It’s not a competition. But it kind of is. In the round robin of summer gatherings, everyone is covertly keeping an eye out for who has the best/coolest/newest grill. The Spark Grill may very well win that non-competition. The crux of its greatness comes in taking the best thing about charcoal (smoke, flavor) and combining it with the best features of propane (low mess, temp control). Then it wraps it all up in a sleek but burly exterior.
The difference is the form the charcoal takes. Made from natural wood and charcoal, Spark Grill fuel comes in the form of a brick (instead of briquettes). Trademarked as “Briq,” the charcoal has oxygen holes to help regulate the temp and an ignition layer on the outside that heats up faster than lumps. Because the Briq stays intact during use, clean up is far less daunting. While they haven’t worked out the details on pricing for the Briqs, they expect one to cost about the same as a bag of hardwood lump charcoal — and they plan to ship the grill with a fair amount of Briqs to get you started.
The fact that the grill is powered (either via an AC plug or a 60 watt battery pack) adds some unique control features. Start it up with a click of the instant electric ignition to light up the Briq, then dial in the temp you want. Internal fans work to stoke and cool the grill which means you can set and hold temps from 200° to 900°F. Connect your phone (using low energy Bluetooth and Spark Grill’s app) and you’ll be notified when your grill is heated up and ready to cook.
As far as materials, Spark grills are built from double-walled, porcelain-enameled steel on the outside and stainless steel on the inside. The porcelain-enameled cast iron grill grates can accommodate about twelve burgers at a time.
Pre-orders are opening up soon and you can sign up for the waitlist now — if you do, they’ll throw in 20 free Briqs with your order and then, when the time finally rolls around for backyard grilling, you can prepare to win the best grill contest. Even though no one’s counting.
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