If you’re tired of refilling your propane tank at the local hardware store or want to eliminate the mess of charcoal grilling, the $899 Current Model G Dual Zone Grill can help. This all-electric outdoor grill uses a pair of heating elements that operate independently of each other to provide precise dual-zone cooking temperatures without the need for an open flame. It has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio and can be controlled with your phone and most importantly, it delivers delicious grilled food.
Design and features: Two zones for diversity
Made from stainless steel, the 116-pound Model G is a good-looking grill, but it has the look, feel, and weight of some of our favorites like the Brisk It Origin 940 (167 pounds), $1,199.99 Traeger Ironwood 650 (146 pounds), or wood pellet grill, $1,599. Weber EPX-335 (210 lb) Propane Grill. It has a silver and gray finish with black trim and a gold bolt logo on the lid, and it spans 45 by 49 by 24 inches (HWD) of shelves on both sides.
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The front of the grill has a 14-inch (diagonal) full-color LED control panel with a large dial in the middle for setting cooking temperatures and timers. The dial has an LED ring that is solid blue when the grill is on and waiting to set temperature, flashes red when the grill is pre-heating, solid red when target temperature is reached, yellow when Smart Clean mode is activated, and grill error. Flashes orange when encountered.
On either side of the dial, you’ll see large temperature readings for each zone that alternate between the target temperature and the actual cooking chamber temperature. The large temperature readouts are a nice touch as they are easily read from a distance. A zone selector button lets you choose which zone to control (both zones are controlled by default). Other touch controls include a power button, a timer set button, and a smart clean button that sets the heat to maximum for 30 minutes to burn off and drain any grease. The control panel also displays the current probe temperature, a timer countdown and a Wi-Fi indicator. There are two temperature probe jacks on either side of the control panel.
With a temperature range of 200 to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, the Model G can be used for low and slow cooking, high-heat searing, and everything in between. It plugs into a standard 110-volt GFCI outlet using a 12-foot three-prong cord and offers 422 square inches of cooking space on four anodized aluminum grates and an upper stainless steel rack. In comparison, the Brisk Eat Origin 940 Pellet Grill offers 940 square inches of cooking space and the Weber EPX-335 offers 787 square inches.
Our Model G review unit came with a pair of removable storage trays mounted under the cooking chamber, but you can order a slide-out storage bin or a cabinet kit ($99 each) if you need enclosed storage.
Two large wheels on the back of the cart and two small caster wheels on the front make it easy to move the grill from place to place. Two 13-by-17-inch (WD) shelves can be folded away when not needed, and each shelf has two hooks for storing utensils. The grill has two temperature probes, a storage cradle for the probes that you can hang on a hook, and a grease tray that slides into a slot on the back panel.
In addition to the onboard panel, you can control the grill using the current mobile app for iOS and Android devices. This opens to a cook screen that instructs you to power up the grill and manually set your desired cooking temperature using the onboard controls. Once the grill is on, the cook screen allows you to view current and target temperatures, change temperature settings for both zones, turn one or both zones on and off, start and cancel Smart Cleaning (Auto Clean) mode, view food search temperatures , and power down the grill. While on this screen you can swipe right to see a live graph showing temperature changes in each zone.
At the bottom of the screen are buttons labeled Recipe, Cook, Discover, and Account. The recipe button brings up a searchable database of recipes for beef, lamb, chicken, seafood, vegetables and more. The list includes basics like burger patties, steaks and ribs, as well as more exotic dishes like jerk chicken, fireball whiskey chicken wings and honey ginger barbecue pork. Only 87 recipes were available at the time of our review but will be adding more recipes with current time. By comparison, Trager’s database offers more than 1,500 recipes, while Brisk It Origin offers 940 seemingly infinite AI-generated recipes. Unfortunately, you can’t send recipes directly to the Model G like Brisk It and Traeger grills.
The Discover button takes you to a screen where you can see cooking tips on how to reverse sear steak, grill chicken, and cook over indirect heat. Here, you can also shop for current grills, griddles and accessories. Use the Account button to change your email and app password, and configure notifications for when your target temperature is reached, when your internal probe temperature is reached, and when a timer has expired. You can also set a reminder to cover the grill when it gets cold.
Installation and Performance: Easy assembly, delicious results
The Model G is fairly easy to assemble, but like most grills of this size, it’s a good idea to have an extra set of hands available. Following the instructions in the Quick Start Guide, I downloaded the BILT 3D Assembly app (available for Android and iOS) and it automatically opened to the Model G Dual Zone and provided illustrated instructions for the assembly process with voice prompts.
It took two people from the box to the cooking chamber, but after that, I was able to assemble most of the cart myself. Once the legs, shelves, and wheels were attached, I bolted the chamber onto the cart (you’ll need help lifting it onto the cart), attached the side shelves, slid the grease tray into the slot behind the grill, and placed the grates in the chamber. The entire process took less than an hour to complete.
Next, I downloaded the current mobile app and followed the instructions to pair the Grill with my phone via Bluetooth and connect it to my Wi-Fi network. Once connected, I gave the grill a name and was ready to cook.
When I fired up the grill for the first time, I set the two cooking zones to maximum (700 degrees) because I wanted to make a few pizzas. A few minutes later I got an E02 error notification that the grill temperature sensors were faulty and the grill shut down. I tried different temperature settings with the same results. As it turns out, the company had to send me two new temperature probes with installation instructions. I installed the new sensor within five minutes, and the problem was solved.
With everything working fine, I set both dials to max and waited about 40 minutes to come up to temperature. The current recipe database doesn’t offer a pizza recipe, so I used my own and prepared it while waiting for the grill to preheat. I placed the pizza on a pizza stone and cooked for 3 minutes. I love a crispy pizza crust, so I gave it another 60 seconds and was rewarded with a delicious pepperoni pie with a little char around the edges.
Next up were some ribeye steaks and grilled asparagus. The current recipe for ribeyes instructs me to preheat the grill to 525 degrees and cook the steaks for 5 minutes before flipping, but that’s based on 1.5-inch-thick steaks. Since my steaks were about 0.75 inches thick, I heated a single zone to 450 degrees, seared the steaks for 3 minutes on each side, then seared them for another 2 minutes on each side. The steaks came out juicy and were cooked evenly with nice grill marks. For the asparagus, I set the other zone to 400 degrees (per recipe instructions), brushed the stalks with olive oil, added some salt and pepper, and grilled for 5 minutes before flipping and grilling for another 4 minutes until they were slightly wilted. . Crispy but still tender. They taste incredible.
Model Geo handles the basics with aplomb. I grilled a few cheeseburgers and hot dogs at 400 degrees and they were evenly cooked and delicious. Since I was using electric heat, there was no flare-up.
Verdict: Simple electric grilling
The current Model G Dual Zone Grill makes outdoor grilling easy. Simply plug it in and set your desired cooking temperature to roast, bake or sear your food without worrying about running out of fuel or stoking coals. It offers easy-to-follow assembly instructions, can hit temperatures up to 700 degrees, and produces delicious grilled food. You can adjust the target temperature in either of the two cooking zones using onboard controls or a mobile app, but you won’t find the wide array of cooking recipes some other grills offer. At $899.99, the Model GT isn’t exactly affordable, but it’s one of the least expensive smart grills we’ve tested. That said, for $200 more, the Brisk It Origin offers scores of 940 AI-generated recipes that you can download directly to the grill, offers twice as much cooking space, and is built like a tank, but uses pellets instead of electric.
4.0
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$899.00 In the present backyard
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The current Model G is an electric outdoor grill that offers precise cooking temperatures with two independent cooking zones and helpful app controls.
About John R. Delaney
Contributing Editor
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