Charcoal and gas grill giant Weber-Stephen Products Co. has introduced an application for the iPhone and iPod touch offering recipes and other content to engage consumers.

With hundreds of recipes from Weber's cookbook library, Weber's On the Grill app features and a recipe database where consumers can tag favorites and create a master grocery list that you can take to the store. The app also has a grilling timer, so when users' food is ready their mobile device will ding and vibrate when the timer goes off.

"For the last decade our cookbooks have been extremely popular, with over a million copies sold, yet we realize that the way people access information, including grilling recipes, has changed drastically over the last few years," said Brooke Jones, marketing manager at Weber-Stephen Products Co., Palatine, IL.

"We developed this iPhone app because we understand that it isn't the device that's mobile, it's the person holding it, and we believe it's important to give people options for accessing content in the way that's most convenient for them," she said.

Weber-Stephen Products Co., headquartered in Palatine, Ill., is a manufacturer of charcoal and gas grills, grilling accessories and other outdoor room products sold under the company's Weber, Weber Q and Ducane brands.

As a leading exporter of grills, Weber brand products are sold worldwide at select home centers, hardware stores, department stores, patio stores and other retail outlets.

On the Grill is the first of a series of free and paid applications planned for release by Weber. Available in the App Store, Weber's application retails for $4.99.

The target demographic is tech-savvy grill-lovers ages 25 to 54, both male and female.

Weber wants to educate consumers about its products and is attempting to engage them by providing tips on how to become better grillers with recipes, techniques and guides.

In addition to the 250 recipes featured on Weber's On the Grill application, there are also recipes for 40 rubs, marinades and sauces; 100 quick-grilling tips; and grilling guides for red meat, pork, poultry, seafood, veggies and fruit.

There is information on basic grilling techniques such as dealing with flare-ups, food preparation like positioning chickens on a rotisserie and grilling safety and maintenance.

The app includes demonstration videos that illustrate grilling lessons such as how to set up a two-zone charcoal fire.

Users can tag favorite recipes and techniques and add as many recipes to the grocery list as they like.

The app will then sort the ingredients into an itemized list organized by category to facilitate shopping. A check box lets users mark off items as they shop.

Weber also offers free recipes and grilling advice on http://www.Weber.com and through the "Recipe of the Week" email delivered to registered members each Friday.

Weber tapped brand communications agency rabble+rouser for development of the app.

"Rabble+rouser also designs our cookbooks for us, the latest of which, Weber's Way to Grill, was recently made the New York Times Bestsellers List in the paperback advice category," Ms. Jones said.

"Since the app is new to the iTunes stores, we are just now launching marketing support, which includes plans for promoting the app with PR, email marketing, online marketing and social media," she said.