through a retailer link, we may earn an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you. That’s the only way the reviews make money. There are no sponsored posts, no paid placements and no brand partnerships behind the rankings.
- Brands can’t pay for inclusion, a ranking or a score.
- Brands never see a review before it’s published.
- Affiliate commissions don’t change scores: commission rates are never part of how a grill is scored or ranked.
Details: affiliate disclosure · editorial standards · why trust us.
Accountability
How do I contact SmokyHQ?
Spotted an error, want a grill tested, or have a question about a verdict? Use the contact page to reach the right inbox. Your message goes to the person who wrote the article. We fix factual errors quickly and note any correction that changes a score or recommendation.
FAQ
Common questions
01Is SmokyHQ a store?
02Who owns and runs SmokyHQ?
SmokyHQ is an independent publication. It isn’t owned by, or partnered with, any grill brand or retailer, and every article is written and fact-checked by our two named testers.
03Do you test every grill yourselves?
Yes. Every grill reviewed on the site is bought with our own money and cooked on by our testers over several weeks using the same testing methodology. We don’t publish reviews based on spec sheets or other people’s reviews.
04How do you decide which grills to review?
We prioritize the models readers ask about most, the popular grills in each category and grills that fill a gap in a buying guide, such as a price tier or a space we haven’t covered yet.
Transparency
More about how SmokyHQ works
- Our testersThe people who write and fact-check every review and guide.
- How we testThe routine and scorecard behind every grill score.
- Why trust usThe safeguards that keep our verdicts independent.
- Editorial standardsAccuracy, sourcing, updates and our corrections policy.
- How we’re fundedHow affiliate links work and why they never change a score.
- Contact & correctionsEmail the testers, report an error or suggest a grill.
- Privacy policyWhat data the site collects and how it is used.
- Terms of useThe rules for using SmokyHQ content.