To Rod, family was so very important to him, and he truly loved them and spending time with them. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and boating with family and friends.
From a young age, Rod could fix anything, from dirt bikes, motor cycles, to automobiles, everyone called Rod for help. Rod also owned and operated the Kickback Saloon in Manitowoc where he took pride in his place where he would go above and beyond to make sure his patrons and friends were taken care of and having a good time.
He was employed at a few places over his lifetime, starting his working career at Weber Grill, moving on to Metalware in Two Rivers, Eggers, Agriculture and Forest Products, and Seiler Construction. Rod was born on Jin Manitowoc, son of the late Robert Marotz and Lucille “Lucy” (Copiskey) Kubichka. This post has been updated with the new lower pricing.Rodney “Rod” Marotz, age 60, of Manitowoc, passed away on Wednesday, July 27, 2022.
WEBBER GRILL UPDATE
Update February 10th, 10:55am : Weber immediately updated the prices for the new grills after the announcement.
The new Weber Connect smart grill lineup is set to launch later this spring.
WEBBER GRILL BLUETOOTH
You are paying a premium for those integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth smarts, though: the “regular” version of the Spirit SX-315, for example, costs $599. The company is also offering a smaller smart grill with the $799 Spirit SX-315, at the high end of its entry-level Spirit line, which cuts down on the grilling space (but at a lower price). The new Weber Connect grills are split across the company’s Genesis lineup with the Genesis EX-315 ($999), EX-335 ($1,199), and SX-335 ($1,299) models, which offer more premium features like a warming rack and integrated LED lights for grilling at night.
WEBBER GRILL SERIES
You’ll still have to do the actual grilling, though: despite Weber’s boasts about how its new Smart Series grills bring “70 years of Weber know-how, technique, and expertise right to a griller’s fingertips through the Weber Connect cook programs and artificial intelligence,” the algorithms aren’t cooking a steak for you. Perhaps most usefully, the propane models of the smart grills can monitor how much gas is left in the tank and notify you through the app when it’s getting low. The app also promises step-by-step grilling guides and recipes, complete with countdown timers, instructions on setting the grill’s temperature for each stage of cooking, and even notifications for things like flipping burgers. Wi-Fi-connected temperature probes are a helpful tool for grilling, especially for newer chefs or when working with larger steaks or roasts. A gas grill, with its far less finicky burners, seems like a less natural fit.Īll that said, the Weber Connect additions do seem fun. The ability to keep an eye on how a brisket is doing or tweak temperature from inside the house are useful additions for a pellet smoker.
Including smart technology to control things like temperature or monitor doneness makes a bit more sense for a pellet smoker, though - which, by the very nature of its cooking technique, demands longer cook times at lower temperatures. It has also offered Weber Connect smart grilling features on its SmokeFire pellet smoker (in a similar manner to Trager’s WiFIRE smokers). Weber is expanding its line of internet-connected grills to encompass its popular gas models, including the company’s entry-level Spirt lineup, offering Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity for tracking temperature and an integrated digital display.Ĭonnected grilling isn’t a new concept for Weber: the company has offered a line of iGrill meat thermometers for years as add-ons for its existing grills, and last year, it debuted its second-generation Weber Connect smart grilling hub accessory, which offers a newer and more advanced Weber Connect app.