Traeger Ironwood XL Review After Three Months of Ownership

[@wesleycoats]

This is hands down the best review of this smoker on KZbin. A thinking mans review, real world.

[@Viper515]

Thank you!

[@DJFroid]

Thank you for this review. Your insights helped me in my purchase for one and my Ironwood was delivered last week. Have already done 3 cooks on it in 5 days, and the convenience factor, especially during a busy work week, cannot be beat! I love my charcoal grill for steaks and stuff when I feel like burning time (no pun intended) setting up the coals, getting it ready, and enjoying fire management, etc. But, when life needs to be lived and other things need to happen, setting the temp, checking in on the app, and basically having tasty food ready in a few hours, that’s incredible! My wife and I joke this is our outdoor crockpot. This is my first pellet cooker and I am definitely a fan!

[@Viper515]

Yes! We've said the same thing about it being an outdoor Crock-Pot! That's funny stuff. I completely agree with you. There's definitely a place for the charcoal grills and smokers, and honestly, I prefer food off those when time allows. But, time often doesn't allow. My favorite is doing overnight cooks and stuff is just ready to go the next day (brisket, pork butt). I'm thankful this was helpful. I've been really pleased with my IW. Great first pellet grill for you (I've had other pellet grills, the flavor isn't quite as good or strong as it is off these new Ironwoods, in my opinion).

[@CommonSense823]

Just got one a few weeks ago and absolutely love everything about it. It doesn’t have the temp swings that my old Traeger had, and recovers quickly from opening the lid to check things.

[@Viper515]

Agreed on the temp recovery. I should have mentioned that. Even with the lid open for a couple minutes, it bounces right back!

[@f1fan65]

Regarding touch screen in winter. We just had a cold snap here in Alberta, got to -40C. Used it in about -10C, worked just fine.

[@Viper515]

That's great! Glad to hear it. If they can survive there, I think they will do well just about anywhere. :-)

[@Lbaez85]

Thanks for the vid. Was useful! Just got my smoker over the weekend. A Century 885, it was a Costco model. Resembles the 885 model slightly different. I literally did 2 back to back long cooks beef short ribs followed by an overnight brisket. Experience was great now I’m itching for this IW XL love the ash tray/cup idea. Good thing I got my Traeger at Costco. Going to wait and see what the holiday sales bring. Thanks again.

[@OrdainedPrepper]

I think you can run your temperature probe through the side of the grill (there is a dedicated access point) to prevent pinching the cord under the lid.

[@Viper515]

No port on the Ironwood XL. The gasket around the lid looks to make pinched wires a very low risk, though.

[@erokbrewmeister9231]

My man, this is the review I needed before purchasing, my main concern was will it put out more smoke than my IW 885 I have now and it sure does as you show. Thank my brother, going to get one this next weekend ! Thanks for the great review !

[@Viper515]

Thanks! Yes, I think you'll be very pleased with the difference. It legitimately smokes ALL the time.

[@michaelkeohane7941]

Thank you for your review. I bought this model a few months ago. Everything you’re talking about I have found true with my XL. The one issue that I have that has been really disappointing is the temperature sensor. For some reason I have to make the grill 25 degrees hotter than what I want to cook on (a cook that is 200, I need to set to 225). Have you had any issues with what the display is saying versus what the ambient temperature of the grill is? I called customer support and they said that a 25 degree shift is normal, but I find that if I don’t do the increased temperature (especially at lower temps.) the food takes a lot longer or doesn’t turn out as well. It could be a “me” thing so happy to take any constructive feedback. Everything else about this XL from the double insulation to the ease of clean out to the amount of smoke this beast puts out is really awesome.

[@Viper515]

Temp fluctuations I think are fairly common in most pellet grills. I've only really checked mine once, and I remember the left side being under what the controller said, although I don't remember how much (must not have been enough for me to worry about). I do see the Dead Broke BBQ channel tests this and he finds around a 30 degree temp fluctuation between left and right, so I suppose it is possible you are seeing the same thing. Next time I do a low and slow, I will check it out and report back.

[@lovemytide45]

I use any oak or hickory pellet as fuel for heat and then I put a 6” x 6 “ steel plate on my bottom rack , I put 2 chunks of hickory or post oak on it , light it like charcoal with the lid open , let it burn for about 5-10 minutes and then blow it out. I can get a few hours of clean blue smoke coming off it. I will add another chunk whenever I spritz, hit it with the butane again , blow it out. I used a pellet tube for a while and it doesn’t work. You are just getting more of the pellet smoke which can be bitter. I then tried wood chips in a pellet tube but that was a PIA to fill with the different shapes of the chips. Diamond King makes great smoker boxes for use inside traegers. I use the lid off my 6” X 6” Diamond King as the steel plate . Here is a great tick to make your neighborhood jealous. Take an onion, chop it in half and throw it on top of the hot wood chunks in your Diamond King smoke box. Your neighborhood will love you.

[@Viper515]

@@lovemytide45 that's amazing. I agree with smoke tubes. I've tried one and it just seems like dirty smoke. Thanks for the tip. I may just have to explore this.

[@baconbigbeats]

Hey bro, good review! So how long does it take you to go from cold start to 350?

[@Viper515]

Thanks! To be honest, I haven't really made note of how long it takes. It has not stood out to me as taking excessively long. I can say it ignites much faster than past pellet grills I've had. I usually see and smell smoke around a minute after start up. I'll come back with an update when I time it out to see how long it takes.

[@baconbigbeats]

@@Viper515 please let us know, that would be fantastic as it’s the only thing that’s holding me back. My current 1300 takes 40 min to get to 350 and it’s killing me!

[@Viper515]

@@baconbigbeats it's definitely not that long. If I were to guess, I'd say 15 to 20, but I'll time it out sometime.

[@IronStrong_Smokers]

Awesome video! When you first got yours, did it take a while to preheat? If so did it get faster over time? Any feedback is appreciated!!!

[@Viper515]

Thank you. I'm not recalling any excessively long preheat times (keep in mind, most of the time I am starting at 275 degrees or less). I have always been amazed how much quicker the initial lighting occurs. The one time I timed it out, I could smell smoke at 60 seconds and see it at 90 seconds. Over the winter, randomly there were a few times it seemed like it took over 15 minutes to get to 225. That seemed a little longer than normal to me, but otherwise, I think it's been fairly consistent.

[@skazi1980]

Great review thx! Think about to get rid of my WSM an get this grill instead. How do you like the smoke flavour on the ironwood xl? Is it strong? I never had a pellet before.

[@Viper515]

The smoke flavor off the Ironwood XL is the best smoke flavor I have had off a pellet grill (I think the Lonestar Grillz Pellet Grill would probably beat the XL, though, just by what I've seen/heard). That said, your Weber Smoky Mountain will still be king for smoke flavor. My opinion, keep it if you can, and when you have the time to cook on it, do it. I'm in the same boat with an older propane smoker. I find the flavor from that is still superior, but the convenience of the pellet grill is worth it to me. I use the pellet grill so much more than the propane smoker. I think there is a place for each, and it's great having both if you can swing it.

[@skazi1980]

Thanks a lot!@@Viper515

[@PixelGuy22]

Great review. Do you know if the shelf on the left side can either not be installed or removed?

[@Viper515]

I think you COULD remove it, but it looks to me it is clearly designed to be there with how it fits on. You would of course lose out on that portion of the PAL rail system.

[@sawyermishak3300]

Thanks for the info on the Meater probes. I thought I would have to buy new ones for them to connect to it.

[@Viper515]

I'm so thankful they do connect. One other thing I failed to mention, in the Traeger app and on the controller, the probe batteries always show as nearly empty. I never get any alerts or anything, and it's not caused a problem, just something I've noticed. I haven't researched it any since it hasn't been a problem. Just a heads up.

[@JamesCampbell-u3m]

Thanks for your video. Looking around I didn't see that it connected to the meater probes big + for me. Thank you for the info.

[@Viper515]

I believe 4 is the max number of them you can connect. One other thing I'll note is that the controller on the grill and the Traeger app always report the probes batteries as low (it doesn't give an alert or anything, it just shows the battery meter as being low). Hasn't been a problem, and I haven't checked to see if maybe there is a firmware update for the probes. Regardless, it's fantastic being able to use them without powering on the Meater block.

[@d307p]

Good review. Looking to get either the Ironwood xl or Timberline 1300 which Ace Hardware dropped the price $600

[@Viper515]

Thanks! For what it's worth, this replaced a first gen Timberline 1300. The only thing I miss from the Timberline is the extra room over the Ironwood XL, but even that hasn't been as big of an issue as I thought it might be. There's still a lot of space in the XL. The Timberline had very tight temp control. It was shocking if it were more than three or four degrees from the set temp. I think that tight temp control may have sacrificed some smoky goodness produced, but I could be wrong on that. I can also understand and appreciate budgetary considerations with the price reduction on the 1300. I'm only able to speak to the first gen 1300, but I liked it. I LOVE the Ironwood XL so far, even after "new grill honeymoon" phase has worn off.

[@ababoy4228]

Just buy this, worth every penny

[@JohnJohnDu4]

Sold my LSG Pellet grill about 3-4 months after I received it and now find myself looking more at the new Traegers

[@Viper515]

Oh? Tell me more. What made you decide to sell the LSG?

[@JohnJohnDu4]

Ahh I guess all the hype and waiting 5 months I expected perfection lol. Just didn’t do it for me. Had about a 50 degree side to side difference and I had a few issues with the controller during startup. Don’t get me wrong it was built great but I guess I just expected more.

[@Viper515]

Interesting! I can completely understand the mindset after the long wait, 100%. As far as Traegers go, this one (and I assume the new Timberline) are unlike any of the others. I'm not one that would only consider a Traeger grill, but I would certainly tell people to seriously consider this one...or any that they come out with this controller and the fire pot design used here. Seems to be a game changer in my opinion.

[@Pete_or_Peter4Long]

It looks like the design would keep most of the ash away from the food. Are you seeing that compared to other pellet smokers you’ve owned?

[@Viper515]

Yes! It definitely keeps ash off the food. It basically all stays under the heat deflector. I love it! I have seen a tiny bit in one corner of the drip tray out of one of the holes after a 24 hour cook. It was very minimal though, and with the drip tray being greasy and whatnot, I don't think any of it made it further than that.

[@jamesgarrett8479]

Awesome video. Thanks

[@BigRacksBBQ]

The meater thermometers will connect to the Traeger wifi?

[@Viper515]

Yes, at least the probes from the Meater Block do (not sure on just the individually sold probes). You don't have to power up the Meater block to use the probes with the new Ironwood, and you can get temp data in the Traeger app (it does not show the ambient temp reading, though, just the meat temp).

[@Pete_or_Peter4Long]

Is the igniter ceramic? Just wondering how long they go before needing changed.

[@Viper515]

I don't think so. Looks a lot like the old hot rods, although it does look thicker in my opinion. I do notice on this grill I see smoke between 60 and 90 seconds after igniting, so that's nice. Much quicker than the older Traeger models. I will also say, it looks like replacing it on this grill looks WAY easier than the older Traeger grills. See support.traeger.com/hc/en-us/articles/6434086204315.

[@Pete_or_Peter4Long]

@@Viper515 If that is true that’s a deal breaker for me. My original Rec Tec had the old traditional igniter. Went out in the middle of winter. I then got the ceramic igniter version and been 5 years no issues. Not quite sure why anyone is still using the old school igniter rod at this point. I like a few things on this new Traeger but I can’t go back to changing igniter rods.

[@Viper515]

Yeah, no argument there. I could be wrong on the technology used for the igniter, but it definitely looks like the older ones (but much thicker). I am with you, tearing a grill apart in the snow is no fun. I guess the saving grace for me on this one is that you no longer have to disassemble half of the grill.

[@vintagedaniel2760]

Great question. I was wondering the same thing about the igniter.

[@Pete_or_Peter4Long]

@@vintagedaniel2760 With all the improvements with pellet smokers like adding chunks of wood and emptying ash around igniter without disassembling grill one thing I would settle for in this day and age is having to change an igniter because the company is still using old school tech.

[@bighousebbq1998]

Does this grill have a pellet dump to change pellet flavor?

[@Viper515]

It does! You can put a bucket or bin on the right side of the bottom shelf, and they'll dump right into it.

[@rejiii6689]

Does it come with a cover?

[@Viper515]

It doesn't come with one, but of course there is one available to buy. They are around 150. Pretty spendy, but it does feel like it will last years. It's also designed with space in mind, so if you have additional accessories on the grill, it'll still fit with those on.

[@gosman949]

Ace Hardware will assemble and deliver for free.

[@Viper515]

Yes, good point, for those not interested in putting together themselves, that's a great option.

[@garyag45]

👍🤛🙏😎🦅🇺🇸

[@MrVideoyoulike]

Are you on a ranch?

[@Viper515]

Negative

[@matthewgreazel7343]

send you another free grill?

[@Viper515]

They did offer to ship another grill to me because of the damage on this one. I decided against it simply because of how minor it is, and I didn't want to be without it while waiting on the new one. I was very happy with the interaction with Traeger on this problem. Very easy to work with.

[@danwilliams2331]

Searing on the traeger sucks

[@Viper515]

Agreed. The only way I see to do it on most pellet grills is with some Grill Grates. Those make a big difference. But, I just prefer to use my griddle for searing purposes.

[@Isovapor]

Pellet grills are not grills. They are outdoor ovens using wood pellets to provide heat to cook proteins. They produce very little smoke flavor or grill char without significant modifications along with the significant price you paid for purchasing an outdoor oven. If you are using pellets to produce smoked proteins please stop. Buy a Weber kettle and leave the expensive outdoor pellet oven crutch for the lazy. If you don’t want to heat your house by using the indoor oven, please buy a $1000 outdoor pellet oven. The flavor will be the same. Fact! Cheers!

[@Viper515]

I had no idea until this post. Thanks for clearing that up. Internet win here.

[@Isovapor]

@@Viper515 just keeping the BBQ world real. If you can’t manage a Weber charcoal $100 grill, you should probably be buying your barbecue food from your local bbq restaurant instead of buying a $1000 outdoor pellet oven passing it off as barbecue to your friends and neighbors. Pellet ovens are pre kindergarten. A Weber style kettle is 3rd grade where you learn basic fire management and heat control. Keep using your pre k pellet oven. I wish you the best on your bBQ journey. Cheers!

[@Viper515]

10-4. Thanks. All sarcasm aside, I agree that pellet grills don't compare to stick burners, charcoal, etc. With busy life, I like the option this brings to do more during the week and whatnot. I have a propane smoker as well that burns "real" wood, and I love it, but I just don't have the time sometimes for that. This is a nice alternative (for me) that I like. Good for some, others maybe not so much. The video was for the experience with the product, not which is superior.

[@VisualAFMedia]

The bbq gatekeeping. We're all laughing at you. 🤡

[@Isovapor]

@@VisualAFMedia If you can’t control a charcoal fire on a Weber kettle, we are all laughing at you clown! Cheers!