Barbecue without gas or charcoal? Grilling goes electric

Electric grills are one of the hottest gadgets of the summer, but the jury's still out on whether they're worth the high price.

Why it matters: Americans are spending more than ever on home grilling — grilled cabbage, anyone? — but gas stoves and charcoal briquettes have been linked to climate and health risks.

Driving the news: A new category of appliances is trying to compete for American's lust for outdoor cooking: electric grills, which don't use an open flame.

• They're billed as environmentally friendly, which matters as cities and states ban gas appliances because of their health and climate impacts.
• They're marketed to people who live in apartments or have terraces or wooden decks, where open-flame outdoor cooking isn't safe or permitted.
• They're also geared toward young adults, who may be new to grilling and welcome an app-enabled device that takes the guesswork out of cooking.

Fun fact: Electric grills tend to be Bluetooth and Wi-Fi enabled, so you can monitor your outdoor cooking while doing prep work in the kitchen.

• "You have a lot of consumers that have either never grilled at all or may not feel comfortable with a propane tank," Tom Penner, CEO of electric grill maker Current Backyard, tells Axios.
• But "they're very comfortable with using electronics, using connected systems."

Where it stands: Electric grills come in all sizes and shapes, and are made by familiar names like Weber and Americana.

• Two of the splashier new products are made by Current Backyard, a subsidiary of W.C. Bradley, which also owns Char-Broil and Pit Boss.
• Current Backyard introduced two large electric grills in January — at $800 and $900 — and has been rolling them out to major retailers.
• They plug in to a regular 110-volt outlet, and heat as high as 700 degrees.
• They "perform as well if not better than any gas grill," Penner asserts. "You can control the temperature even better."

How it works: Both of Current Backyard's products — the Model G Dual Zone Grill and the Model G Griddle — use an infrared cooking system that places the heat at the grate.

• Because of the high cooking temperature, "you can sear a steak faster on our grill" than a conventional one, Penner says.
• People seeking additional flavor can introduce wood chips or charcoal.

The infrared system "gives that charring or brownness on the outside and keeps the inside just as soft as possible," Penner says.

• "Steak, chicken, hamburger — those all cook exceptionally well," he adds. "If you put vegetables on the grill, it's not going to dry them out."

Yes, but: Some reviewers have been disappointed.

• "This smart electric grill can't replace your barbecue," declared Lifehacker's Amanda Blum of the Model G Dual Zone Grill.
• "While it is meant for the outdoors, requiring outdoor-sized real estate, and it will put grill marks on your food, this electric grill is just that — a grill," she writes.
• "Simply put, it was like taking a giant George Foreman grill out on the patio."

Food & Wine gave higher marks to the Weber Lumin Electric Grill ($489), but questioned its premise.

• "Isn't the whole point of grilling to cook over fire?" wrote Daniel Modlin.
• On the plus side, the grill reached 600 degrees within 15 minutes and put a good sear on his carne asada.
• On the minus side, it needs to be cleaned a lot, and "your food won't be imbued with the same charcoal flavoring you'd get with a charcoal grill."

The bottom line: Purists may scoff, but electric grilling could be the wave of the future.

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