I love my grill, a 30-year-old Weber model that I continually rehab. It has zero smart features, but it remains the barbecue I compare all others to, including the four smart barbecues I tested over the last six weeks. Through testing all of these fancy new grills, I wanted to understand if the addition of connectivity could make the grilling experience fundamentally better, rather than just adding cost and empty hype to already expensive equipment.
I have dabbled a bit in smart grilling features before—like when I tested smart wireless thermometers from Meater and Combustion—so I already had some idea of what to expect. At the very least, I expected these smart grills allow for lazier cooking by reporting temperatures from afar via an app, eliminating the need to stand over a grill for hours on end in the heat. While all the grills I tested did this admirably, I did not expect how much remote control these grills offer over temperature and smoke level, meaning even experienced grillers can take a more hands-off approach without losing the detailed control. Some of these grills produced results so great that only advantage my 30-year-old Weber has at this point is purely sentimental. If I was going to buy a grill tomorrow, it would be a smart grill.
Read on to learn about my thoughts on each of the four models I tested, which will hopefully narrow down your search for the perfect smart grill.
My favorite of the bunch: Brisk It Origin 580 Smart Grill with AI, $899
Credit: Amanda Blum
At a glance
Ideal for: Cooks of all experience levels, including inexperienced barbecue cooks who are intimidated by grilling and smoking.
How it works: Wood pellet grill fed by auger.
Does it smoke? Yes.
Does it flame grill? Yes.
Active grill space: 580 square inches.
Pros
Completely hands-off cooking.
Extensive recipe library.
Works at lower temperature ranges, enabling cold smoking.
Able to add power smoke or hold temp for keeping warm.
AI is useful for finding recipes.
Cons
Some parts of the grill (handles and foam lining) aren’t well made, but this doesn’t affect function or taste.
Can’t easily change/mix wood in a cook.
Quick thoughts
The Brisk It grill gets the edge here for how useful the app is, which allows the user to converse with the app to find the perfect recipe. That recipe is then sent to the grill, and the grill executes the recipe. The auto ignite worked every time, and the smart connectivity never errored out, not even once.
The wood pellets provide a smokier environment than any other grill tested while still allowing for a nice flame grill at higher temperatures. But the wood pellet hopper and auger make it difficult to change the pellets mid-cook the way you would with a smaller hopper like the Masterbuilt (featured later in this post).
Buy the Brisk It Origin 580 Smart Grill with AI ($899 on Amazon)
Current Model G Dual Zone Smart Grill, $999
Credit: Amanda Blum
At a glance
Ideal for: Anyone prohibited from grills that use real fire.
How it works: Electric grill with the ability to create two temperature zones.
Does it smoke? No.
Does it flame grill? No.
Active grill space: 330 square inches.
Pros
Ability to only turn on as much grill space as you need.
Able to create two different zones.
Can be used in spaces where fire isn’t allowed.
Modern looking, light build.
Cons
Takes a long time to heat up.
Loses heat quickly when open.
Hard to clean, despite auto clean feature.
Flimsy build.
Quick thoughts
While I didn’t love this grill in comparison to the others, it serves a specific niche for those who need an electric grill specifically. I liked that you didn’t need to heat up the entire grill if you didn’t need the space, and it did provide the best searing environment than any of the others—even at very high temperatures (700 F), food didn’t stick to the grill much. The self-clean option should have made cleaning easy, but tended to leave the grill looking worse after. If you choose this grill, double check the electrical requirements; it’s a beast.
Buy the Current Model G Dual Zone Smart Grill ($999 at Ace Hardware)
Kamado Joe Konnected Joe Charcoal Grill and Smoker, $1,499
Credit: Amanda Blum
At a glance
Ideal for: Ceramic enthusiasts, barbecue nerds, and those who want all the options and control.
How it works: Ceramic grill using charcoal.
Does it smoke? Yes.
Does it flame grill? Yes
Active grill space: 250 square inches.
Pros
Obtain intense all-around heat quickly and easily.
Extensive accessory ecosystem.
Ability to flame grill, smoke, bake, and char.
Compact size.
Cons
Limited active grill space.
Expensive.
Very limited app utility.
Hard to add charcoal once the grill is in use.
Quick thoughts
Ceramic grills like the Kamado have a cult following that I didn’t fully understand until I tried one myself. While the cooking surface is limited, the ceramic shell creates an all-around heat, like a pizza oven, that cooks food differently than traditional grills. Crispier exteriors on breads, meats, and vegetables also ensured moister interiors.
These grills can be intimidating, with many accessories, parts, and options to fiddle with based on what you’re cooking, but the smart app can mostly eliminate that learning curve and anxiety. If I was going to purchase a ceramic grill, I’d likely choose this one for that reason, though you can certainly use the grill without the smart aspects, if you choose.
It’s hard to say if I’d choose the Kamado over other grills like the Masterbuilt or Brisk It, but it is certainly more flexible. Using a vast array of purchasable accessories, you can flame grill, smoke, bake, roast, or even use the grill like a pizza oven.
Buy the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe Charcoal Grill ($1,499 at Best Buy)
Masterbuilt Auto Ignite 545 Digital Charcoal Grill, $499
Credit: Amanda Blum
At a glance
Ideal for: Grillers who want high levels of control and flexibility, with an assist from smart tech.
How it works: Charcoal gravity-fed grill.
Does it smoke? Yes.
Does it flame grill? No.
Active grill space: 545 square inches
Pros
Great manual control over wood throughout the cooking process.
Large cooking space.
Able to control the temperature via app.
Incredibly sturdy, well-built grill and parts.
Cons
Limited space for searing.
Hard to get flame under active grill space.
Tricky ignition doesn’t always work on the first try.
Really hard to put together.
Quick thoughts
Gravity-fed grills—in which a charcoal-filled hopper burns from the bottom up, with a fan blowing the heat and smoke across the cooking space—have a learning curve. It is not the same as having a fire under the cooking grates, but with a little experience under your belt, the Masterbuilt provides a highly satisfying grilling experience with a lot of control.
You can add to the hopper throughout the cook, so you can augment your food with hardwood for smoking, and the hopper itself serves as a surface for searing. Of all the grills, the Masterbuilt felt the most solid, but you should expect a frustrating assembly process. Still, if you want a lot of control over a larger cooking space with a light assist from smart tech, this is the grill I’d get.
Buy the Masterbuilt Auto Ignite 545 Digital Charcoal Grill ($499 on Amazon)
