There’s something about cooking a meal outdoors that makes the whole thing feel a bit more festive, especially when it’s paired with good drinks and enjoyed with family and friends. While the amount of effort involved in barbecuing varies depending on the type of grill you use, the outcome is usually pretty tasty, especially if you’re incorporating a wood charcoal element to infuse that dose of smoky goodness into your food. But a classic charcoal grill takes work and patience—from the early stages of lighting and maintaining the perfect temperature(s) to the postprandial or next-day aftermath of dusty ash and bowl cleanup. Enter the Spark One Grill: a high-tech version that incorporates wood charcoal in a hassle-free way to make the whole experience more about the delicious results and less about the grubby, hands-on tasks along every step of the way.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Spark grill is its sleek, understatedly stylish design that’s as functional as it is tasteful—rather refreshing to see in a category that’s typically dominated by rugged-looking, masculine-leaning details and branding. The porcelain enameled steel kettle is double-walled and available in four colors: black, cream, navy and a muted sage green that feels equal parts classic and modern. The whole thing is secured on a super sturdy steel cart that supports the kettle as well as an adjacent side table (the brand also sells an FSC-certified bamboo cutting board that fits snugly in that spot for a convenient prep space).
It also comes with a 15-foot electric cable (for lighting the grill and powering an internal fan for precise temperature control) and three of the brand’s proprietary hard charcoal Briqs to get you started. And there’s the smart element: a Bluetooth-enabled companion Spark App that features real time grill temperature monitoring, a timer, recipes and the ability to reorder Briqs. For assembly, step-by-step and video instructions are provided via the app or website, and there’s no paper manual (which might not faze you unless you’re old school like me). Also noteworthy is that the company provides live support on a daily basis via phone or chat, which is helpful if you have an on-the-spot question about setup or grill troubleshooting.
The Spark One Grill
Preheating the Spark involves a simple turn of a knob to activate the electric-ceramic ignitor, rather than requiring the use of lighter fluid or a chimney starter (the charcoal fire starter of choice according to grill purists like my husband). An added convenience is that it takes only about 5-1o minutes to reach your desired temperature, which is a contrast to the experience on a manual grill that relies on the size and quality of the charcoal as well as wind factor and other elements.
The Spark offers a huge range of cooking temps—controllable via that handy dial—that go from 250-900 degrees, so you could cook up anything from more delicate seafood and in-season fruit to brisket and spatchcock chicken. The brand makes its own patented hard wood Briqs (using natural white oak) that fit neatly into a drawer and range from Low & Slow to High Heat. What really drew me (and my pizza-obsessive family) in is its high heat capabilities that allow it to make crispy-chewy, pillowy-crusted Neopolitan-style pizza.
Grilling On The Spark One
We’ve grilled several meals on the Spark, but pizza-making has decidedly been the most gratifying—and fun. There are a couple essentials that are crucial for a perfect pie, and fortunately the brand offers a Pizza Pack, which includes an aluminum peel and weighty custom ceramic stone that nestles nicely on the grill in place of the grates. (It’s also great to use for roasting veggies without the risk of them slipping through grates into the the abyss of the grill, or even pie and bread).
After picking up a custom pizza kit from our local pizzaiolos Miller Butler (because the theme here is clearly convenience), we stretched and topped our pies, and then it was simply a matter of dropping in a High Heat Briq and turning the dial to our desired 850 degrees. A major benefit was the ability to preheat our grill (in just 10 minutes) without having to mess around with measuring out charcoal and predicting wind and other factors that might make the fire finicky or go out. We also appreciated Spark’s detailed tutorial that included the excellent tip of “doming” to ensure a bottom and crust that’s evenly cooked. At such scorching heat, the pizzas were ready in a matter of minutes—making us feel like true wood-fired oven aficionados. The result? *Chef’s kiss*
Final Thoughts On The Spark Grill
While it’s definitely an investment, the Spark Grill has taken charcoal grilling to the next—significantly more user-friendly—level, making it appealing to daunted beginners and experienced grillers alike. However, you’re tied to the company’s proprietary Briqs, which start at just under $5 when bought in a pack and go up to $8, and cover just one cooking session and can’t be reused. If you’re caught in the rare case of a faulty Briq without a backup on hand, as we happened to be for our first High Heat pizza foray, you’re forced to improvise with regular charcoal (doable at some temps but not generally recommended by the brand because it eliminates the precision and control) or, as in our case resort to a lower temp Everyday Briq, which did the trick but wasn’t as top notch.
Overall though, the Spark One is great for those who want the flavorful, high quality results of cooking over a wood fire with the utter convenience of not having to go through nearly as many manual steps—and are more than OK with that. And if you’re undecided, the company has a 100-day test-drive policy so you can try it out and simply return it if you’re not satisfied.
