Friday Funny: Pump Up The Grill

The SUMR HITS 5000 — a first-of-its kind artificial intelligence-powered grill — brings the heat, and the beat.

SUMR HITS 5000 grill
McCormick unveils the SUMR HITS 5000 grill at Eventi Hotel in New York City.

The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and for many patriotic Americans, that means it’s time to break out the grill and throw a party! So if you like a little boogie with your burger, or a side of rhythm with your ribs, you’ll want to check out this groovy new grill from McCormick.

The SUMR HITS 5000 integrates a grill with a DJ station to cook up the perfect mashup of music and meat. Earlier this month, McCormick teamed up with two food and music pros — award-winning Pitmaster Myron Mixon and chart-topping producer and notorious DJ Jazzy Jeff — to introduce the artificial intelligence-powered SUMR HITS 5000 and create the ultimate summertime BBQ experience.

SUMR HITS 5000 grill
DJ Jazzy Jeff creates a unique blend of food and music, with the help of the AI-powered grill.

Thanks to technologies like custom hardware and software built with machine learning algorithms, the SUMR HITS 5000 allows grillers to create original music tracks while preparing their favorite summer recipes. This custom-made grill technology allows the griller to decide when and what sounds are added to their music track based on where the food is placed on the grill and which spices and sauces are used. Before the big reveal, fans and followers had the chance to influence the grill’s BBQ beats by voting for fun sound bites to go with each spice, seasoning, and sauce on McCormick Grill Mates®, French’s® Classic Yellow Mustard, Stubb’s® Bar-B-Q Sauce, Lawry’s® Seasoned Salt and Frank’s RedHot® Instagram stories.

SUMR HITS 5000 grill
DJ Jazzy Jeff and Pitmaster Myron Mixon team up to create summertime tunes and grilling favorites on the SUMR HITS 5000. (All photos by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for McCormick & Company)

“McCormick wanted to explore innovative ways our fans could spice up and enhance their summer grilling,” said Alia Kemet, Creative and Digital Marketing Director at McCormick. “Music plays an important role in enjoying food, flavor, and the overall experience. The SUMR HITS 5000 creates the intersection of expressing one’s passion for flavor through original song, and we think it’s the perfect blend of mixing taste and art.”

The SUMR HITS 5000 is a concept grill, so you can’t run out and buy your own in time for your Independence Day festivities. But you can see it in action here!