There’s not much better than a barbecue: A cold drink, the smell of the grill, and the gentle chirping of crickets all add up to a healthy dose of summertime magic. But it’s not always so idyllic. Warm drinks, coals that won’t light, and overcooked meat can really spoil the party.
Luckily, you can now find high-tech solutions to all of these problems by bringing a little bit of smart home magic to the great outdoors. So, before you start planning your menu, check out our favorite tech for enhancing your grilling experience this summer.
With all of these tools in tow, you should have no problem hosting the perfect summer barbecue—unless it rains. If that happens, take the party inside with our list of the best smart kitchen appliances.
Recommended by Our Editors
Best Grill Lighter
You can’t grill without a flame, and if you’re a traditionalist, you’re using charcoal. But lighting charcoal with matches can be tough, and no one likes the taste of lighter fluid. Fortunately, the Looftlighter(Opens in a new window) is a handheld wand that ignites charcoal, briquettes, wood, or pretty much anything else you need to get grilling in 60 seconds using super-heated air. You’ll need an electric outlet to use it, but the Looftlighter has a nine-foot cord, so there’s some flexibility. It also has an integrated bottle cap opener, and in cooler weather doubles as a great way to light a fireplace.
Best Low-Cost Food Thermometer
One of the hardest parts about grilling is knowing when a piece of meat is done. The best way to be sure is to check for temperature, but there’s nothing worse than pulling something off a few minutes too late. You won’t need to worry about that if you’re using a smart thermometer like the iGrill Mini from Weber. It uses a wired probe to measure the temperature of a piece of meat while it’s cooking. You don’t need even need to stick around the whole time to watch the numbers rise, since it connects with an app on your phone to let you know something has reached its desired temperature when you’re up to 150 feet away.
Best Wireless Meat Thermometer
There’s no cookout faux pas worse than torching the burgers and dogs. Fortunately, you can avoid this scenario with the help of the Meater+. This completely wireless meat thermometer sends notifications to your phone when your food is ready. It’s similar to the iGrill Mini, but it’s completely wireless.
Best for Remote-Controlled Sous Vide
If you want to get really fancy, you can sous vide your meat and vegetables before you grill them. The Anova Precision Cooker is our favorite immersion circulator. It heats water to an exact temperature and holds it there, so you can cook a steak to perfectly rare before searing it off on the grill. That helps ensure accuracy and cuts down on time spent slaving over the barbecue rather than socializing.
Best Wood-Fired Smart Grill Overall
For wood-fired grilling, check out the Traeger Timberline 1300. The Timberline uses hardwood pellets and a modulating fan to deliver incredible smoked and barbecued food. It also features Wi-Fi, which allows you to control cooking temperatures, set timers, and access a huge database of recipes from anywhere. It’s not cheap at $2,000, but it’s worth every penny for serious barbecue enthusiasts.
Most Affordable Wood-Fired Smart Grill
If $2,000 is out of your budget, we also really like Traeger’s $1,199.99 Ironwood 650 grill. It doesn’t offer all of the features of its bigger sibling, but it’s more affordable and still delivers outstanding food, connecting to your phone and allowing you to barbecue, roast, and smoke like a professional pitmaster.
Best for Charcoal Grilling
The Kamado Joe Konnected Joe Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker helps you cook charcoal-fired food to perfection every time. This tank-like kamado grill is simple to use and clean, offers precise temperature control, and works with lots of high-quality accessories. The app is also intuitive and has hundreds of recipes you can follow. Yes, this grill is quite expensive even for dedicated backyard chefs, but the joy of absolutely perfect charcoal grilling is arguably priceless.
Kamado Joe Konnected Joe Digital Charcoal Grill and Smoker Review
Best Portable Fire Pit
Looking to grill on the go? The BioLite FirePit+(Opens in a new window) is a relatively small, ultra-efficient fire pit that burns charcoal and wood. Over 50 air jets deliver oxygen to the fire, for a uniform temperature and reduced smoke. A 12,800mAh rechargeable battery runs a built-in fan for controlling the fire up to 30 hours, and you can cook on top of the included grill grate for direct contact with the flames, or pick up a cast iron griddle accessory. Bluetooth lets you control the flame intensity and fan speed with your phone, for a smart grilling experience no matter where you are.
Best Backyard Fire Pit
Roasted marshmallows, anyone? The Yukon from Solo Stove(Opens in a new window) is the ultimate backyard fire pit. Its high-tech 360-Degree Airflow Design pulls air through vent holes at the bottom, while vent holes at the top fuel the flame, making for a hotter fire that burns just about everything inside to powder for an easy cleanup. The best part is that it produces way less smoke than a typical fire pit, so not only will your marshmallows be toasted to perfection, your clothes won’t smell like they’ve been kissed by the flame. Made of 304 stainless steel, it’s built to last, with a striking design that’s a cool counterpoint to the flames it produces.
The Best Backyard Tech
Husqvarna Automower 315X
(Credit: Husqvarna)
There’s more to summer than grilling. Whether you have a backyard, a deck, a patio, or a pool, you can find plenty of other ways to make your outdoor experience smarter. To get started, check out our list of the best backyard gadgets.
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