Have you ever cooked a steak with your smartphone? Now’s the time. These high-tech grills offer several features beyond the norm, like a safety switch for the rotisserie, an app that lets you monitor temperature from the comfort of your backyard gazebo, and infrared heating systems that maintain a consistent temperature even on those 100-degree-plus afternoons.
Saber Edge Grill ($2,000)
Best for: The lazy grill master
Here’s the for 2015. This two-burner grill connects over Wi-Fi to your smartphone or tablet using an app that shows the grill temp, propane gas level, and which burners are lit. You can use it to preheat the grill and keep tabs on your meat. A ceramic glass window lets you check the status of your food without lifting the lid and sacrificing heat and moisture. It also has an infrared heating system designed to distribute heat evenly across the grill. All of the features of the mobile app are also shown on an LCD screen on the grill.
Char-Broil Commercial Series 4 Premium TRU-Infrared ($500)
Best for: Big family reunion–sized cookouts
Brand new this year, the high-end version of the comes with four main burners, plus a fifth side burner, all of which are designed to cook evenly and maintain temperature. And when fat and juices drip, they won’t flare up like they do on other grill burners, which helps avoid meat scalding. The SureFire igniter usually takes just one press, and a unique fuel tank gauge tells you when you need to refill your propane.
Kamado Joe ($1,100)
Best for: Cooking a variety of foods
This is perhaps more comparable to an oven, but it grills wonderfully. It includes the “Divide & Conquer” cooking system, which is anchored by a metal frame that sits in the basin and acts as scaffolding for various cook surfaces. You can drop in ceramic plates that provide indirect heat—good for avoiding meat burn—or a pair of metal half-circle grates that fit at different depths inside the basin. Since the Kamado Joe functions as an oven, you can also cook pizzas in it.
DCS 30-Inch Professional Grill With Rotisserie ($3,600)
Best for: Hardcore rotisserie cooking
This offers a few distinct advantages. There’s no ignition switch: You just press the temp-control knob for the burner you want. Reflector shields inside the grill basin help direct heat upward from the burners. Even the rotisserie is high-tech: There’s a safety switch to disable it quickly, and it can accommodate up to 50 pounds of meat.
Viking 5 Series 30-Inch Ultra-Premium Gas Grill ($4,420)
Best for: All-around versatility
The is the upscale Swiss Army knife of grills. It has four stainless-steel grill burners, a 55-pound rotisserie, and a removable smoker box. Viking boasts that you can smoke a 25-pound turkey on the grill. It’s decked out with interior halogen lights and an infrared rotisserie burner inside the lid. Bonus: It includes insertable briquettes that rest between the flames and grill and vaporize dripping juice, keeping your burners clean and feeding smoky goodness back up to your meat.