You have a smartwatch, a smartphone, and you might even have a smart-fridge. Now prepare yourself for the most blokey smart gadget of them all: the smart BBQ.
Yep, it really is a thing, because if we can put WiFi in fridges and ovens (the latter of which you can’t easily find locally, but they do exist), why not a barbecue?
That’s what the team at Green Mountain Grills have been cooking up, connecting the temperature gauging smarts with a grill system that relies on an electronically-controlled pellet system for fuel and flavour, relying on electricity to power the whole thing.
The WiFi connectivity means temperature can not only be monitored, but also changed, providing remote control cooking for even the heaviest of meats.
Interestingly, you may not even have to be at home to run the wireless controls of the Green Mountain Grill BBQs, with support for either local WiFi using the appliance at home, or even a remote server mode where by the BBQ becomes another gadget in the “Internet of Things” and your phone talks to it remotely by way of a Green Mountain Grill server, both of which use an app made for iOS (iPhone) and Android.
As for options, of those there are quite a few, with the barbecue range starting at $949 for the entry-level WiFi-ready “Davy Crockett” BBQ, pushing through various price brackets all the way up to $1949 for the “Jim Bowie”.
The fuel pellets are, of course, an extra cost, but we’re told each BBQ does arrive with enough plugs and portability to make the grills something you can take with you.
Availability is now, with dedicated BBQ shops across the country stocking them. BYO meat, of course.