The Kenyon City Grill is a marine-grade electric grill that reaches 600 degrees, lays down real sear marks, and runs nearly smokeless so it's perfect for indoor use all year long plus being portable so you can use it on RV trips, on your boat or outside on the patio of your condo or apartment. I went in as a skeptic but after doing a few grilling session ... it made me a believer. So, if you love grilling but fight for space and can't have open flames, it's time to re-think what you can do with an electric grill.
The Kenyon City Grill (model B70200) is a premium electric grill, and it is priced like one, with a $695 list price that often runs closer to $600 depending on the retailer and any current sale. You can order it direct from Kenyon or pick it up on Amazon.com.
I did not expect to be won over by a grill that plugs into the wall. A few things changed my mind:
- It reaches 550 degrees in about five minutes and clears 600 in under ten, hot enough to sear a chop instead of just warming it up.
- A patented concealed heating element and a drip tray underneath mean almost no smoke and no flare-ups, so it is rated to run indoors.
- The body is marine-grade 304 stainless steel, the same metal Kenyon uses on its yacht and RV grills.
- It plugs into a standard 120-volt outlet and pulls 11 amps, so there is no special wiring, no propane, and no charcoal run.
- The non-stick cast-aluminum grate and the faceted lid both lift off and go in the dishwasher.
- The Company Behind It Isn't New To This
- YES! It Gets Hot Enough For Real Sear Marks
- Nearly Smokeless, Even Indoors
- City Grill Plugs Into A Normal Outlet And Stays Cool To The Touch
- Where This Grill Fits, And Where It Doesn't
- This Electric Kenyon City Grill Opens The Doors To Grilling For Men That Can't Cook With Fire
I have grilled on gas and charcoal my whole life, and this little electric box surprised me. It is also the kind of specialized cooker that earns a spot when you build out a real backyard BBQ arsenal, even if it is not the centerpiece.
For most of my life, electric grills were the thing you settled for. They were what you used on an apartment balcony when the building banned charcoal, or the sad backup when the propane ran out mid-cookout.
Grilling needs fire. Right?
That was my honest starting point when Kenyon first pitched me this one. Real grilling meant flame, smoke, and a little bit of danger ... a grill you plug into the wall felt like a compromise before I had even turned it on.
The Company Behind It Isn't New To This
What I did not know was that Kenyon had been doing this longer, and at a higher level, than almost anyone.
The company started in 1931 building precision instruments for boats and aircraft, and today it is one of the largest makers of marine electric grills and glass cooktops in North America.
Kenyon grills go into yachts, high-end RVs, and luxury homes, the kinds of places where an open flame is either banned or a bad idea. Once I understood that this is marine engineering with a grill grate on top, the plug stopped feeling like a shortcut, and I started to realize what an insanely good bargain this is compared to spending thousands on a built-in!
YES! It Gets Hot Enough For Real Sear Marks
A grill that cannot sear is just an outdoor hot plate, and sear marks is a sort of badge that shows what you grilled your food - not just cooked it up in a pan.
Kenyon rates the City Grill at 600 degrees, hitting 550 in about five minutes and pushing to 600 in under ten. Social media references and discussions on forums like Reddit put the actual measured top end at up to 700 degrees. In practical terms - this is the same or hotter temperature than what you get on a gas grill ... unless you have a grease fire, oops!
Either way, it was more than hot enough for what I tested it on: thick bone-in pork chops with dark, defined grill marks and a real crust, roasted potatos and just for kicks I threw some sausagees on there too. That is what separates grilling from pan-frying, and this grill does it. It is hot enough to crust a chop or char a skewer of grilled kofta, and it handled four chops with room for a pile of baby potatoes.
Nearly Smokeless, Even Indoors
This grill is nearly smokeless because the only thing that's really cooking is what's on the grill grates itself - unlike your gas grill where fat and stuff is dropping into the burners and combusting, the water in the drip tray helps prevent flares and the result is extremely clean grilled meats etc. Frankly it was almost too perfect ... in the way that those imperfections and soot marks, a piece that is a bit incinerated from the flames becomes what you expect from grilling after years of not quite doing it perfectly.
This is a different beast, though, and opens the doors to do a great job roasting tomatoes, squash, even tortillas, or putting sear marks on your grilled garlic bread!
The heating element is concealed under the grate, and a drip tray sits below it to catch the fat before it hits anything hot and flares. Kenyon's own tip, and it works, is to pour a little water into that tray so drippings land in liquid instead of smoke. What I got was steam, with maybe a thin wisp now and then. Nothing came close to tripping a smoke alarm, so you can run it on a kitchen counter in February without cracking a window.
City Grill Plugs Into A Normal Outlet And Stays Cool To The Touch
Two practical things won me over as much as the food did. First, it plugs into a regular kitchen electrical outlet. No 240-volt line, no special wiring, no gas hookup, the same outlet that runs your toaster runs this grill, and there is a GFCI built right into the cord. Six feet of cord not enough? A standard extension cord solves it.
Second, the outer body never gets scorching. It runs warm, not the blistering exterior of a gas or charcoal grill, which matters when it is sharing counter space in a small kitchen.
Where This Grill Fits, And Where It Doesn't
The name tells you who this grill is for. The City Grill is not built to be the family grill in a suburban backyard, nor is it an off-grid cooker. It draws 1300 watts, which is more than most portable power stations or a truck's power outlet can handle (typically around 150 watts unless you have an EV truck which ius usually much more capabile for power output).
That means for most guys, despite the carry handles, this is a plug-into-real-power outlet grill, not a tailgate-in-a-field one. However it will work great at most campsites or in tailgate lots that have power outlets.
What it is built for is exactly my situation.
I live in a condo where charcoal and gas grills are not allowed. I cannot even store a propane canister on the property. There are community charcoal grills, but firing one up for a couple of pork chops or a burger is over an hour of work before the coals are ready. This grill is hot and ready in ten minutes on my own counter and it's light enough that I can even plug it in to an outlet down by the beach.
This is the first of a few electric grills I am cooking on this summer. A review of the new Current Model G2 is up next, and after that, a straight look at how electric stacks up against gas and charcoal, because a lot of guys get that matchup wrong.
This Electric Kenyon City Grill Opens The Doors To Grilling For Men That Can't Cook With Fire
There's simply no reason not to be able to grill now - unless you just don't like to - at $600-700 this isn't cheap but it's exactly the same price point that you'll find other offerings like my Weber Spirit gas grill. That means that guys like me can no grill indoors or outdoors all year round ... that's a pretty awesome thing.
This one runs indoors on a normal outlet, so it does not. Kenyon also sells a griddle plate that drops onto the same base, so the City Grill doubles as a flat top for smash burgers and weekend breakfast. For current pricing and availability, check Amazon.com. I came in certain that grilling needs fire, and knowing I can cook a good pork chop off my kitchen counter in January has me glad I gave the plug a chance.
