10 tech gadgets that will help you host the perfect end of summer BBQ
Make your backyard the smartest in the neighborhood.
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One of the best parts of summer is gathering your friends, family and neighbors on the patio for a cookout. And while summer is coming to an end, you might be planning a few final barbecues before you store your grill away for the season.
If you've grown tired of overcooked burgers, warm beer, inaudible tunes, and annoying cleanup chores over the past few months, then you might want to consider giving your last few barbecues an upgrade. Thanks to smart home technology, you can make all of these common frustrations a thing of the past.
Here are 10 amazing gadgets that will make your barbecue the highlight of the summer.
1. A smart meat thermometer for perfect steaks
Perfectly cooked burgers without any guesswork.
Grilling is not everyone’s forte, and if, like me, you tend to overcook meat, you could probably use a helping hand from a smart meat thermometer.
Just stick the probe into your burgers, steak, chicken, or other entree, select how well done you want the meat to be, then walk away. You’ll get a smartphone notification when your food is done—it’s that easy!
Get a GrillEye Smart Bluetooth Grilling & Smoking Thermometer on Amazon for $89.99
2. A tabletop cooler that also plays tunes
Keep your beer cool and your music loud.
No one wants warm beer at a cookout, but you also don’t want to have to walk back to the fridge every time you need a refill. The solution? A cooler you can put right on the table—oh, and wouldn’t it be great if it also played music for you?
Get a Bud Light Soft Cooler Bag with Built in Bluetooth Speakers on Amazon for $29.99
3. A slow cooker you don’t have to check on
Monitor your slow cooker via your phone.
You certainly don’t want your famous nacho chili dip to overcook while you’re out back socializing, which is why you need a smart slow cooker you can monitor from your phone.
Get a BLACK+DECKER Best Programmable Crock Pot at Walmart for $49.96
4. A robot to clean your grill
Leave cleanup to the robots.
Wouldn’t it be nice if a team of little elves came to clean up after the party? While you’re still stuck picking up trash by yourself, an automatic grill cleaner can scrape the charred meat off your grill, leaving it as good as new.
Get a Grillbot Automatic Grill Cleaner on Amazon for $89.95
5. A durable, portable speaker for amazing outdoor sound
This portable speaker is perfect for outdoor parties.
Get your backyard rocking with a portable speaker. The Turtle Shell 2.0 is shock-proof, water resistant, and dust-proof. With its Hi-Fi audio capabilities and 16 hours of battery life, it will turn your yard into a dance party.
Get an Outdoor Tech Turtle Shell 2.0 Portable Speaker on Amazon for $78.95
6. A smart smoker for professional-grade barbecue
Become a barbecue pro with this smart meat smoker.
Ready to enter the big leagues of barbecue? Then you need a smart meat smoker. This cool gadget lets you monitor meat temperature, cook time, and more, all from your smartphone.
Get a Char-Broil Simple Smoker with SmartChef Technology on Amazon for $129.91
7. App-controlled lights for the backyard
Control your outdoor lights with your smartphone.
Shed some light on your backyard with multicolor smart lights. This particular set is designed to accent your landscaping and offers thousands of colors that you can change from your phone. It can also be controlled from other smart home hubs, like Wink or Samsung SmartThings. But if you don't own a hub, don't forget to get a Lightify hub as well.
Get a Sylvania Smart+ LED Landscape Lighting Set on Amazon for $69.99 and an Osram Lightify Wireless Gateway for $29.99
8. A next-gen toy ball to entertain the kids
Kids (and adults) will love playing with this robot ball.
Kicking a soccer ball around the yard is so last season. Keep the kids entertained for hours with a Sphero robot ball. They can create obstacle courses for the app-controlled toy or put a techy spin on classic games like Hot Potato.
Get a Sphero 2.0 App-Controlled Robot Ball on Amazon for $129
9. Decorative string lights that play music
These cute flamingo lights double as Bluetooth speakers.
Kill two birds with one stone thanks to these adorable string lights. You can hang the decorative lights around your backyard for surround-sound music from built-in Bluetooth speakers! The lights come in a few different styles, but these flamingos are definitely the cutest.
Get Bright Tunes Indoor/Outdoor White LEDs with Bluetooth Speakers at Best Buy for $19.99
10. A hands-off way to cook perfect meat
Cook meats perfectly without lifting a finger.
You don’t have to fire up the grill to have an amazing summer party. With a Bluetooth sous vide cooker, you can just drop your steaks (or other entree) into a pot of water and leave the device to do its thing. The end result is a perfectly cooked meal that your guests will love.
Get an Anova Culinary Bluetooth Sous Vide Precision Cooker on Amazon for $149
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