Martini Small Grills

Grill a delicious steak. Afterwards, the integrated ash collection system makes clean up quick and easy. 

Charcoal grilling design hasn’t changed much over the years and we felt there were opportunities to improve the fundamentals behind charcoal grilling and reward consumers with a better grilling experience. One of the core functional concepts is the unique central support column which has several purposes. Spent coal and ash literally funnel down a unique conical shape and settle into a removable container neatly integrated within the column. This container is easily removed by its insulated handle for disposal of the ash.

Most charcoal grills are the bulbous bowl type that that have remained unchanged since the mid-1900’s. Our client came to us looking for a bold sophisticated design for a new charcoal grill, with features that were lacking in other grills. Our innovation team approached the project with enthusiasm and created a compelling design with strong iconic potential. They shepherded the Martini Grill from its inception, beginning with concept, then engineering, CAD documentation, and finally through prototyping. 

Another detail that can have profound cooking results during grilling is the movement of air through the grill. Most conventional barbeques use a standard sheet metal vent with large circular openings, which can be difficult to rotate into the open or closed position when hot. Our solution was to integrate the vent into the same handle that sits atop the lid. Therefore, the same component used to lift the lid serves a secondary function by simply rotating the handle to open or restrict the air flow.

After the concept design was arrived at and design engineering had commenced, prototypes were constructed at our onsite studio. Our Prototype Lab is equipped with the resources to replicate any production methodology, from injection molded plastic to formed sheet metal, and the Martini Grill needed a little of everything our Lab had to offer.

The advantage of any prototype is to test and retest and validate, to prevent catastrophic changes and cost increases that may arise in production tooling. The first prototype of the Martini was no exception, but thanks to disciplined engineering during its CAD phase, only subtle changes were incorporated. We tested the functional prototype with a series of regimented grilling exercises and evaluation programs. The Martinis’ speed to grilling temperature, fluctuations between short and long term temperatures, and overall cooking efficiency were beyond our expectations. At the completion of every test, every grilled burger and steak had to be tasted and rated for consistency and quality. The overall results were so satisfying that a second model for use as a portable tabletop model was developed, using common components to save on design and production costs.

Another often overlooked facet of the design process that is the cost impact of shipping production units for retail distribution. M Design considers this with every project. As a result, the Martini Grill components nest or store within itself, inside a compact a carton as possible.

This philosophy minimizes the use of shipping materials, which benefits our sustainability objectives. In addition, it decreases the overall volume of its shipping package to save on transportation fees. Finally, a smaller package lowers the amount of toxic inks used in graphics and allows the retailer to show more units on shelf.

The Martini Grill has evolved into a modern twist on the sheet metal bowl barbeque, a sleekly designed interpretation fused with enhanced functionality.