Weber's new gas smart grills put the perfect steak an app-tap away

Weber is baking smart grilling tech into its gas grill models, expanding the Weber Connect system which allows cooks to remotely monitor and control how their meal is progressing. The new models – which see the connectivity added to Weber's popular Genesis and Spirit lines – tap the June smart oven technology which the companies first collaborated on, and which Weber subsequently brought in-house this year when it acquired June.

Initially it'll be the Genesis EX-315, Genesis EX-335, Genesis SX-335, and Spirit SX-315 grills which have the new functionality. All four will support WiFi connectivity, allowing them to get online via your home network.

From that point, you'll be able to use Weber's smartphone app to remotely track how the cook is going. The Weber Connect will show grill progress – avoiding having to open the lid and let heat escape – as well as suggest when to flip things like steaks over for the best results. It'll also prompt when to serve.

You won't need the app, mind. The four models also have displays which show the same information on the grills themselves, plus there are audible temperature notifications. That display will also show the current fuel levels in the gas tank, though you'll also be able to check that remotely.

In addition, the app serves as a recipe and learning hub. There are step-by-step guides for the best ways to take advantage of cooking with a gas grill, Weber says, along with recipe suggestions.

Most affordable of the four is the Weber Spirit SX-315, at $849. It has a warming rack, plus porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates, and a porcelain-enameled lid. Weber says it offers 529 square inches of grilling space, but can still fit on a large balcony if that's all the area you have to devote to outdoor cooking.

For those wanting more, the 2021 Genesis smart grills kick off with the Genesis EX-315 at $1,029, then the EX-335 at $1,239, and finally the SX-335 at $1,349. All three have three high-heat burners, a Sear Zone, and a total of 669 square inches of grilling space. The Genesis EX-335 and SX-335 throw in a side burner too, while the flagship SX-335 has a stainless steel lid and cooking grates. The other two have porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates, and a porcelain-enameled lid; all three have a folding warming rack and LED lighting for low-light use.

Weber says the new smart grills will go on sale from the spring, in black or stainless steel.