A giant improve for the entry-level pellet grill

Date:

Share post:

Grill firms are taking a distinct strategy in 2025. As an alternative of refining premium sensible pellet fashions and including much more options, they’re aiming to supply a stable outside cooking expertise for much less cash than normal. Weber did so with the Smoque earlier this week and now Traeger is following go well with. With the Woodridge sequence, Traeger affords an all-new look and simplified controls, and even probably the most inexpensive possibility is provided with Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus, you’ll be able to improve all of them with extra equipment.

The common Woodridge is the most cost effective possibility of the brand new trio. At $800, it’s the identical worth because the smallest Professional sequence mannequin, the Professional 575, and $1,000 lower than the mid-range Ironwood grill. Your entire Woodridge sequence has a novel design that differs from the pricier Timberline and Ironwood grills, and Traeger ditched the touchscreen for a simplified setup. However don’t let the worth idiot you, the corporate didn’t lower many corners to maintain prices down. The Woodridge is a workhorse, and in some methods it’s higher to prepare dinner on than Traeger’s costlier grills.

Traeger

Traeger’s Woodridge could also be its new base mannequin, however the grill is way from primary. The sturdy development, dependable efficiency and sensible grilling options enable this grill to punch above its weight.

Execs

  • Sturdy construct high quality
  • Dependable efficiency
  • Helpful Wi-Fi options
  • Handy design touches
Cons

  • Base mannequin lacks superior options
  • No Tremendous Smoke mode
  • No pellet sensor
  • Cabinets and storage are add-ons

$800 at Amazon

The very first thing I seen concerning the Woodridge is that Traeger removed the touchscreen controls. I don’t doubt that element was costly, and in my view it was pointless. As an alternative, there’s a easy set of buttons for timers, meals probes, ignition and menu. Subsequent to them is a multi-color show with massive numbers that make temperature, time and different stats straightforward to see, even from a distance. On the far proper of the panel, a single knob lets you scroll by means of and regulate temperature settings and extra.

Like different Traeger fashions, the controller is put in on the pellet hopper, which doubles as a small facet shelf. On the Woodridge, the hopper has a 24 pound capability, greater than sufficient for many low-and-slow smoke classes. These new grills even have Traeger’s Pop-And-Lock (PAL) rail system across the exterior. These can help you customise your grills with issues like cabinets, paper towel holders and condiment baskets. There’s additionally ample rack storage in-built, with spots to retailer each the longer high rack and the smaller backside ones, too.

The Woodridge is probably the most primary of the brand new grills, and it doesn’t have any form of shelf or cupboard beneath. As an alternative, there’s simply an X-shaped bracket that retains the legs cosy and tight. On the hopper finish, there are two wheels with rubber tread and two legs on the opposite. There’s no deal with to carry the grill to maneuver it, so it’s important to use the side-mounted PAL rail. On the underbelly, you’ll get Traeger’s so-called EZ-Clear Grease & Ash Keg that collects all of the waste from the prepare dinner chamber for simple removing.

Even the lid and prepare dinner field on the Woodridge have a brand new form. The lid is flatter and appears extra like a fuel grill than the oval tops of the Timberline, Ironwood and Professional sequence. You continue to get two ranges of grates inside protecting 860 sq. inches of cooking space, however there’s much less vertical area to stack meals. Traeger redesigned the elements beneath the cooking floor too, putting in handles on the drip tray for simple removing and a canopy for the grease keg. The trail for grease is now extra enclosed, so errant embers needs to be much less of a priority.

General, I’m impressed with the construct high quality on the entry-level Woodridge. It will’ve been straightforward for Traeger to make use of low cost supplies to scale back value, however the grill is sturdy and will final for years. The legs are rock stable and the whole lot feels hefty and powerful, which is a welcome shock in comparison with different finances pleasant choices.

The Traeger Woodridge imparts ample wood flavor in foods, like this spiral ham.

Billy Steele for Engadget

When you’re searching for a simple pellet grill that will get the job finished, the Woodridge is a superb possibility. It isn’t loaded down with options you won’t use, however does the whole lot from low-and-slow barbecue to high-heat searing with a temperature vary of 180-500 levels Fahrenheit. I usually use pellet grills for smoking, so most of my testing targeted on that, however I can vouch for the Woodridge’s potential to keep up temperatures of 500 (and barely above).

The Woodridge doesn’t have Traeger’s signature Tremendous Smoke mode, however the grill nonetheless imparts a lot of smoke into your meals. I significantly loved the layered taste on a double-smoked, glazed ham over the vacations. The convection air circulation contained in the cooking chamber strikes smoke round to blanket your meals with the nuance of the wooden pellets. Even at larger “smoking” temperatures of 300 levels and above, the grill was nonetheless producing important quantities of smoke.

A giant characteristic on the Woodridge is Traeger’s WiFire tech. This Wi-Fi connectivity sends very important cooking stats to the corporate’s app in your cellphone, permitting you to maintain tabs on the method from anyplace. For the Woodridge, this implies you’ll be able to see information from wired or wi-fi meals probes, regulate grill temperature, set timers, activate Maintain Heat mode and shut down the grill in your cellphone. As at all times, the Traeger app has a wealth of recipes once you want some inspiration, full with steering for freshmen. The app is among the finest instruments on Traeger’s grills, so it’s good to see the core options from the software program can be found on this base mannequin.

The common Woodridge is the bottom mannequin within the new trio with the Woodridge Professional and the Woodridge Elite above it. The Professional has 970 sq. inches of cooking area, Tremendous Smoke mode, a folding facet shelf and a backside storage shelf. It additionally affords an upgraded controller with a pellet-monitoring sensor contained in the hopper. These upgrades value $200, because the Woodridge Professional is $1,000.

On the Woodridge Elite, you get among the finest elements of Traeger’s most costly grills — the Timberline and Timberline XL. These conveniences embody insulated development for higher warmth retention, a 1,100-watt infrared facet burner and an enclosed cupboard base. The additions come on high of the 970-square-inch cooking space and different key specs from the Woodridge Professional. You’ll pay much more for this grill, although, because the Elite is $1,600. So, it’s a lot much less enticing than the opposite Woodridge choices.

The Woodridge, Woodridge Professional and Woodridge Elite had been simply introduced at this time, however the first two can be found now at Traeger’s web site or from retailers within the US and Canada.

After Traeger went much more premium with its Ironwood makeover in 2023, the corporate had an enormous hole between its most inexpensive fashions and its costlier ones. The unique Ironwood was a pleasant bridge between the Professional sequence and the Timberline, however all of these upgrades killed that worth proposition. The brand new Woodridge sequence reclaims a few of that territory, and even the bottom trim provides you the whole lot you’d need in a primary pellet grill. In actual fact, I’d argue it goes past that. The Woodridge and Woodridge Professional are large upgrades in comparison with the Professional 575 and Professional 780.

Each time I take advantage of the Woodridge I’m amazed by the sturdy construct high quality Traeger delivered whereas maintaining the fee down. The brand new look is actually a departure from the corporate’s different grills, so it’ll take some getting used to. However, once you’re utilizing it, that does not matter. I want the brand new simplified controls to Traeger’s affinity for a touchscreen and the Woodridge carried out nicely each time I cooked on it. When you suppose most of Traeger’s lineup is simply too costly, and that the Professional sequence has been round too lengthy to put money into one, the Woodridge is perhaps best for you.

Related articles

Anker’s latest charger and energy financial institution have dropped to record-low costs

The launched throughout CES 2025 with a of $10 off the unique $90 value, and now...

Lightning AI’s AI Hub reveals AI app marketplaces are the subsequent enterprise game-changer

Be a part of our each day and weekly newsletters for the most recent updates and unique content...

Comstruct, a platform to digitize the development trade, raises $13.5 million

When you concentrate on platforms within the building trade, likelihood is the concrete slabs designed to assist metal...

The Apple Watch SE is $80 off proper now

The Apple Watch SE is on sale through Amazon for $169. This can be a low cost of...