Category
Pellet, offset, kamado and kettle.
12 products covered · 23 articles
The outgoing Ironwood, and the better buy for it — more grate space than the model that replaced it, for less money.
Ceramic, so it holds heat like nothing else here — and weighs what a ceramic oven weighs.
The cheapest way into genuinely good barbecue. No electronics to fail, and it never goes out of date.
The default charcoal grill, and a competent smoker with the vents half shut.
Operating range
The current Ironwood. Less grate than the 885 it replaced, and the one Traeger still sells.
Amazon lists the older Ironwood 885 but not the current Ironwood. This goes to Traeger, who sell it directly.
Product image pending
Traeger's current entry pellet grill, and the one of theirs you can actually buy. More grate than the Ironwood that outranks it.
More grate than a Traeger Ironwood for a fraction of the money. The hopper is where it pays for that.
A traditional barrel offset smoker with 1,100 square inches of total space and a dedicated firebox for true split-log smoking.
Product image pending
Three burners with a two-burner Sear Zone, porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates, and Snap-Jet ignition. The baseline backyard gas grill.
Set-and-forget vertical electric smoker with digital temperature control and a patented side woodchip loader.
Four independent heat zones on an Omnivore flat-top steel griddle plate with a protective hood.
Operating range
Full-color WiFi PID controller, direct-flame Slide and Grill sear mode, and a patented ash cleanout cup.
Amazon stocks the Pro version and the previous generation, not this one. This goes to Camp Chef, who sell it directly.
| Spec | TraegerIronwood 885 | Kamado JoeClassic III | WeberSmokey Mountain Cooker 22" | WeberOriginal Kettle Premium 22" | TraegerIronwood | TraegerWoodridge | Pit BossCarbon Series 700 | Oklahoma Joe'sLaredo Series 1100 | WeberSpirit E-325 | Masterbuilt30-Inch Digital Electric Smoker | BlackstoneOriginal 36” Griddle with Hood | Camp ChefWoodwind 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price band | ||||||||||||
| Temperature range | 165–500°F | 225–750°F | — | — | 165-500°F | — | 180-500°F | — | — | 100–275°F | — | — |
| Cooking area | 885 sq in across two tiers | 250 sq in | 726 sq in across two grates | 363 sq in | 616 sq in — 396 on rack one, 220 on rack two | 860 sq in — 520 on rack one, 340 on rack two | 718 sq in | — | 450 sq in total (360 sq in primary, 90 sq in warming rack) | 710 sq in across four chrome-coated smoking racks | 768 sq in of cooking space | — |
| Hopper capacity | 20 lb | — | — | — | 22 lb | — | 13.5 lb, with cleanout | — | — | — | — | — |
| Capacity | 10 chickens, 7 rib racks, or 9 pork butts | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 chickens, 2 turkeys, 4 pork butts or 4 racks of ribs, by Masterbuilt count | — | — |
| Weight | 175 lb | 280.6 lb | — | — | 199 lb | 138 lb | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Status | Superseded — the current Ironwood is 616 sq in | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Grill diameter | — | 18 in | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Warranty | — | Limited lifetime | 10 years on bowl, lid and centre ring | 10 years on bowl and lid, no rust or burn through | 10 years, limited | — | 3 years | — | 10 years cookbox, lid assembly and stainless steel burner tubes, no rust through or burn through; 5 years grates and Flavorizer bars | 1 year | — | — |
| Diameter | — | — | 22 in | 22 in | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dimensions | — | — | 48.5 in H × 23 in W × 24 in D | 39.5 in H × 22.5 in W × 27 in D, lid closed | — | — | — | — | 46.20" H x 48.30" W x 26.60" D (lid closed) | 20.5 in W × 19.9 in L × 33.3 in H | — | — |
| Cooking grate | — | — | — | Plated steel, hinged | — | — | Porcelain-coated steel | — | — | — | — | — |
| Connectivity | — | — | — | — | — | WiFIRE, with control and monitoring from the Traeger app | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cleanout | — | — | — | — | — | EZ-Clean Grease & Ash Keg, collecting ash and drippings together | — | — | — | — | — | Patented Ash Cleanout system with removable ash cup |
| Accessory mounting | — | — | — | — | — | P.A.L. Pop-And-Lock rails | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cooking space | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1,100 sq in total cooking space | — | — | — | — |
| Chamber style | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Barrel-style chamber with dedicated offset firebox | — | — | — | — |
| Airflow control | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Side air damper and adjustable smokestack | — | — | — | — |
| Cooking grates | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Porcelain-coated grates | Porcelain-enameled, cast-iron cooking grates | — | — | — |
| Material | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Heavy-duty steel | — | — | — | — |
| Burner output | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 31,000 BTU-per-hour input across 3 stainless steel burners | — | — | — |
| Sear Zone | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 Boost Burners, which Weber says unleash 40% more power in the Sear Zone | — | — | — |
| Wood loading | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Patented side woodchip loader (add chips without opening smoker door) | — | — |
| Cooking surface | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36-inch Omnivore Griddle Plate | — |
| Burners | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Four independently controlled heat zones | — |
| Hood | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Included painted steel hood | — |
| Features | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Dual folding side shelves, BAR accessory system, and paper towel holder | — |
| Controller | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Full-color WiFi PID controller with Camp Chef Connect App |
| Direct flame mode | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Slide and Grill direct flame feature (up to 650°F flame direct) |
| Where to buy | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | View at Traeger Amazon lists the older Ironwood 885 but not the current Ironwood. This goes to Traeger, who sell it directly. | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | Check current price on Amazon | View at Camp Chef Amazon stocks the Pro version and the previous generation, not this one. This goes to Camp Chef, who sell it directly. |
Guide
A plant-packaged fully cooked ham needs reheating to 140°F; a cook-before-eating ham needs 145°F and a rest. USDA's times by weight.
Guide
USDA times a bone-in rib roast at 23 to 30 minutes a pound at 325°F, done at 145°F with a 3 minute rest. What that means in a smoker, by weight.
Review
BBQ gifts for someone who smokes meat, sorted by what they already own. Every pick named by model, with the published spec behind it.
Guide
USDA publishes a 225 to 300°F smoker band and a one-day-per-four-to-five-pounds thaw. What that means for a Thanksgiving bird, counted backwards.
Guide
Heat does not burn gluten off a grill. What the Gluten Intolerance Group actually recommends for shared smokers, and which BBQ staples to check first.
Review
710 square inches against 718 — nearly identical. Where they differ is the ends of the temperature dial, and what each maker will put in writing.
Review
860 square inches against 718, and the hopper one brisket can empty. What the three published spec sheets actually say, and where they go quiet.
Review
The Blackstone 36 publishes more than twice the cooking surface of a Weber Spirit E-325. What each manufacturer publishes, and what neither will tell you.
Review
Weber's gas and charcoal flagships have near-identical primary cooking areas. What the published specs say, and the number neither manufacturer prints.
Review
726 square inches against 250. What each manufacturer publishes about capacity, range and warranty — and the two numbers Weber does not print.
Review
1,100 square inches on one level against 726 across two. What each manufacturer publishes about capacity, and how little either publishes about heat.
Review
Both offer direct-flame searing. Camp Chef brings a 22 lb hopper, WiFi PID, and ash cleanout cup; Pit Boss gives more grate for less money.
Review
Masterbuilt offers plug-in digital convenience with a side chip loader. Weber Smokey Mountain delivers authentic charcoal flavor and a 10-year warranty.
Review
Camp Chef adds direct flame searing and an ash cleanout cup. Traeger brings heavier insulated construction and ten years of warranty coverage.
Review
Weber Spirit E-325 open-grate char versus Blackstone 36 flat-top steel. Compare convective lid roasting to 768 sq in contact griddle searing.
Review
Most first-smoker advice points at a pellet grill. The published specs point somewhere much cheaper. Three real options, compared honestly.
Review
Offset smokers deliver heavier bark and convective air velocity with split logs; pellet grills offer automated auger thermostatic control.
Review
The cheaper grill has more cooking area. What the extra money actually buys is a hopper you refill half as often, and seven more years of warranty.
Review
Same 22-inch grate, same 10-year warranty, same company. One has a barrel in the middle and exactly twice the cooking area. Here is what that buys.
Guide
Learn how to operate charcoal, offset, pellet, and electric smokers. Master clean thin blue smoke, air damper control, and meat temperature monitoring.
Review
One holds a temperature by itself. The other reaches 750°F. Compared on published specifications, and on which you will still own in ten years.
Review
Pellet, ceramic or charcoal? We compare the Traeger Ironwood 885, Kamado Joe Classic III and Weber Smokey Mountain on published specifications.
Guide
Your brisket sat at 155°F for six hours. That is evaporative cooling, not rendering fat — and the experiments that proved it are worth understanding.
