Current Backyard is in a league of their own with electric grills. The sister company to popular grill brands like Charbroil, Pit Boss, and Oklahoma Joe’s offers the most traditional grilling experience for apartments and tight spaces.
I really liked the Model G grill for delivering on its promise and its overall convenience. The Model G+ just launched today, and it has notable improvements over the Model G.
We’re obsessive about the details that make our grills quick to heat up, easy to clean and stunning to look at — not to mention capable of turning out absolutely delicious food every single time. The Model G+ is another step in our quest to create the ultimate outdoor cooking experience.
Tom Penner, CEO of Current
Features and Specs
- Retail price of $1,099 (check price)
- Temperature range of 200 degrees F to 700 degrees F lets you cook in a variety of ways
- Two zone temperature control allows for cooking different types of food at the same time
- Temperature monitoring and control through the Current app
- Works on a traditional electrical outlet, so no custom wiring needed
Who is Current Backyard?
Current Backyard is new to the grilling scene, but they’re backed by company that’s been around for well over a century. They’re the latest brand under the W.C. Bradley Co. umbrella, a company that owns Charbroil, Pit Boss, Oklahoma Joe’s, TIKI Brand, and the list goes on.
Current is a tech focused brand that only makes electric powered cooking products. In addition to a grill and griddle, they also have a nice indoor/outdoor pizza oven.
It’s nice that with Current you get the best of both worlds. A new company focused on electric cooking, but also an extremely established company behind it. With all the new brands popping up that you see online, it can be hard to tell who is for real, and Current is.
New Cooking Grates, Easier Cleaning
It’s clear that Current is focused on product development and how people use their grills because they made a big, but basic, change. They Model G has silver cooking grates, which looked nice, but after a few cooks would naturally start turning black.
It didn’t bother me because I’m grilling all the time and I don’t need cooking grates to look like a show piece, but I could understand why some folks wouldn’t like that. When I’d show people the Model G, I would get questions about if I could clean the grates back to silver.
That “problem” goes away with the G+ because the grates are anodized black aluminum. That should make them be more visually appealing. Plus, its adds to the aesthetic of grill overall.
They also made a change to let you clean underneath the cooking grates where the heating elements sit. Before, it was kind of a lost cause to try to clean under there because the heating elements are in the way.
The Model G+ though has a quick-release system for the heating elements, and upgraded stainless steel components, that will let you more easily clean it. It also includes a cleaning brush to make it easier.
Faster Heating
In addition to a smart solution for the cooking grates, Current made another change where it counts, on cooking. The Model G+ has received a firmware upgrade that accelerates the time it takes to reach the set cooking temperature.
Heating speed on the Model G was already much better than other electric grills, but slower than cooking with gas. It’s good to see that Current is continually working to close the gap.