Traeger has always been a company that puts a lot of emphasis on making the grill user-friendly. The newest innovation is the Ironwood design, which offers a few features that debuted on the more expensive Timberline product line a few months ago. These updates make using the grill more manageable and cleaner.
The $1,999 Ironwood XL grill is an excellent smoker for competition-style cooking. I was hesitant about the build quality at first, but after using it for the last week I have found that it is more than capable of handling high-heat cooking. The large smoking chamber and solid construction make this smoker a great choice for backyard cooks and competitive pitmasters.
I have a Traeger Texas 34″ smoker. It’s very accurate and puts out plenty of smoke flavor. It’s slow to cook, but it does a great job with brisket, pork ribs and chicken. I would recommend this smoker to anyone looking for an inexpensive big-time smoker.
The most noticeable change with the redesign is the grease trap. Previously, the drippings fell into a narrow channel that led to a bucket on the underbelly of the grill. Now, all of the drippings fall onto a metal sloped piece that leads directly to a large bucket in center of the grill – making clean up much easier! Plus, there’s less chance of having your smoky goodness go overboard into your Channel Master or Mission BBQ humidifier thanks to all that delicious grease being cleaned up in one fell swoop.
The Traeger grill is a top-of-the-line smoker that has many features that set it apart from other grills. One of the features that sets this grill apart is its innovative new design, which allows food scraps and drippings from the cook to go into one central location. This eliminates the need to clean up any part of the grill, making it much easier and faster to use.
The smoker I received came with an interesting design change – the entire hood folds back, exposing the smoker interior to the environment. This is a great feature in cooler weather states, as there is less air leakage, but it can be disadvantageous in warmer climates – there is little insulation between the smoker’s hot metal surfaces and the outside environment. Opening and closing the hood rapidly drops temperature levels within
Overall, I’m impressed by the design of the redesigned smoker, but I have concerns about the durability of the control screen and temperature knob. The control knob is critical in the operation of the grill, and it’s constructed out of cheap plastic. The gearing inside the knob is made of even worse plastic; I fear it will weather poorly and quickly degrade when exposed to elements. This key touchpoint feels chintzy, and the rest of grill feels bombproof. As for touchscreen, it works poorly in extreme weather; thanks to an overnight ice storm my Ironwood XL tester was covered in ice this morning. So I tried touchscreen after quickly brushing off some of snow and ice. It didn’t work properly because it couldn’t be cleared completely free from frost before registering accurate touches
What Traeger lacks in power it makes up for in design. Its simplicity and ease of use are factors that allow any novice smoker to start cooking great tasting meat within minutes of opening the box. Although there are some more expensive models on the market, those costs may be worth it for a larger smoker that produces consistent results.
One noticeable improvement over earlier designs is Traeger’s digital controller, which allows for more precise temperature control of the grill itself as well as improved cooking accuracy from the electronics within. One major complaint about earlier Traegers was that they could not hold a temp very well, but this has been largely fixed by recent models.
