Flat-top griddles are all the rage in backyard grilling right now. The popularity of smash burgers and the ability to cook everything from breakfast to fajitas and fried rice make them a versatile piece of any grill setup. Until now, most of them have been gas-powered and some companies offer griddle inserts for equipping a charcoal, gas or pellet grill you might already have with a large, flat cooking surface. Recteq has taken a different approach, opting instead to stick to its pellet grill roots with what it says is the first wood-fired griddle.

“We’ve had our eye on griddles for a while,” Recteq’s VP of product development Ben Lesshafft explained to Engadget. “We didn’t want to just go with a gas grill, we’re not a gas grill company. We believe in wood fired food and we believe in wood-fired flavor.” Lesshafft said the company knew there had to be a way to do something different by introducing the smoke flavor from pellets into a category where nearly all of the grills work the same way.

To design this wood-fired grill, which Recteq calls the SmokeStone 600 ($999), the company drew on its experience building the direct-fire Bullseye grill. That model looks like a mashup of a pellet grill and a charcoal kettle, allowing you to do both high-heat cooking and low-and-slow smoking, but it was designed primarily for the former with temps topping out at nearly 750 degrees Fahrenheit. Another challenge was making sure a pellet-powered griddle offered even heat distribution.

“That took us quite a bit of time,” Lesshafft noted. “I spent more time with thermometers in a couple months than I did in my entire life previously combined.”

Of course, there has to be a method for getting the pellet smoke to roll over the grilling surface in order to impart that wood flavor. To achieve this, Recteq designed a 360-degree vent system around the griddle. The SmokeStone has a blower fan like any other pellet grill that regulates the temperature and intensity of the fire, but it also pushes smoke into the upper cooking chamber. The company includes a raised lip on the griddle surface to help corral any small bits of food, but it also made sure those smoke vents were tall enough to clear it. This design means smoke rolls over your food whether the lid is open or closed.

“The smoke kind of ends up coming across the surface of the grill, because it’s forced out at such a velocity that it has to shoot out before it finally relaxes,” he said. “What we discovered is, the beauty of it, you [can] cook with the lid up or down. You’re going get some smoke no matter what, because you’re always burning wood.”

And on top of imparting some wood-fired flavor into griddled foods that ordinarily wouldn’t get it, the SmokeStone is still a smart grill. There’s Wi-Fi onboard for controlling and monitoring grill and food temperatures from your phone, plus an algorithm to make sure the controller keeps things consistent and even throughout your cook. A temperature range of 300-600 degrees also gives you some room to adjust based on what you’re cooking.

A pellet-burning griddle isn’t the only unique entry in Recteq’s new lineup, though. The company also debuted a dual-chamber pellet grill that allows you to cook at two different temperatures at the same time. With the DualFire 1200 ($1,799), Recteq sought to improve another popular grill configuration. If you’ve taken a stroll down the grill aisle at your local hardware store in the last decade or so, chances are you’ve seen grills that offer one side for charcoal and another for gas. Maybe you’ve come across one more recently that’s pellet and gas. While Recteq understood the utility of the two sections, Lesshafft and his colleagues decided making both pellet burning offered something that didn’t yet exist.

“We did not invent the dual-chamber grill, they’ve been out forever,” he said. “One of the reasons these dual chamber grills sell is people love the fact that you can go low-and-slow on one side and hot-and-fast on the other. And so that was kind of the evolution of our philosophy.”

Lesshafft further explained that he never understood the 50-50 split of the barrel of dual-chamber cookers, so Recteq opted instead for a 65-35 division. He said this allows for larger cuts like brisket on the bigger, more traditional pellet grill side while the smaller chamber is designed for direct-fire searing. You can do low-and-slow on both sides, but the left side is closer to the heat source and lacks the convection of a typical pellet grill.

Recteq also refreshed its main pellet grills, giving them an updated leg design, better wheels and an improved controller. The company also changed the shape of the RT-590, now called the Deck Boss 590, to be consistent with the rest of its lineup. Previously, it had an octagon-shaped barrel, but now it’s round like the others. Recteq also saw an opportunity to give customers a mid-range option between the Deck Boss and its largest new grill, the Flagship 1100 (replacing the RT-700). That’s where the Backyard Beast 1000 comes in.

“The intentional difference between grills is really a matter of size,” said Lesshafft. “You have more capacity, you have more headroom, and it gets rid of the buyer confusion of also changing shapes.” The numbers correspond to square inches of grillings space, where the Backyard Beast doesn’t have a second shelf inside the cooking chamber. It also doesn’t have quite as much pellet hopper capacity as the Flagship. A third option also allows the company to bridge the gap price-wise between its most affordable new grill and its largest “traditional” pellet model. The Deck Boss is $899, the Backyard Beast is $1,099 and the Flagship is $1,299. Of course, ditching the old alphanumeric product names eliminates customer confusion, and Lesshafft admitted there was even some trouble with the names amongst employees (please take note, Sony).

All five of the new grills are equipped with the updated controller, though it functions differently on models like the SmokeStone and DualFire due to their direct-heat setups. And, of course, the DualFire needs special firmware in order to run two grills. A new display is both easier to use and easier to read thanks to better knob and larger letters and numbers. Recteq also ditched the large, external antenna for an internal one that offers similar Wi-Fi range without the gaudy appearance. Lesshafft explained that nothing was off the table in terms of the redesigned controls. However, the company really wanted to focus more on the app rather than putting a touchscreen on its grills like Traeger did.

“If people are going to [swipe through recipes], they’re probably going to do it on their phone or their tablet,” he noted. “We kept the physical interface similar, we just wanted to improve it, but we didn’t really want to give it a full-blown facelift.”

Another key element of the new controller is dual-band connectivity. Recteq introduced this on its grills over the last couple of years, and as someone who has struggled to connect a 2.4G grill in a mostly 5G world, this makes the setup process much easier. Lesshafft also quipped that this reduced W-Fi-related calls to customer service. And overall, the company has been continually trying to improve the quality of its app. It is, of course, the place where you monitor temperatures and control the grill, but it’s also where you can browse recipes, make notes and revisit temperature graphs. In other words, it needs to be reliable and deliver what’s promised. Lesshafft admitted that wasn’t always the case.

“There was a day when our ratings weren’t very good on iOS, and now we’re the highest rated growing app,” he said. “The app has come a long way. We’re pretty proud of it.”

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With two models under its belt, the Traeger-owned company is debuting its latest version today: the Meater 2 Plus. While the device may look awfully similar to Meater’s previous cooking gadgets and it still uses the charger as a Bluetooth range booster, there are some significant upgrades here. The company has installed additional sensors for more precise temperature readings, while also increasing heat resistance and overall durability. It has managed to do this without drastically increasing the price, too.

Meater 2 Plus

$120 at Meater

The biggest change for the Meater 2 Plus is on the inside. The company has added four more internal temperature sensors for a total of five. There’s also still the ambient temperature sensor on the opposite end to keep tabs on grill temps while you’re cooking. Meater says the five internal sensors offer “the real core temperature of the meat,” which it says can help reduce any subpar results due to an error in probe placement (the app helps with that, too). All five can measure temps down to a tenth of a degree with an accuracy that’s within half a degree.

The Meater app displays the lowest temperature of the five sensors in the main view of the app and goes by that for any targets you may have set. Additionally, you can see the real-time temps of all five sensors by tapping on the one being displayed. As it did before, the company’s mobile app offers guidance on target temperatures based on the doneness level you desire. There are lots of options for different types and cuts of meat, but you can also go full manual mode if you’re doing something like reheating leftovers or know exactly what you want. Either way, the app calculates estimated finishing time based on internal and ambient temperatures. It also warns you when there’s five minutes left, when you hit the target and when the required rest time (if any) is over.

Meater also added a new Master Class feature to its app that will offer over 50 video courses that teach cooking techniques like two-zone BBQ, reverse searing and more. Step-by-step demos will include ingredient and tool checklists for easy shopping. There will also be detailed written instructions so you’re not constantly swiping back through videos. Meater says this is just the initial batch and it plans to release new classes on a weekly basis.

The other big physical updates are improved heat resistance and durability. First, the Meater 2 Plus can withstand open flames at temperatures up to 932 degrees Fahrenheit (500 Celsius). This allows you to keep the probe in place while you sear. What’s more, the Meater app will warn you when the device is getting too hot.

That’s over 400 degrees hotter than the max temperature rating of the Meater Plus (527 degrees Fahrenheit). Plus, much of the competition, like ThermoPro’s TempSpike, can only handle just under 600 degrees. The Meater 2 Plus also has nine degrees more when it comes to the hottest internal temperature, now topping out at 221 degrees. The Meater 2 Plus is fully waterproof, so you can use it to deep fry or sous vide, as well. And when you’re done, you can just pop it in the dishwasher. I’ve done it several times and it’s still working just fine.

The temperature and waterproof upgrades are made possible by a new full-metal, stainless steel probe design. The Meater 2 Plus is 30 percent slimmer than the Meater Plus and a new Zirconia ceramic band allows the Bluetooth signal to radiate from the device. Thanks to a “high-performance antenna” and “optimized RF design” specifically tuned for high heat, the Meater 2 Plus offers an expanded range of up to 250 feet. That’s up from 165 feet on the previous model. The company says the new version can technically achieve 2,500 feet, but that requires a direct line of sight and no RF interference.

Most of our backyards won’t accommodate that, and you’re going to walk into the house to grab a beer at some point. In my tests, I was able to venture from my deck all the way to the mailbox on the street without losing connection. Like other Meater products, the 2 Plus works with Meater Link for Wi-Fi and Meater Cloud, providing unlimited range, though you’ll need to connect the Meater 2 Plus to another phone, tablet or laptop for these features.

Meater also improved battery life and charging efficiency. The Meater 2 Plus can be recharged for up to two years with one AAA battery, doubling the longevity of the previous model which the company rated at 100 charges. A fully charged probe will still last over 24 hours before you’ll need to dock it, unchanged from the Meater Plus. However, the Meater 2 Plus charges to 50 percent in only 15 minutes, enough for a 12-hour low-and-slow barbeque session. And as the company points out, you’ll never have to worry about charging if you keep the probe docked when it’s not in use.

I’ve tested the Meater 2 Plus for three cooks so far and I’ve been impressed with the performance for all of them. It’s completely wild to me to be able to throw this thing in the dishwasher instead of spending several minutes scrubbing the probe like I typically have to for all of my wired accessories. Of course, the highlight is the increased precision, which gives you a more detailed look at what’s going on during your cook. It was especially handy while smoking a turkey breast, allowing me to make sure the center was safe to eat while monitoring the rest to make sure it didn’t get too far past the coveted 165-degree mark. I also had no issues with high-heat use, though most of my testing was sub-350 degrees and primarily low-and-slow smoking. Besides turkey, I also used it for Over the Top Chili, smoked meatloaf and reheating leftovers.

The Meater 2 Plus is available now on the company’s website for $119.95. That’s $10-$20 more than the Meater Plus, depending on your wood preference for the charger on that previous model.

1 / 8

Meater 2 Plus review

Meater 2 Plus review

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A major redesign

When Traeger revealed its overhauled Timberline grills last year, one of the biggest updates was a new touchscreen display. The company has brought that to the new Ironwood grills too, replacing the single-knob navigation with a larger dial and a touchscreen. There are dedicated buttons for the full menu, timers, Keep Warm and Super Smoke to the left of the touchscreen, above the two wired food probe ports. While how you use the display to control the grill has changed, and the larger full-color panel is easier to see, I’m not convinced these grills needed a touchscreen. It doesn’t add a ton to the overall experience and a simpler update of just a larger, color display would’ve been more than enough and might kept prices down.

Traeger79100

Traeger Ironwood (2023)

Ironwood used to be a solid mid-range option in the company’s lineup, but now it’s just another pricey alternative.

ProsVersatile cookingRemote control/monitoringImproved designUpgraded techConsExpensiveTouchscreen seems unnecessaryWireless probes cost extraLimited vertical space$1,800 at Traeger

Another item Traeger borrowed from the Timberline is its so-called Pop-And-Lock (PAL) accessory rail. This is one new addition that I can get behind. It allows you to customize the grill based on your needs or what you’re cooking. PAL add-ons include a folding front shelf, storage bin, butcher paper/paper towel roll, tool hooks and a cup holder. These all snap onto a rail that goes almost the entire way around the grill and can be easily moved or removed as needed.

Inside, Traeger replaced the solid steel drip plate that directed grease to the catch can and the smaller fire pot shield. Now there are two larger pieces of metal that span the width of the grill. First, a diffuser spreads heat over the cooking surface and directs ash to the catch keg. A second piece above it still serves as a drip tray to channel grease to the same bin as the ash debris, but it now has holes around the outside to guide smoke and heat around the cooking surface. A dual-wall construction of the chamber itself provides better insulation, so temps remain consistent even in the colder months. Lastly, the auger was raised above the fire pot, so pellets drop down to burn. This should help with jams and lower the risk of auger and hopper fires. Once again, these changes debuted on the Timberline, but it’s nice to see them carry over to the mid-range Ironwood.

The key differences between the Ironwood and its pricier Timberline sibling are the vertical space inside the grill, the cart/leg design and the lack of an induction burner on the left side. Where the Timberline has two adjustable racks above the main cooking surface, the Ironwood only has one, and its maximum height is lower than that of the Timberline. Cooking grates on the Ironwood are also porcelain where they’re stainless steel on the more expensive model.

Traeger nixed the four-legged design on the new Timberline in favor of a storage cart look that’s similar to Weber’s gas grills. The enclosed space is a nice addition that didn’t make it to the Ironwood, but the company did add an open shelf underneath that bolts to the legs. You can easily put a pellet bin and unused grates here when you’re not using them.

Lastly, the Ironwood doesn’t have the induction burner that the Timberline offers. It does have a larger side shelf than the previous iteration of the Ironwood, with a removable panel and an additional outlet on the back that suggests support for a burner add-on, but Traeger doesn’t currently sell one. I asked the company if it plans to do so in the future, but it declined to comment on unreleased products.

Upgraded smart grilling

Following its acquisition of Meater in 2021, Traeger made the company’s wireless meat probes standard equipment on the 2022 Timberline grills. Those devices get cumbersome cables out of the way, while sending internal food temperatures to the Traeger app for remote monitoring. The new Ironwood grill also supports the specially-designed Meater probes, but they don’t come in the box. Instead, you’ll have to make an additional $230 purchase to get a two-pack — which is more than if you bought two Meater Plus probes.

The problem is this two-pack only works with Traeger’s touchscreen grills and doesn’t sync with Meater’s app. This means you don’t get ambient temperature readings or estimated completion times — two valuable pieces of information. The Ironwood does come with two wired probes and the info from those is viewable inside of the Traeger app just like it has been on previous WiFIRE-equipped grills.

The company debuted a smart pellet sensor in 2019 and, while it would later ship grills with it included, it was a separate bolt-on component that needed to be installed. With the Timberline and Ironwood, this is now a fully-integrated piece of tech. Like before, the sensor monitors your pellet level and the app will alert you so you don’t have to keep watch. It’s not perfect — it can be tricked by tunneling when pellets are pulled in by the auger — but it’s good enough to keep tabs on the hopper while you’re relaxing.

Traeger has made the initial seasoning process almost entirely automatic. On previous grills, you had to manually set the temperature and a timer to burn off any residue from the manufacturing process, but now the WiFIRE controller handles all of that for you. You simply press a button and the grill keeps you posted on how much time is left. When you shut it down after cooking, either on the display or via the app, you get another countdown so you know the status of this 15-to-25-minute process that burns off excess pellets in the fire pot (time varies depending on your cooking temperature).

Cooking with the Ironwood

Changes aside, cooking with the Ironwood is as simple and straightforward as ever. Once you select your cooking temperature with the dial or send a recipe to the grill from the Traeger app, all you have to do is press the touchscreen to ignite it. The Ironwood reaches temperature in about 12 minutes, whether you’re smoking at 225 degrees Fahrenheit or searing at 500. You’ll get a notification when the grill is preheated so you know it’s time to start cooking.

The Traeger app continues to be a wealth of information for cooks of all skill levels. The software houses over 1,000 recipes with adjustable ingredient lists based on how many people you plan to cook for. Step-by-step guidance is there, along with the ability to monitor grill and food temperatures remotely, and activate Super Smoke or Keep Warm modes as needed. The app still allows you to adjust grill temp, although there were a few times during my test I had to make that request twice. 99 percent of the time it works on the first attempt, but every once in a while the app needs a second prodding before sending the info to the Ironwood.

1 / 6

Traeger Ironwood (2023) review: Food samples

A double batch of Over the Top Chili

Over the course of a few months with the Ironwood, I cooked a range of foods at a variety of temperatures. Those include low-and-slow barbecue pork shoulders and turkey breasts, with hotter baking, roasting and searing thrown in too. I also cooked a few recipes where the temperature had to be adjusted during the cook, like the Over The Top Chili method that’s popular online these days. The Ironwood consistently produced great results, with Traeger’s trademark wood-fired flavors.

Traeger touts easier cleanup on the Ironwood thanks to the combination grease and ash keg underneath the grill. Part of that is also the heat diffuser that the company says directs ash to that bin. While it is an improvement that most of the waste goes into one container, you have to help some of the ash get there, and a significant amount of it makes its way on top of the diffuser. Some even ventures up onto the drip tray. You still need a shop vac to do a thorough cleaning every few cooking cycles and you’ll need an all-natural grill cleaner to get the grime off the drip pan, grates, sides and lid.

The competition

The pellet grill industry is increasingly crowded. Most hardware stores now carry a variety of them, most of which at least cover the basics and are available at a range of prices. Recteq’s Patio Legend 410 is under $600, for example. While it’s equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, it’s more compact with only 410 square inches of grilling space. Pit Boss’ most premium models, the Navigator Series, are available for $999. The smaller Navigator 850 comes with wireless features but the larger Navigator 1150 requires an $150 upgrade for Wi-Fi. I’ve never tested a Pit Boss grill, so I can’t vouch for them, but they’re extremely popular and readily available at a host of big box stores in the US.

For more direct alternatives to the new Timberline, I’d consider the Recteq Backyard Beast 1000 or the Weber SmokeFire grills. The Backyard Beast ($1,099) is the largest “traditional” pellet grill in Recteq’s redesigned 2023 lineup introduced in late October. It offers slightly more cooking space at 1,014 square inches and includes new legs, improved wheels and a revamped controller. Weber’s SmokeFire smart grill debuted in 2020, and while the company has made some tweaks since, the same basic design remains. The main benefit is Weber Connect, the company’s grilling app that provides step-by-step guidance, including videos, and estimated completion times. The larger EX6 model has just over 1,000 square inches of grilling capacity and it’s currently available for $999.

When shopping for a pellet grill, remember that they all offer the same basic functionality. You’ll pay more for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to monitor things from your phone, but every model is capable of both low-and-slow smoking, high-heat searing and everything in between. There’s some variation in the max temperature, but the low end of that range is typically 500 degrees Farenheit. That’s plenty of heat for finishing off a steak. Where companies vary most is design and how common features are presented, so you’ll want to pay attention to things like how the metal components on the inside are arranged, how the grates fit in the cooking chamber and the grill controller.

Wrap-up

The 2023 Ironwood starts at $1,800 and the XL model that I tested is $2,000. That’s $500 more than the previous versions, the Ironwood 650 and Ironwood 885. In fact, it’s also more expensive than both of the first-generation Timberline grills, which were top-of-the-line options at the time. I appreciate a lot of the changes that Traeger made, and many of them are improvements, but they’re now significantly more expensive than the most high-end models from the competition. The 2019 Ironwood is a workhorse that still works well and I’d argue it’s a better grill for most people. Ironwood used to be a solid mid-range option in the company’s lineup, but now it’s just another pricey alternative.

1 / 17

Traeger Ironwood (2023) review

Traeger Ironwood (2023) review

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The AutoIgnite Series 545 offers a so-called QuickStart Auto-Ignition that's similar to the Automatic Fire Starter on the Konnected Joe. Here, you press the ignitor button and set the temperature on the control panel. Then you load the internal hopper with up to five pounds of lump charcoal (or seven pounds of briquettes) and stick a fire starter into its holder. The grill's fan and digital controller will do the rest for everything from low-and-slow smoking at 250 degrees Fahrenheit up to searing at 650 degrees.

Unlike the Gravity Series, the charcoal hopper here is inside the cooking chamber. Middleby has given the hopper a cast iron lid so you can use the top of it for high heat searing, but its location limits its capacity. The company says the amounts of charcoal mentioned above are enough for eight hours of cooking, depending on your temperature. This means if you're cooking larger cuts like brisket or pork shoulders you'll have to refill the hopper at some point. It also takes up some of the grilling space. As the name implies, the grill has 545 square inches of cooking area.

The AutoIgnite Series 545 includes some other niceties such as a folding side shelf on the right and an enclosed cart design for storage of grilling tools and accessories. It also comes with cast iron cooking grates and folding chrome wire warming racks. The 545 will be available in February at Home Depot for $499.

Middleby says the Gravity Series XT is "the largest and most advanced Masterbuilt to date." With up to 1,260 square inches of cooking capacity, there's plenty of room to maneuver. Just like previous Gravity Series models, the key aspect is the gravity-fed charcoal hopper on the right side. It can hold up to 12 pounds of lump charcoal or up to 18 pounds of briquettes, which the company says is enough for 24 hours of cooking (again, depending on temps). Like before, you load the hopper from the top and place a fire starter underneath. You'll have to manually light this one, but then the fan takes over and gets the grill to your selected temperature.

While the overall construction looks similar to the existing versions, the Gravity Series XT has a redesigned control panel that's been relocated to the right side of the grill on the frame of the charcoal hopper. The company explains that the new digital controller is similar to what's on the Konnected Joe, with the primary benefit being temperature graphs directly on the display.

The "XT" in the name refers to the "extra-tough build" that includes dual-wall insulation and porcelain coating for the interior. What's more, the grill has a so-called fuel saver design and a fiberglass mesh gasket around the lid that are said to be more efficient with heat, moisture and smoke retention. Middleby says these design elements will lead to 33-percent longer burn time compared to the other Gravity Series models.

There are four levels of cooking space inside the XT thanks to three removable racks. A full-body grease tray in the bottom should improve the chore of clean up. A new U-shaped manifold is designed to reduce flareups as you cook. The left side shelf now houses a towel rack for paper towels or butcher paper as well as a storage drawer and tool hooks. The Gravity Series XT will be available in April from the Masterbuilt website for $1,499.

Both the AutoIgnite Series 545 and the Gravity Series XT are compatible with the Masterbuilt app. The software allows you to control and monitor your grill from anywhere thanks to the grills' Wi-Fi connectivity. That includes being able to watch food and grill temperatures, with both grills accommodating up to four wired probes. Only one is included with the 545, but the XT comes with two. The app can be used to keep tabs on multiple Masterbuilt grills from the same device and you can shut them down from your phone when the time comes. While there is a library of recipes for inspiration, this app doesn't have the deep integration or step-by-step guidance with those that Traeger, Weber and others offer.

Update, December 14 2023, 11:23AM ET: This story has been updated to clarify that they Gravity Series XT can run for up to 24 hours with a full hopper of charcoal. The company revised its press release after its original publication to correct this figure.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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With an appliance the size of a compact mini fridge, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker uses so-called Active Smoke Filtration technology that employs a “catalyst system” to create wood smoke from pellets and combine it with an electric heating element. The airflow setup is designed to impart “maximum flavor” into a variety of foods while tight gaskets keep the smoke inside. GE Appliances says the unit is suitable for all skill levels thanks to five smoke presets. There are also six food-specific settings for popular smoked foods like brisket, ribs, pork butt, chicken wings, chicken breast and salmon. The company says the customization available on the smoker also allows users to prepare side dishes and desserts with the device.

What’s more, there are some conveniences that outdoor smokers don’t offer. A Smoke and Hold feature prepares foods and then keeps them at food-safe temperatures for up to 24 hours. GE Appliances says the smoker also uses a fraction of the wood pellets as outdoor grills, thanks in part to the additional heating element, and that a pellet capture system extinguishes used pellets in a water tank. Lastly, all of the racks and drip trays are dishwasher safe where those components are typically so large on outdoor smokers they need to be washed by hand.

As the name implies, there’s a connected aspect to the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker. With GE Profile Connect+ app, you can adjust smoke levels and monitor the cooking process as the unit includes a food probe. The company says feature updates like guided recipes will be available in the future. This is an indoor device, but you don’t have to sacrifice capacity. GE Appliances says there’s enough room for three racks of baby back ribs, a brisket, up to 40 wings or a 14-pounds pork butt. Since most pork butts you’ll find at grocery stores are around eight pounds or less, there’s ample room for pulled pork.

Taking a look at the device on the show floor at CES 2024, the machine isn’t exactly small. It still carries over a little bit of that former fridge DNA, which is how it first began as a crowdfunding project. A spokesperson added that the project’s backers are receiving machines identical to the retail model, which are being shipped out to them now.

Part of GE’s Profile appliance lineup, it’s an understated machine, with the kind of controls you’d find on premium kitchen appliances.

Because the wood pellets’ only function is to add smokiness and not power the cooking process, only a handful of pellets are needed per smoking session. When the machine’s in action, there’s a mild smokey aroma around the machine, but it dissipates a foot or two away from the machine.

Unfortunately, due to catering rules here at CES, GE wasn’t allowed to serve the brisket they were smoking during the show, so we can’t critique the quality of the end result. It certainly looked (and smelled) good.

The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker will be available from retailers this month for $1,000.

GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker

$1,000 at Williams-Sonoma

Update, January 8 7PM ET: This article has been updated with impressions of the Smart Indoor Smoker from CES 2024.

We’re reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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Lousiville-based chef and Food Network Chopped champion Dallas McGarity is with GE Appliances at CES this week. He explained that he's been using the Smart Indoor Smoker in his restaurant for infusing flavor in everything from spices to cheese and deviled eggs. Of course, when most people think of smoking foods, they think of meat. McGarity prepared a one-bite sampler to showcase the type of flavor we can expect from the device: beef tenderloin with a sweet and spicy rub, roasted garlic barbecue sauce, Southwest breadcrumbs and scallions. An elevated taster, for sure, but not too far from something you might prepare at home.

After just a couple of hours in the Smart Indoor Smoker, the beef had noticeable flavor from the wood pellets. McGarity was also preparing a pork butt, but it still had several hours to go before it would be ready. Given my experience with outdoor smokers, even just one bite gave me a sense of what the GE Profile model was capable of. My main concern was the amount of smoke flavor it would impart, and it was great to see that the device managed infuse an ample amount in a limited time period. That bodes well for an 8- to 12-hour low-and-slow smoke session.

One other aspect of the Smart Indoor Smoker that I was able to see in action was the Clear Smoke function. Or, I should say, I got to see what happens when you don't use it. McGarity was keeping the beef bites warm in the device and, rather than make me wait 10 minutes for the cooking chamber to clear of smoke, he opened the unit and smoke wafted up in the air. Ideally, you wouldn't want to do this in your kitchen, but he worked fast and the cloud was minimal. Even still, the Smart Indoor Smoker recovered quickly, getting back to its target temperature with visible smoke returning in seconds.

The cooker costs $1,000 and, unlike many other gadgets launched at CES, is already available at some retailers.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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Current is a startup backed by W. C. Bradley Co., the parent company of established grilling brands like Char-Broil, Oklahoma Joe's and Pit Boss. As such, the electric grilling entity has the support of an organization with decades of backyard expertise. The first two grills from Current, both called Model G, have similar designs which can be customized with extra storage, either at the time of purchase or at any time afterwards. Even though they look nearly identical except for the front-mounted display, they're designed for two different types of cooking.

"There have been electric grills for a long time [and] they don't have the performance," Current Backyard CEO Tom Penner explained. "This is an infrared cooking system that uses both technology to control the electricity and to adjust the system to understand the cooking environment."

The Model G Dual-Zone Electric Grill has a cooking surface that's divided in half, allowing you to set two different temperatures if needed. Current says this is the only full-sized 110-volt electric grill on the market that can hit a max temp of 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to the grate design, the company is promising fewer flare-ups than gas grills, which is also partially because there's no open flame. It also explained that you shouldn't need to dump the grease tray too often as much of that burns off during cooking, thanks to the infrared burners. And when there is too much buildup, a SmartClean mode can be activated either on the grill or inside the company's app.

To cater to the flat-top trend, the Model G Electric Griddle can hit 600 degrees. In fact, Current says it heats faster and hotter than any other electric griddle in this category. The Model G is larger than the competition, too. An Auto-Seasoning feature helps you keep the cooking area ready for foods and the grill's cooking system keeps temperatures consistent.

"It's a smart grill that we have dialed in the software and the algorithms to run the griddle separately, to keep that even temperature across the surface," Penner said. "And regardless of if you open or shut your lid, it's adjusting all the time."

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Current Backyard Model G electric grill

Current Backyard Model G electric grill

Similar to most connected grills these days, both of the Model G units work with Current's mobile app. Here, there are guided recipes to assist novices or to serve as inspiration for experienced outdoor cooks. The app will also display time, ambient temp and food temperatures, with the latter coming from two wired probes that ship with the grills. SmartClean and Auto-Seasoning modes can be triggered from the software and you can shut the grills down without having to venture outside. For safety reasons though, you still have to start both Model G options by setting the temp and pressing a button.

Both the Model G Dual-Zone Electric Grill and Model G Electric Griddle are available for preorder now and will begin shipping on February 5. The grill starts at $899 and the griddle at $799, with those prices including the standard cart. You can upgrade to a storage cabinet for $100 more. The company says both models will be available in major retailers as well, so you'll likely be able to see one in person before committing.

We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.

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The Flagship XL 1400 has all of the updates that were announced with the Flagship 1100 last fall, including the updated Wi-Fi-enabled controller and sturdier leg design. The key difference on this new version is increased cooking capacity. The Flagship XL 1400 has 1,437 square inches of grilling space, with a second grate situated above the main cooking surface. Recteq also increased the size of the pellet hopper, which can now hold a massive 60 pounds of fuel when full. Depending on which brand you use, that’s at least three bags of pellets — way more than even the longest brisket cook will require.

Like the Flagship 1100, this XL version does more than low-and-slow smoking as it has a temperature range of 180-650 degrees Fahrenheit. And the Wi-Fi connectivity means you can adjust cooking temps and monitor internal food temperatures from your phone. The Flagship XL 1400 is available now for $1,599.

Permanent outdoor kitchens have become increasingly popular spaces for socializing at home. These typically include a grill that’s been mounted into some type of fixed counter or cabinetry, but there aren’t a lot of options if you want to do that with a pellet grill. Most people simply remove the legs or cart for a pellet model to make it work in these setups, but Recteq has a new option that’s specifically designed for outdoor kitchens.

The E-Series Built-In 1300 is a fully stainless steel smart pellet grill with 1,300 square inches of cooking space. This model also packs Recteq’s recently updated Wi-FI controller with dual-band connectivity and compatibility with the company’s app. Like the SmokeStone griddle, the E-Series Built-In has a front-fill hopper for easy access and removable secondary cooking grates. The company says an a-frame-shaped drip pan makes grease drainage more efficient and a cast iron deflector helps evenly distribute the heat.

Like the company’s other pellet grills, the E-Series Built-In is more than just a smoker, which means it can be the cornerstone of an outdoor kitchen without needing another grill. This model can run at 180-700 degrees Fahrenheit, which will accommodate everything from barbecue to searing. Grills like this that are permanently installed are typically quite pricey, and the E-Series Built-In 1300 is no exception. It’s $3,499, which is $900 more than the company’s 2,535-square inch “BFG” unit, previously the most expensive option in the Recteq arsenal.

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Design

The GE Profile indoor smoker has the stature of a small mini fridge. It’s not far off from the quick-cooking ovens behind the counter at Starbucks either. Its glossy front is two-thirds door, complete with viewing window, while the remaining space is dedicated to the control panel and pellet waste bin. Up top is a small sliding door at the front left for adding food-grade wood pellets. The sides and back look plain and boring, like a countertop oven or microwave, but that’s just fine. The contraption is short enough to fit under cabinets, but you’ll want to leave space on the sides and back for radiant heat.

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GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker

The smoker imparts noticeable wood-fired flavor into meats, seafood and sides, plus it offers some handy features. It requires a few extra steps grills don’t, but you also don’t have to venture outdoors to use it.

ProsIndoor smokingNoticeable smoky flavorEasy cleanupKeep Warm feature is very handyConsHaving to flip and rotate food is a hassleLimited app functionalityTakes up significant counter spacePuts out a lot of warm air$899 at Sur La TableExplore More Buying Options$899 at Amazon$899 at Macy’s

At the bottom of the front, there’s a vent where the GE Profile indoor smoker expels warm air while it’s cooking. The company also provides a small drip tray that slides under the front edge to help keep your counter clean. Over to the right, a display sits up top to show you status, probe temperature, smoker temperature, cook time and smoke level. You turn a knob to navigate settings and menus and then press to confirm your choices. Back and Start buttons flank that dial on the left and right sides respectively. There’s progress and status lights that encircle the knob too, adding a visual cue during preheating, cooking and more.

Under the knob is a smattering of buttons to get to certain functions quickly. These include settings, cancel, the interior light, activating the Clear Smoke feature and toggling between probe temperature and cooking time on the display. There’s also a power switch in this group and they’re all touch-based rather than clicky physical buttons.

Inside, supports snap onto the sides to hold the three moveable racks in place. A drip pan slides into the bottom to catch grease and other debris. To keep tabs on food temps, a probe snaps into a jack at the top right of the cooking chamber and can be stored on the outside of the smoker via a magnetic holder when not in use. Lastly, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker’s prime piece of tech, the Active Smoke Filtration system, is on the back interior wall.

Setup and use

Another benefit of the GE Profile indoor smoker is that it’s ready to go out of the box. There’s no seasoning or burn-off required to get rid of oils or other manufacturing leftovers. Simply snap the rack supports in place, slide in the racks, put the drip pan in the bottom and that’s it for the cooking chamber. Once you add pellets in the slot up top and fill the water tank to the indicated level, the smoker is almost ready to start cooking.

One more step you’ll need to do the first time you cook, or anytime you empty the pellet chute, is to prime the auger. This ensures that the device will start producing smoke quickly and efficiently, giving your food as much time as possible to bathe in it. Afterwards, you can choose a preset or opt to go full manual mode (called Customize) and you’re off and running.

GE Profile has dialed-in selections for brisket, pork ribs, pork butt, wings, chicken and salmon. These offer the necessary time and temperature settings for proper cooking, including a recommended smoke level. Additionally, you can determine the duration of the cook based on time or internal food temperature. Once either of those are achieved, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker can automatically go into Keep Warm mode until you’re ready to eat.

A word on larger cuts: you’ll need to portion them out in order to make them fit. For things like ribs and brisket, you can easily slice them in half and make use of the rack system. I did chuckle when reading the recipe book as GE Profile says you can fit a 18-pound brisket in this smoker. That single cut of beef would take up most of the cooking area on some pellet grills, so you definitely have to cut it to fit here. And even then, the pieces will be quite large.

Pork butts fit with ease, as do whole chickens. If you prefer to spatchcock your birds to cook them, that won’t work here. However, you could easily do two chicken halves. I was also able to accommodate nearly four pounds of wings (flats and drums) across the three racks. Basically, any meat you’d smoke on an outdoor grill can be done on this unit, but some of them will take a bit of extra planning, and maybe a few cuts, to get them to fit.

How does the GE Indoor Smoker work?

After you’ve selected your preset or manually entered your cooking parameters and pressed start, the GE Profile indoor smoker will ask you to confirm that you’ve added both pellets to the chute and water to the waste bin. From there, the device will preheat to the appropriate temperature before it begins producing any smoke. This will allow you to put your food inside without having to clear the smoke immediately. The last step is to push the start dial once more to begin the smoking process.

Before you open the door while things are cooking, you’ll need to activate the Clear Smoke function to avoid setting off any alarms in your kitchen. This takes 10 minutes, so you’ll have to plan ahead a bit – unless you don’t mind smoking up the room. I mention this because you will have to flip and rotate nearly everything you prepare in this thing to make sure it cooks evenly. I learned this lesson the hard way with a pork butt that burned on top but was undercooked near the bone. A simple flip and front-to-back rotation for everything about half-way through the process remedied the issue for everything I cooked after that, but it is an extra step that outdoor grills don’t require. You can leave a pork butt on a pellet grill unbothered until it’s done, but those have fans pushing heat around the cooking chamber. GE Profile says it didn’t opt for a convection fan in this unit because of how it would’ve affected the flow of smoke.

Can you taste the smoke?

One of the biggest questions I had about the GE Profile indoor smoker is if you’d actually be able to taste the smoke. The unit burns just enough wood pellets to fill the cooking chamber with smoke, which is enough to give proteins a kiss of flavor. It’s certainly not as intense as what you get on an outdoor grill, but it’s definitely there.

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GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker food samples

A single baby back rib bone, sliced to show the interior texture.

Since the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker does an excellent job of regulating temperature, the texture of all of those meats, and even seafood, is consistently moist and tender. Smoke flavor was most prominent in wings, chicken and salmon, but I could taste it in larger cuts of meat, too. GE Profile allows you to adjust the smoke level from 0 to 5, so you can crank it all the way up to maximize the flavor if that’s your culinary preference. I almost always set it to level 5.

Let’s talk about smoke rings

One thing you won’t see on meat cooked low-and-slow in the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is a smoke ring. This is the pink area along the outside of sliced meats that most people think indicates how well smoke has penetrated the food. That’s actually a misconception. A smoke ring is caused by a chemical reaction with nitric oxide gas produced by burning wood or charcoal. It isn’t by any means an indication of the level of smoke flavor, or even good barbecue.

Outdoor pellet grills, offset smokers and even a Weber kettle with charcoal will create a noticeable smoke ring on things like ribs, pork butts and briskets. The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker will not. That’s because the appliance isn’t burning wood pellets as the heat source – it’s only using them to flavor the food. That takes very little fuel, and it also requires barely any heat to smolder them.

You can actually fake a smoke ring if you really want one for the ‘gram, but overdoing it can ruin your food, so tread carefully. For that, you’ll need a small amount of something that contains sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, like Morton’s Tender Quick. It’s the stuff that’s used to cure pastrami, where the pink color is essential.

Cleanup and maintenance

Unlike most outdoor grills, all of the racks and rack supports inside the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker are dishwasher safe – simply by virtue of being small enough to fit. Since you’ll have to wipe down the interior of the cooking chamber with a solution of either mild soap and water or vinegar and water, not having to hand-wash what’s sure to be the dirtiest part of the machine is a plus. The drip pan is made out of a similar material to roasting pans you’d use in an oven, so you can probably stick it in the dishwasher too. I have been doing this with no issues so far, but you can always wrap it in foil before you start smoking for easy cleaning.

You’ll also need to empty the water tank that collects and extinguishes the spent pellets after each use, though the smoker may ask you to do so midway through longer sessions. You’ll need to strain out the remaining wood particles from the water before discarding the cooled solids in the trash. Since the water container doesn’t touch any food, a quick wipe and rinse is all that’s needed here.

GE Profile says you’ll occasionally need to clean the pellet ramp to ensure proper smoke production. The company includes a small brush that’s used to keep unwanted debris out of the cooking chamber. Simply lift the smoke inlet cover on the right side of the cooking area and use the brush to remove anything that’s accumulated there. The company also recommends that you wipe the interior light after each use. I assume that’s so you’ll be able to see well during the cooking process, but GE Profile doesn’t elaborate on why you need to do it.

GE Profile SmartHQ app

The Smart Indoor Smoker works with GE Profile’s SmartHQ app to allow you to monitor the small appliance over Wi-Fi. With this software, you can monitor smoker and food temperatures from anywhere, as well as activate the 10-minute Clear Smoke process from the sofa. The app also lets you turn the internal light on and off, but that’s really about it. You can’t actually adjust the smoker temperature without walking over to it.

The smoker comes with a recipe book, but it would’ve been great if those (and many more) were available inside the app. Those instructions, paired with the ability to send the appropriate cooking info to the device, would give new users a lot of ways to get started beyond the simple protein-specific presets. I would also love it if there was a way to trigger the Keep Warm function or shut down the smoker remotely. You know, for the times when I get too excited about putting pulled pork in my mouth and forget to turn the machine off before sitting down at the table.

Is it better than an outdoor grill?

While it’s tempting to compare the results from the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker to those of a pellet, charcoal or wood-burning grill, it would be like discussing apples and oranges. Since all of the other options have an open flame and use significantly more fuel as the primary heat source, the smoke flavor is much more intense. They also require a lot more planning. First, you’d need dedicated outdoor space where those grills and smokers will be safe to use. You’ll also need to consider the added cleaning and maintenance needed to keep them running well.

All of these outdoor grills have a wider temperature range, so they can be used for more than just smoking. You could use a pellet grill, for example, to do everything from brisket to searing steaks. Ditto for charcoal or wood-burning units. And if you factor in Wi-Fi-enabled features, outdoor grills typically allow you to adjust temperature in addition to just monitoring it. Some of them even offer advanced tools like the Super Smoke mode from Traeger or the ability to send recipes to the grill as part of step-by-step guidance.

All this considered, the GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker is still a good option for people who can’t have an outdoor smoker due to rental agreements or a lack of space. You’ll certainly need to plan ahead on how to store the appliance when you’re not using it. But, the fact that you can put it in your kitchen opens up the ability to cook barbecue, smoked wings, tasty seafood and more that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It’s not entirely a “set it and forget it” type of device, and there are some hoops to jump through in terms of rotating things during the cook. However, you won’t have to spend hours babying the meats the cooking starts.

Wrap-up

The GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker works just like the company describes. The only real nuisance is having to flip and rotate foods to make sure they’re cooked properly. I really wish the company was more up-front about this somewhere other than the troubleshooting table and recipe book. It’s a key action that shouldn’t be left to trial and error. Even with that caveat, the device produces noticeably smoky flavor in a range of foods, albeit in a more-subdued way than what an outdoor grill.

Presets make it easy to get started and the manual mode will provide an open playground once you gain some experience. This won’t replace your pellet or charcoal grill, but that’s not really the point. It lets people who can’t own one of those make some tasty barbecue inside their kitchens. You just have to find a place to store it, or give up previously allocated countertop space, between smoke sessions.

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GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker review

GE Profile Smart Indoor Smoker has just started smoked chicken wings. Photo is from the left corner, interior light is on.

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Disassemble, scrub, reassemble

A good rule of thumb when it comes to cleaning anything you haven’t used in a while is to take it apart as much as you feel comfortable and give it a thorough wipe down. For grills, this means removing the grates and any bars or burner covers – basically, anything you can take out that’s not the heating element. This gives you a chance to inspect the burners of your gas grill or the fire pot of a pellet model for any unsightly wear and tear. If those components are worn out or overly rusted, most companies offer replacements that you can easily swap out with a few basic tools.

Once all the pieces are out, start by scraping excess debris off all sides of the interior – with the help of some cleaner if needed. For a gas grill, this likely means pushing everything out through the grease trap. On a pellet grill, you’ll want to scrape the grease chute clear and out into the catch can, but you’ll also need to vacuum the interior with a shop vac – just like you would after every few hours of use. And while you’re at it, go ahead and empty the hopper of any old pellets that have been sitting since Labor Day. Fuel that’s been sitting in the grill for months won’t give you the best results when it comes time to cook so you might as well start fresh.

Thankfully, pellet grill companies have made easy cleaning a key part of their designs. Weber’s SmokeFire has a set of metal bars on the inside that can be removed quickly to open up the bottom of the chamber. This is also a design feature of the company’s gas grills. Simply vacuum or push the debris out the grease chute. The catch pan where all of the garbage ends up is also easy to access from the front of the grill, and you can remove the aluminum liner and replace it with a new one in seconds.

Traeger’s most recent pellet grills were also redesigned to improve cleaning. Most notably, grease and ash end up in the same “keg” that’s easy to detach from the front of the grill. The company also allows you to quickly remove all of the interior components, though they’re larger than what you find on the SmokeFire. Lastly, Traeger moved the pellet chute to the front of the new Timberline and Ironwood, making it a lot more convenient to swap out wood varieties or empty an old supply.

You’ll want to get as much of the food leftovers out of your grill as possible for a few reasons. First, that stuff is old and lots of build-up over time can hinder cooking performance and might impact flavor. The last thing you want is old food or grease burning off right under an expensive ribeye. Second, in the case of pellet grills, not properly clearing out grease and dust can be dangerous. It’s easy for grease fires to start at searing temperatures and if there’s enough pellet dust in the bottom of your grill, it can actually ignite or explode. That’s why companies tell you to vacuum it out after every few hours of use.

To actually clean the surfaces, you’ll want to get an all-natural grill cleaner. There are tons of options here, and it may take some time to find one you like. I typically use Traeger’s formula since it’s readily available at the places I buy pellets and I’ve found it works well cutting through stuck-on muck. You want an all-natural grill cleaner over a regular household product as it’s safe to use on surfaces that will touch your food. They’re also safe to use on the exterior of your grill without doing any damage to chrome, stainless steel or any other materials.

Spray down the inside and give things a few minutes to work. Wipe it all clean and go back over any super dirty spots as needed. Ditto for the grates, bars and any other pieces you removed. I like to lay these out on a yard waste trash bag (they’re bigger than kitchen bags) so all the stuff I scrape or clean off doesn’t get all over my deck. You can use shop towels if you want to recycle or paper towels if not, but just know whatever you choose will be covered in nasty black grime so you won’t want to just toss them in the clothes washer when you’re done. A pre-wash in a bucket or sink is needed to make sure you don’t transfer gunk from your grill to your business casuals.

In terms of tools, you don’t need much. I’ve tried that grill robot that claims to do the job for you, but I’ve found sticking to the basics is more efficient. And honestly, when you get the hang of it, it doesn’t take all that long. It’s a good idea to have a wire brush specifically for the grates that you don’t use to clean anything else. After all, this will be touching the same surfaces you put food on. I recommend another, smaller wire brush – the ones that look like big toothbrushes – for cleaning the burners on a gas grill. If you notice the flame isn’t firing through one of the holes, you can use this to clean the pathway. Lastly, plastic is the way to go for a scraper, anything else and you risk scratching the surfaces of your grill. Sure, any damage done would be on the inside, but it’s still not a great feeling to knick up your previous investment.

Check for updates before your first cook

If you have a smart grill from the likes of Traeger, Weber or another company, you’ll want to plug it in and check for software updates well in advance of your first grilling session. Chances are you haven’t cooked much since last fall, which means companies have had months to push updates to their devices. Trust me, there’s nothing worse than spending an hour trimming and seasoning a brisket only to walk outside to start the grill and it immediately launches into the update process. This could extend the whole cooking time significantly depending on the extent of the firmware additions and strength of your WiFi.

Thankfully, checking for updates is quick and easy. All you need to do is turn on your grill and open up the company’s app on your phone. If there’s a download ready for your model, the mobile software will let you know and it’s usually quite prominent. If there’s not a pop-up alert that displays immediately, you can check the settings menu just to make sure. Sometimes for smaller updates, a company might not beat you over the head to refresh. However, starting a fresh slate of firmware is always a safe bet and will ensure your grill is running at its best when it comes time to cook.

For a good time every time, clean after each use

I’ll be the first to admit I don’t adhere to my own advice here, but it’s nice to have goals. I will also be the first to tell you every single time I smoke a Boston Butt or some other super fatty cut of meat that I wish I would’ve done at least a quick cleaning right after the meal. Grease buildup is not only highly flammable but it’s much harder to clean once it cools and solidifies. Ditto for stuck-on sauce or cheese that’s left on your grates after chicken or burgers. It’s best to attack these things while the grill is still warm, but cooled down from the cook.

You don’t necessarily have to break out the shop vac each time for your pellet grill or empty the grease bin. But you’ll want to make sure that stuff is away from the main cooking area for safety and so any burn off won’t impact the flavor of your food. A few cups of hot water can cleanse the grease run-off while that wire brush I mentioned is best for the grates. It also doesn’t hurt to do a light wipe down with an all-natural cleaner so everything is ready to go when you want to cook again.

New grills coming soon

A number of grill companies have already announced their 2024 product lineups. If you’re looking for new gear for the summer, some of them are already available while others will be arriving over the next few weeks. Recteq announced a robust group of grills in October, all of which are Wi-Fi-connected pellet models. The company also updated its family of “regular” pellet grills while taking the wraps off the SmokeStone 600 griddle and the dual-chamber DualFire 1000.

Weber has also tipped its hand for 2024. Back at CES, the company revealed a redesigned pellet grill, the Searwood, that will replace the SmokeFire in North America. Part of Searwood’s feature set is a special mode that allows you to use the grill while the lid is open for things like searing and flat-top griddling. Weber also debuted a new gas griddle, the Slate, that has a specially designed cooking surface that the company promises won’t rust and a digital temperature gauge. What’s more, there’s a new premium Summit smart gas grill with a massive touchscreen color display and top-mounted infrared broiler. Smart features here help with everything from gas flow to individual burners to monitoring fuel supply and dialing in the cooking process. All of the new Weber grills are scheduled to arrive this spring.

We haven’t heard much from Traeger this year and there’s a good chance the company won’t have new grills in 2024. It overhauled the Timberline in 2022 and brought some of the latest features, including the touchscreen display, to the Ironwood in 2023. Never say never, but if you’re looking for another all-new Traeger grill, you might be waiting several months.

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