When Traeger overhauled its Timberline pellet grills last year, the company undertook a complete redesign of its flagship model. It introduced a truckload of new features that made cooking on and cleaning the grills much easier. Today, Traeger revealed a retooled version of its Ironwood series, the WiFi-connected pellet grills that sit in the company’s midrange. While it did bring a lot of the upgrades from the new Timberline to these more affordable options, there are still premium tools reserved for the more expensive model.
First, the Ironwood is now equipped with a touchscreen controller like the Timberline. This display puts critical information in an easier to read format on the grill. Of course, the company’s WiFire tech is onboard as well, allowing you to control and monitor the Ironwood from anywhere via the Traeger app. This includes adjusting grill temperature, monitoring food temperature, setting alerts/timers and watching pellet supply levels (there’s a dedicated pellet sensor). You can also control Ironwood and other Traeger grills with Alexa or Google Assistant if you’d rather go the hands-free route. The app is a wealth of culinary knowledge with over 1,600 recipes and cooking guidance from the company’s pros. Like previous Traeger pellet grills, the new Ironwood is capable of everything from low-and-slow smoking to high-heat searing, including baking, roasting, braising and grilling.
Inside, Traeger has taken steps to make the new Ironwood more efficient. The company says its Smart Combustion tech “maintains incredibly precise temperatures” while an EvenFlow heat shield evenly distributes heat over the entire cooking area. There’s also an insulated double wall construction to help prevent unwanted fluctuations in temps. The combination of Traeger’s existing Super Smoke mode and its Downdraft exhaust system keep wood smoke circulating around the cooking chamber. Plus, the company says its FreeFlow firepot now assists with that task of keeping smoke moving during a cook.
On the bottom, the so-called EZ-Clean grease and ash keg that debuted on the Timberline is here as well, sending both liquid run-off and pellet debris to one place for easy removal and cleaning. Like the Timberline, the pellet hopper is cleaned out from the front on the new Ironwood, making it much easier to swap out pellets between cooks when you need to switch to a different variety.
You’ll notice the most difference between the Ironwood and Timberline on the outside. Not only do the grill lids have a different look, but the Ironwood keeps the four-leg base Traeger grills traditionally have. The new Timberline sits on more of a cart, with an enclosed cabinet, casters and small exterior shelves. What’s more, the Timberline has an induction burner on the left side where that area on the Ironwood is just a shelf. The Ironwood does offer Traeger’s ModiFire system of accessories though, thanks to a “Pop-And-Lock (PAL)” rail that allows you to snap on an assortment of shelves, storage bins, tool hooks and more — and it allows you to position those items exactly where you need them. The Ironwood only comes with two wired food probes where the Timberline ships with a set of Meater wireless probes. However, you can purchase them separately as the Ironwood does support them.
The Ironwood and Ironwood XL will be available from Traeger and other retailers in the US and Canada for $1,799 and $1,999 respectively (616 square inches of cooking space vs. 924). While you’ll have to sacrifice some features, that’s much less than the Timberline which clocks in at $3,499 and $3,799.