A key patent on infrared grill technology has expired. Backyard grills will soon have this technology built into them at a fraction of the cost today.

From the article:

The grills are still powered by propane and have traditional gas burners that heat mostly by convection — or hot air. But they also can cook foods with radiant heat generated by one or more infrared burners. (Infrared falls between visible light and microwave energy on the electromagnetic spectrum.)

Why is it important? The grills get hotter – up to 900 degrees, vs. 700 degrees for normal gas. This lets you char food more quickly at the onset. As well, the max temperature can be reached more quickly than with current technology. You can cook foods in “half the time”, according to this guy with a ponytail.

How much will you pay? Models are being released in the $500-$1000 range, whereas previous versions cost >$5000.