Our Expert Testers
Every review published on SmokyHQ is produced by a credentialed expert with genuine, hands-on domain knowledge. We hire pitmasters and engineers — not generic content writers.
3 certified testers · KCBS, B.S. Mechanical Engineering & 10+ yrs field experience · 6+ grills tested combined
Marcus Reilly
Marcus Reilly has spent 15 years competing on the KCBS circuit and is a certified competition judge. He leads all grill and smoker testing here, running every unit through multi-cook burn-in tests across searing, low-and-slow, and high-heat scenarios before writing a word.
Responsibilities
- ✓Develops and oversees the standardized testing protocol
- ✓Approves all expert scores before publication
- ✓Leads thermal mapping and multi-cook burn-in testing
- ✓Reviews all competition BBQ and technique claims in our guides
Areas of Expertise
Dana Okafor
Dana Okafor brings a mechanical engineering background to grill testing, focused on build quality, heat retention, and material durability. Dana designed our standardized testing protocol — thermal mapping, weld inspection, and long-term wear assessment across every review.
Responsibilities
- ✓Leads build quality and durability inspection on every unit
- ✓Designs and runs thermal mapping across grates and chambers
- ✓Evaluates weld quality, steel gauge, and hardware longevity
- ✓Reviews technical specs and safety claims for accuracy
Areas of Expertise
Tom Bricker
Tom Bricker analyzes reader data, price trends, and value tiers to build our best-of lists. With a decade of backyard grilling experience across every fuel type, Tom focuses on which grills deliver genuine performance at their price point versus which ones underdeliver.
Responsibilities
- ✓Builds and maintains our best-of and value comparison lists
- ✓Analyzes reader survey data and price-tier trends
- ✓Fact-checks marketing claims against real testing data
- ✓Covers budget and mid-range grills across every fuel type
Areas of Expertise
Jordan Hale
Jordan Hale tests the WiFi, Bluetooth, and app-connected features on smart grills and smokers, verifying that connectivity claims hold up under real backyard conditions — dropped signals, firmware updates, and app reliability included. Jordan also evaluates digital controller accuracy against physical probe thermometers on every connected unit reviewed.
Responsibilities
- ✓Tests WiFi and Bluetooth range, reliability, and app functionality on connected grills
- ✓Verifies digital controller and app temperature readings against independent probes
- ✓Evaluates firmware update processes and long-term app support
- ✓Covers pellet, electric, and hybrid grills with smart connectivity features
Areas of Expertise
Elena Cross
Elena Cross tests indoor grills, air fryers, and multi-function countertop appliances, focused on how well marketed cooking modes actually perform against dedicated single-purpose equipment. Elena runs every indoor unit through side-by-side comparisons against SmokyHQ's outdoor grill benchmarks to see how close countertop cooking genuinely gets.
Responsibilities
- ✓Tests indoor grills, air fryers, and multi-function countertop cooking appliances
- ✓Benchmarks each cooking mode against dedicated single-purpose equipment
- ✓Evaluates smoke and grease management for indoor kitchen use
- ✓Covers apartment-friendly and no-outdoor-space cooking equipment
Areas of Expertise
Grant Whitlock
Grant Whitlock tests charcoal grills and digitally controlled hybrid units, focused on how well app-based airflow and temperature systems actually hold up against traditional manual vent management. Grant cross-checks every digital charcoal grill's app-reported temperature against independent probes across long, unattended cooks.
Responsibilities
- ✓Tests charcoal grills and digitally controlled hybrid charcoal/app-connected units
- ✓Verifies app-reported and DigitalFan-controlled temperature accuracy against independent probes
- ✓Evaluates airflow and fuel efficiency across live-fire and hybrid designs
- ✓Covers offset smokers, kettle grills, and digital charcoal combo units
Areas of Expertise
Naomi Voss
Naomi Voss leads testing on flagship and premium-tier grills, where the question is rarely whether a grill works, but whether its price premium is actually justified by measurable performance over a mid-tier alternative. Naomi runs every premium unit through a direct head-to-head against at least one lower-priced competitor already in our lineup before publishing a verdict.
Responsibilities
- ✓Tests flagship and premium-tier grills, smokers, and pellet units
- ✓Runs direct comparisons against mid-tier alternatives to assess whether premium pricing is justified
- ✓Evaluates build materials, insulation, and long-term durability claims on higher-end units
- ✓Covers app-connected and WiFi-enabled premium pellet grills
Areas of Expertise
Want to know more about how we test?
Read our full testing methodology to understand exactly how our team evaluates every grill.
View Testing Methodology →