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Current Backyard is a new electric grill brand under the W.C. Bradley Co. umbrella, the makers of grill brands like Charbroil, Oklahoma Joe’s, and Pit Boss. That’s to say while the brand is new, it brings decades of serious grilling chops. Current sent us a Model G to test out how it compares to other grills.
Current Backyard is focused on marketing to those that may not currently own a grill. Electricity as a fuel source is perfect for people that live in apartments or town homes where fire is prohibited.
It’s also perfect for anyone that wants a hassle-free grilling experience. There’s no lugging around a propane tank, building a fire the right way with charcoal, or spending money on fuel outside of your electric bill.
Features and Specs
- Base retail price of $899 (check price)
- Max temperature of 700°F for searing steaks
- Digitally controlled, dual temperature zones
- 330 square inches of cooking area and a warming rack
Cabinet Build
The Model G comes in different cabinet and cart configurations depending on your needs and budget. There’s no propane tank underneath, so it’s all storage space.
The one I’ve been cooking with has prep trays underneath in nice compartments. They work well if that’s how you cook. If you’re looking to save money though, they aren’t a necessity.
The side shelves on the grill are one of my favorite features and offer plenty of space for cooking for the average sized family. What makes the side shelves stand out is they are collapsible, but not hinged.
Hinged side shelves usually flex a little and don’t offer confidence. The collapsible side shelves feel solid and shrink the footprint of the grill when you put them down.
A tip with the shelve though that will save some time and frustration. When you put them up there’s a pin underneath that locks them in place. If you go to take them off and they feel like they keep getting hung-up, pull the pin back and you’ll be able to easily remove them.
Technology
The Model G offers the best tech of any of the electric grills near this price point. You spin the dial to set the temperature of the grill, so there’s not guesswork.
There are two zones, which lets you set one temperature for the left half of the grill and a different one for the right. This lets you cook different food with different temperature needs at the same time. There’s also a warming rack on the back of the grill.
You can connect two temperature probes to the grill, so you know when your food is done cooking. Both the temperature of the grill and the probes are controllable through the Current Backyard app.
The app has a nice interface and has all the features you’d want from an app. In addition to temperatures, it has recipes and a “how-to” section, to make using it easier.
Cooking
The most important question for any grill, how does it cook? It does a great job cooking and adds that traditional grilled flavor.
There are some trade-offs however with using an electric grill. The Model G is leaps and bounds better than other electric grills, but it still doesn’t have the power of a gas grill.
If you want lots of grilling power, look at the Charbroil Commercial Series gas grill which gets ripping hot in no time. The Model G takes longer to heat up, and it does have some temperature drop when you put cold food on it.
I say that just to set expectations, not because I don’t think there’s adequate power for grilling. Quite the contrary, this is a steak, burger and hot dog cooking machine.
Although it takes a little longer to get there, it does get to a best-in-class 700 degrees F. It also produces amazing grill marks like you want.
I grill year round in Michigan, and as you can see from the pictures, the Model G was up to the challenge. Even with snow on the ground, it still works well.
I’m thankful to have to luxury of many options to choose to grill on, but when I’m not testing a grill and I just want to cook dinner, I find myself often pulling out the Model G. I power it up before I start prepping my food, then it’s ready to go, which is perfect for a weeknight grilling session.
Cooking Tips
The most important tip for cooking on the Model G is to use it on circuit without anything else also pulling electricity. I can easily tell a difference in performance if the fridge in my garage is running at the same time as the grill.
The grill seems to work by turning on the heating element as hot as possible until the grill gets to the preset temperature. For best results, I’d recommend giving it a minute after it hits the temperature you want.
I’ve found with an infrared thermometer that right when it reaches temp, the temperature isn’t as uniform across the cooking grates. This isn’t unique to the Model G, you’ll find that with other grills too.
While the rack on the back of the grill is often used as a warming rack, if you’re more experienced, you can also use it to broaden the types of cooking you can do. The main cooking grates cook purely with direct heat, but you can use indirect heat on the warming rack.
That lets you do things like reverse sear, which is my favorite steak preparation. I use a temperature probe to keep an eye on the temperature of the rack, then turn the temperature of the grill up around 75 degrees F higher than you’d want it. Keep an eye on the temperature probe and fine tune it as necessary.
You can then cook the steak at a low temperature for an hour or so, until it’s about 10 degrees under your desired doneness. Next, take it off, crank up the temperature of the grill and give it a quick sear on each side.
Another fun way to use the grill is with a smoke box. I took a Charbroil smoke box filled with wood pellets, then I removed one of the cooking grates, so I could set it right on the heating element.
I think given enough time the heating element would start smoldering the pellets, but I’m impatient. I hit it with a torch to get it going and let the heating element keep it going.
Then you can cook barbecue on the rack with indirect heat. It’s not going to be as good as a true smoker, but it still turns out delicious, nonetheless.
Cleaning
The Model G has an auto clean feature that works well but is also misunderstood. I’ve read reviews of this grill in mainstream publications from seemed to think it would magically make a spotless grill.
How it works is it gets the grill as hot as possible and chars all of the food bits left on the grill. This makes it easier to get them off from banging the grates in the trash, or deep cleaning them.
Like any grill, for routine cleaning, just use a grill brush when it’s hot before or after you cook. I’d recommend a non-metal bristled brush to keep your food safe from lost bristles.
For a deep clean, what I’ve found is effective is by running the auto clean cycle first. Then once it cools, use a grill brush to get off what you can.
Next, remove the cooking grates, which are light and relatively small. If they aren’t too dirty, you can just pop them in the dishwasher because they are dishwasher safe.
If they’re really dirty, use a sponge with some soap and water. The grates are small enough to easily clean in a kitchen sink. It’s helpful to have a wooden or plastic scraper handy to get off any really stuck on char.
Pros
Easy to Use
The Model G is one of the easiest grills to use. There’s no fire to mess with, you just plug it in, set the temperature and off you go grilling.
Burn Ban Proof
If you live somewhere where you can only use electric grills, then for sure get this grill. Beyond that though, it’s nice to have piece of mind that you can grill even if there’s a burn ban. There’s not fire, so there’s no worry about embers lighting anything you don’t want.
Grilling Flavor
The reason why you grill in the first place is for the flavor. There’s no difference in flavor between this grill and a gas grill, it tastes the same.
Cons
Cost
Getting the best electric grill on the market comes with a price. This is by no means a cheap grill to purchase.
App Connectivity
The app works well, but it seems to make me login most of the time that I open it. It’s not a big deal, but it’s an annoying extra step.
Conclusion
The Model G delivers on its promise of offering a legit grilling experience. While it’s not as powerful as a gas grill, it still gets the job done and even reaches 700 degrees F. It’s very easy to use, which is how it found its way into my everyday grill rotation.