Traeger Ironwood 650 Vs Traeger Ironwood 885
Traeger Ironwood grills are one of their best wood pellet grills and this is a comparison post between the TRAEGER IRONWOOD 650 VS. TRAEGER IRONWOOD 885.
The Traeger grills are famous and well known for their quality so, if you are getting one, always do your research and get the best one for your needs.
Traeger produces the best quality wood pellet grills and if you are interested in getting the Ironwood Grill for your backyard, you might want to read the entire post.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Please see my full disclosure for further information.
There are two sizes of grills in the Ironwood series and these are the Ironwood 650 grill and the Ironwood 885.
Both the grills work beautifully but which one is better than the other?
Lets find that out!
You can even leave the food cooking on the grill and then move on and continue with your chores while controlling your phone grill.
Yes, it is as simple as that.
If you are into having a smart grill for yourself, you will love most of the things about this Traeger grill.
Read more to understand the different features on both these grills and which one would be a better pick.
There is a lot to consider here because you are spending thousands of dollars on these grills, so without further ado lets start with every aspect of these grills.
Do You Want Bells As Well As Whistles
With respect to price tag, Traegers come with fluctuating functions and upgrades.
The Timberline, for instance, is fully loaded with additional functions like a pellet sensing unit that will alert you when pellets are running low.
Ironwood and Timberline controllers additionally feature extra buttons, making life more convenient as compared to the scroll-through food selection system on the Pro Series.
How To Select The Best Traeger Smoker
With several brands of Traeger, making the right choice can be difficult. I remembered feeling intimidated by the various Traeger lines.
However, to choose the best Traeger grill, you need to weigh your options. Here is a refactors that helped me when choosing a Traeger grill.
Size
If you notice, most of the Traeger pellet grills highlighted, start from 300-1300 square ft. Firstly make sure you sort out how much food you want to cook.
The larger the size, the higher the price. So have that in mind. If you are cooking for a large guest, then dont consider a small size.
However, you may waste more pellets or spend a lot of money if you go for a too-big brand. Also, you must consider the pellet hoppers size.
Large hoppers accommodate sufficient pellets, and you would only need to refill after prolonged use, if necessary. I recommend going for a grill that is a buy larger than your requirements.
Features
There are two categories of buyers those who prefer to have the grill stocked with the latest tech and those who never cared about the tech but prefer a grill with the excellent build quality.
What features would you prefer and which can you do without.
Here are some features you will find on pellet grills.
- Wifi connectivity- Do you wish you can monitor and control your Traeger pellet smoker from anywhere?
- Searing- Although most pellet grills do a great smoking job, some struggle with searing. Thats why most manufacturers added a searing feature as an attachment.
Price
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Do You Need Bells And Whistles
Depending on the value, Traegers offer various attributes as well as upgrades.
The Timberline, for circumstances, is completely loaded with added attributes like a pellet sensing unit that will inform you when pellets are running reduced.
Ironwood and also Timberline controllers also feature more switches, making life more simple as contrasted to the scroll-through food selection system on the Pro Series.
Also Check: How Long Do You Grill Pork Tenderloin
How To Clean Traeger Grills
To make sure your grill lasts for a long time, you need to clean it properly after use. Let us show you how.
- Clean Smoke Stack Every 6 Months
First, make sure the grill is cold. Then, unscrew the chimney cap and use a non-metallic tool to scrape any build-up inside the smoke stack. Next, use a paper towel to clean any remaining residue. Do not spray water or liquid cleaners inside your grill.
- Clean Grease Drip Every 3-6 Months
Do this with a cold grill only. First off, remove the grease bucket and set it aside. Use a non-metallic tool to scrape grease from the drain at the bottom of the drip tray and tube leading to the grease bucket. If there is any remaining residue, use a paper towel to clean it.Take the grease bucket and use a non-metallic tool to scrape grease inside it.
- Clean The Outside Of The Grill Every 3 Months
Disconnect the power cord and let the grill cool down before starting. Use a disposable rag soaked in warm, soapy water to clean any grease before applying a high-quality car wax to the surface of the grill. Note that you should not use oven cleaner, abrasive cleanser or cleaning pads under any circumstances.
- Clean Inside Of The Grill Frequently
After each use, make sure to clean the grill grates with a non-metallic cleaning brush. Do this while the grates are still warm for the best results.You should inspect the firepot after every 3-5 cooks. Remove excess ash from the firepot and inside the grill using a utility vacuum.
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What Kind Of Warranty Does It Come With
This is a big deal and something that would impact my purchase decision today. Heres why: Pellet smokers and grills have moving parts, electronic circuit boards, involve high heat, and are likely to be out in the elements. There are several opportunities for things to go wrong. Ive had issues with all of my pellet grills and smokers. Not usually big deals, but things can happen. The flame could go out and the unit might shut off mid way through a long smoke. The firebox could overfill and flame up scorching everything. Grease fires are not uncommon but usually related to keeping your unit clean. The bottom line is, know what your warranty is, what it covers, and how long it lasts.
Pit Boss offers a 5-year warranty on their grills and smokers which is about the best warranty in the business at the time of this post. I strongly recommend checking reviews, looking for comments about customer service, how well manufacturers honor their warranties, availability of parts, and even YouTube videos on how to replace things. No matter who makes your smoker grill, you will probably need to contact customer service at least once during the life of your unit.
Cooking Inside The Grill
The Traeger Ironwood grill has one feature that makes it better than the Traeger Pro Grill and that is the smoke feature where you can change the fan speed that stokes the fire in a way that the grill produces more smoke.
Then the downward draft exhaust system comes into play which forces the smoke to escape through ports present right at the cooking surface which makes your food even smokier and gives you that nice flavor that you are looking for while cooking with the grill.
This makes cooking inside this grill an excellent experience and you do not find this feature on the Traeger Pro grill series.
The Traeger App also comes in handy when you are cooking inside the grill. You can control the settings and the cooking temperatures of the grill through your phone.
You even have different recipes in the app so if you plan on cooking any of those recipes, you will get the entire temperature settings and the timings for which you need to cook the meat.
This helps if you are cooking for the first time and want as many recommendations as possible to explore the Traeger Grills.
The Traeger grills have a unique wood-fired flour that it coats very food with that has been cooked inside it.
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Can You Smoke At 180 Degrees
Meat smoking is best in the range of 200 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit. To be safe, most meats need to be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees and poultry to 165 degrees. However, to get real tender barbecue you want a higher final temperature, say around 180 degrees. This gives the meat a succulent flavor.
Traeger Pro 575 Wood Pellet Grill
The Traeger Pro is the most popular and best selling Treager grill. It comes in two sizes. The 575 square inch model has enough space to cook 5 racks of ribs at once, or 4 chickens which should be plenty for most people.
You can also choose between black or bronze color.
The big change in 2019 is the addition of Wifi technology to the Pro lineup. This WiFIRE feature lets you connect your grill to the Traeger companion app, and control it from anywhere you have an internet connection.
We have a guide that covers which Traeger grills have WiFi.
Traeger Pro 575 Specifications:
Temperature is controlled by the Pro D2 direct drive controller which lets you cook anywhere between 180 450°F.
The RTD probe measures the temperature every second to maintain even temperatures within 15 degrees.
Another benefit of the D2 direct drive technology is the turbo temp fast startup which lets you start cooking quickly.
You get an 18lb hopper, and thanks to the cleanout feature you can quickly change pellet flavor during a cook.
In terms of efficiency, the grill will go through about 2 lbs of wood pellets per hour on high heat and only 1/2 lb per hour on smoke mode.
If you are having trouble deciding between the Pro 575 and the Pro 780, Traeger has a handy comparison guide.
The Pro is the best bang for your buck out of Traegers lineup. While you do give up on a few handy features, some of these can be added later like the pellet sensor.
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What Other Grills Are Similar To Traeger Grills
Traeger grills are basically pellet grills. There are many pellet grills on the market that are lower priced than Traeger, though this style of the grill has become synonymous with the brand.
There are a few great alternatives to pellet grills. If you’re concerned about investing $800 or more in a pellet grill, you are sure to find some great alternatives at a lower price point.
Why Is This Our Top Pick
Before I jump in with the review of this product, let me tell you why we have chosen it as our Top Pick.
As mentioned above, we found 48 different features a Traeger grill can have and you cant get better than this one! The Traeger TFB42LZBC has the highest number of positive features compared to any other Traeger grill on the market. If we compare all of the features with other Traeger grills, this has to be our number one. To clarify, it has 40 positive features out of a possible 48!
Despite its high number of positive features, it isnt the most expensive grill in our list. It costs around $700, which is very reasonable for a Traeger grill with 6 in 1 capability.
Even with all of these factors, the Traeger TFB42LZBC wouldnt have made it to our number one spot without good reviews. This grill has a great response on the market with over 400 reviews. It has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5, which is the highest rating among the Traeger grills on sale.
Finally, it is the perfect size suitable for cooking at home. You can enjoy a 418-sq. in. grilling space with this grill. This means that you have the space to cook four whole chickens, five racks of ribs or maximum 16 burgers! The pellet hopper also holds an impressive 18lbs.
All things considered, it just had to be our Top Pick. Here is some more detailed information about this top product.
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Traeger Pro Series 575 Pellet Grill
I have the 575 and love it. Usually cooking for 5. But if I had it to do over again. I would go bigger: Traeger PRO 780.
Im starting this best Traeger pellet smoker review with this model because its the most popular in the Traeger series. When I checked on Amazon, I noticed that it is available in two sizes and two colors.
Talking of the sizes, it comes in 575 and 780 square inches. But Im reviewing the 575 inches here. The 575 square inches allows you to cook up to 4 chickens on the go.
And when it comes to color, this model is available in bronze or black color.
Thanks to Traeger that keeps improving on its pellet grill. The pro lineup now features a new WIFI technology.
With this feature, you can connect this grill to the Traeger app and have it controlled from your room or anywhere with an Internet connection.
The pro D2 direct drive controller, which comes at a range of 180-450°F, controls the temperature of the grill. It comes with an RTD probe that ensures that your smoking temperature is maintained evenly.
The cleanout feature of the grill allows you to change your pellet flavor when smoking.
Traeger pro series 575 is quite efficient and doesnt suck up your wood pellet. It only uses around 2lbs of wood pellet per hour when used in high heat mode.
However, you must remember that the Traeger pro series 575 pellet grills comes at a maximum of the temperature of 450°F. So if youre considering doing several searings, then you may want to check out other models.
Traeger Hopper Capacity How Long Can I Cook
As you probably already know, Traeger grills are fueled by wood pellets, and each Traeger stores pellets in a hopper. When the grill is in use, an auger feeds the pellets from the hopper into the fire. So the larger the hopper, the longer you can cook without having to refill the pellets. It can get annoying constantly refilling the hopper during a long brisket smoke, so if you want to do long cooks, consider a grill with a large hopper capacity.
Its important to know how many pellets your grill can hold because if youre wanting to cook large cuts of meat like brisket or ribs, youre going to need a large pellet hopper. A whole packer brisket make take 12-plus hours to cook and will burn through a lot of wood. If you choose a Traeger with a smaller hopper, you can still manage a brisket, but you will need to keep topping up the hopper with pellets during the cook which can get annoying.
The Pro Series have ample sized hoppers and can store 18 pounds of pellets. The Ironwood stores 20 pounds and the Timberline holds 24 pounds of pellets. The smaller Tailgater and Ranger only hold 8 pounds of wood and the Scout only holds 4 pounds.
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Winner: Traeger Tailgator 20
Unless space is severely limited and/or you just must have a tabletop unit, if you want a true Traeger Grill experience in a portable model, do yourself a favor and choose the Traeger Tailgater 20 Grill. Theres nothing wrong with the Traeger Scout and Ranger models, but they dont compare to the experience of the Traeger Tailgater 20.
Why is the Traeger Tailgater 20 the best Traeger Portable Grill?
From game days to getaways, bring wood-fired flavor everywhere with the new Tailgater 20. Featuring a compact, portable design, its prime for balconies, tailgating or anywhere else you want to take 6-in-1 versatility and superior taste. And now it comes armed with Traegers Digital Arc controller for more precise, consistent temperatures and a Keep Warm Mode that keeps food fresh until chow time.
That means that with the Traeger Tailgater 20 you can enjoy all the benefits of that true wood-pellet grilling experience AND take it with you! With foldable legs and a total weight around 60 lbs, the Traeger Tailgator 20 is easy to transport. But dont let its light weight fool you, this is a real Traeger grill that uses a hopper for wood pellets and the hopper is big enough to hold 8 lbs of wood pellets so you can still cook for 5-6 hours without refilling.
Traeger Tailgator 20 Features
Other features of the Traeger Tailgater 20 include:
Traeger Tailgater 20 Grilling Capacity
Heres what you can fit on a Traeger Tailgator 20
Traeger Tailgator 20 Video Review
Other Brands To Consider
Thanks to the popularity of Traeger wood-fired pellet grills, there are now many more brands to choose from. While Traeger is still the most popular, these brands are definitely hot on their tails.
Ive tried to provide a general overview of how each brand compares with Traeger, but because each brand produces many different grills if you need specifics I would suggest comparing individual specs from the manufacturers and then looking at a few different reviews.
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Traeger Tfb42lzbc Grills Lil Tex Elite 22 Wood Pellet Grill
Topping our list today is the Lil Tex Elite 22, one of the best-selling grills of Traeger. What contribute to its roaring success, quality, versatility, ease-of-use, affordability? Well, probably all of them.
First off, we want to talk about the ultimate versatility of this item. It can serve up to six cooking methods, including grilling, smoking, baking, roasting, braising, and barbequing. Whichever you choose, this Traeger grill still promises you a great performance for juicy and taste foods.
Feel free to hold a BBQ party at your backyard without borrowing the grill from your neighbor. You know why? This unit features 20,000 BTUs and 418-square inch cooking area, which is enough for five rib racks, 16 burgers, or four chickens at a time. Impressive!
If setting your grill always gives you a headache, the Digital Elite Controller will be your lifesaver from now on. It maintains accurate temperatures within +/- 20 degrees to cook your foods well without burning one piece. Also, depending on your demand, you can choose to cook low and slow on the Smoke settings to hot and fast at up to 450 degrees.
After having fun cooking and eating, the cleanup always makes us feel fatigued. No worries now with this Lil Tex Elite 22 as it is equipped with non-stick porcelain cooking grates. You will save lots of time washing and cleaning.
Pros :
