Best Pellet Grill for Serious Smokers
Traeger Ironwood 885 Review
Wood Pellet Grill with WiFIRE App Control, Super Smoke Mode, and 885 sq. in. Total Cooking Area. Tested over a full grilling season.
★★★★½
4.6 / 5
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The Traeger Ironwood 885 is the pellet grill that converts gas grill owners. Once you've eaten a brisket that spent 14 hours at 225°F with Super Smoke mode running, it's hard to go back. The WiFIRE app works reliably and the set-it-and-forget-it temperature control is genuinely accurate. It's expensive and won't sear like gas, but that's not what you're buying it for. If weekend brisket and pulled pork are in your future, this is the grill to buy.
| Fuel Type | Wood pellets |
| Total Cooking Area | 885 sq. in. total |
| Main Grate | 616 sq. in. |
| Upper Rack | 269 sq. in. |
| Temperature Range | 165°F to 500°F |
| WiFi | Yes (WiFIRE technology) |
| App | Traeger app (Android and iOS) |
| Auger System | D2 Direct Drive (brushless motor) |
| Super Smoke Mode | Yes (165°F to 225°F range) |
| Exhaust System | Downdraft exhaust |
| Pellet Hopper Capacity | 20 lbs |
| Grates | Porcelain-coated steel (both tiers) |
| Body Material | Powder-coated steel |
| Weight | 168 lbs |
| Warranty | 3 years |
| Last Tested | March 2026 |
Temperature regulation is the Ironwood's most impressive trait. Set it to 225°F for a brisket cook and it holds within plus or minus 5°F for hours. That kind of consistency is what separates a good pellet grill from a great one. A charcoal offset smoker requires constant attention to hold temperature. The Ironwood doesn't. You set it, connect to WiFIRE, and walk away.
The D2 Direct Drive auger feeds pellets consistently without the jamming issues common in older pellet grill designs. Over our testing period, which included multiple 10-plus-hour cooks, we had zero auger jams. That's not a given with pellet grills. Cheaper designs with step-motor augers will jam when pellets break down in humid conditions. The D2 drive handles it better.
Super Smoke mode is genuinely effective. We ran a side-by-side pork shoulder cook: one at 225°F standard, one at 225°F with Super Smoke active. The Super Smoke shoulder had a deeper smoke ring at the 8-hour mark and noticeably stronger smoke flavor in the finished meat. If you're doing competition-style barbecue or just want maximum flavor, Super Smoke is a real feature, not a marketing label.
The WiFIRE app let us monitor and adjust temperature remotely across the full cook without touching the grill. Temperature graphs in the app show you the cooking history, probe readings update every few seconds, and guided cook programs automatically step through temperature changes during complex cooks. We used the brisket guide for our first cook and it was actually useful.
WiFIRE is Traeger's proprietary WiFi-based control system. It works over your home WiFi network, not just Bluetooth, which means you can monitor and adjust from inside the house, from the driveway, or theoretically from anywhere you have cell service. The app is above average for a grill app. Temperature graphs, probe monitoring, and step-by-step guided cook programs are all genuinely useful. The interface is clean and doesn't require a manual to navigate. It requires a WiFi connection to your home network, though, so if your patio is on the edge of your router's range, you'll want to extend the signal first.
Super Smoke activates in the 165°F to 225°F temperature range. It works by cycling the auger more frequently, creating more incomplete combustion that generates additional smoke compounds. The temperature stays the same, but smoke output increases noticeably. Use it for the first few hours of any low-and-slow cook to maximize smoke ring penetration and bark development.
Most grills exhaust smoke upward and away from the food. The Ironwood's downdraft system vents smoke from beneath the cooking grates, which keeps smoke circulating around the food longer before it exits. The effect is a more even smoke exposure across both grate levels. It's a subtle design difference, but it contributes to more consistent smoke flavor across a full load of ribs or a large brisket.
The D2 system uses a brushless motor to drive the pellet auger, which delivers more precise pellet feeding than the step-motor designs used in entry-level pellet grills. More precise feeding means tighter temperature control and fewer fuel delivery inconsistencies. It's also quieter than older auger designs. After an initial startup procedure, the Ironwood reaches target temperature in about 15 minutes.
The 616 sq. in. main grate comfortably holds a full packer brisket (14 to 18 lbs) with room for a few links of sausage alongside it. The 269 sq. in. upper rack is ideal for ribs or chicken thighs that benefit from slightly lower, indirect heat. We cooked a full Thanksgiving turkey (22 lbs) on the main grate with space to add vegetables around it. The capacity justifies the grill's footprint.
The Ironwood includes a pellet sensor that notifies you via the app when the hopper runs low. On a 14-hour brisket cook, this matters. Nothing is worse than running out of pellets at hour 10. The full-length lower door provides easy access to the grease bucket and cleanout system. Grease management requires attention on long cooks, but the access design makes it straightforward.
The powder-coated steel body has held up well outdoors across our testing period. The finish hasn't chipped or faded with regular use and a couple of rain exposures. The folding front shelf collapses out of the way when not in use and provides a useful prep surface during cooks. The hopper lid seal is tight, which matters for pellet moisture control in humid climates.
The downdraft exhaust sits beneath the cooking grates, which is visually subtle but mechanically important. You won't notice it from the outside until you look closely. The porcelain grates on both the main and upper tiers clean up reasonably well with a grill brush after each cook, though long smoke sessions do build up residue faster than gas grills.
At 168 lbs, the Ironwood sits in one place once you've positioned it. The caster wheels lock, which prevents movement on uneven surfaces. This isn't a grill you'll move seasonally unless you have a truck and a helper.
Traeger's WiFIRE app is one of the better grill apps on the market. The interface is clean, the temperature graphs are useful for understanding your cook's history, and the probe monitoring updates frequently enough to be meaningful. Guided cook programs are the standout feature for newcomers. Select your protein, input the weight, and the app walks you through the entire cook with automatic temperature adjustments.
The one limitation is WiFi dependence. If your patio is beyond your home network's reach, the advanced features don't work. A WiFi extender placed near the grill resolves this, but it's an extra step. Bluetooth-only control isn't supported for the full feature set, which is a limitation if you want to monitor from further away.
At $1,299 to $1,499, the Ironwood 885 is the premium end of mainstream pellet grills. Traeger pellets cost roughly $18 to $25 per 20-pound bag. At 225°F, the grill burns about 1 to 2 pounds per hour, which puts a 14-hour brisket cook at $20 to $25 in fuel. Budget that into your total cost of ownership calculation.
The 3-year warranty is shorter than Weber's 10-year coverage on burners, which is worth noting. That said, Traeger has a strong support reputation and the D2 system is more reliable than older pellet grill designs that required more frequent maintenance.
If you're comparing against the Traeger Pro 780, the Ironwood is worth the upgrade for anyone who cooks seriously. Super Smoke mode, the downdraft exhaust, and the larger cooking area justify the price difference. If you're primarily using the grill for quick weeknight cooks rather than long smokes, the Pro 780 makes more sense.
The Ironwood 885 is for the person who wants smoked meats without the learning curve of a traditional offset smoker. If brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, or whole chickens with real smoke flavor are your goal, this delivers. The WiFIRE app and guided cook programs make it approachable for newcomers, and the temperature precision satisfies experienced cooks who know what they're targeting.
It's also well suited for people who want to cook and then step away. If you like the idea of loading a brisket at 8 AM, checking the app from your couch, and coming back to pull it off at 10 PM, the Ironwood is built for exactly that workflow.
If you primarily grill quickly at high heat, steaks and burgers most evenings, the Ironwood isn't the right tool. You'll spend $1,400 and use it occasionally. A Weber Genesis E-335 at half the price serves those cooks better. Also consider whether your outdoor space has reliable WiFi coverage before buying. The app features are a genuine selling point and you'll miss them if the connection isn't there.
The Traeger Ironwood 885 is the best pellet grill we've tested for serious smoking. Temperature regulation, Super Smoke mode, the WiFIRE app, and the large cooking area all deliver on their promises. The searing limitation is real but expected. You're not buying this to sear steaks. You're buying it to produce the best smoked brisket your backyard has ever seen. At 4.6 out of 5, it earns its price for the right buyer.
Price verified March 2026. Check Amazon for current pricing.
Not in the way a gas grill can. The Ironwood 885 maxes out at 500°F, which is warm enough to produce some color but won't generate the deep, crusty sear you get from 700°F+ direct heat. If searing is important to you, consider adding a cast iron griddle over the pellet grill at max temperature, or keeping a gas grill for high-heat work.
Super Smoke mode activates in the 165°F to 225°F temperature range. It cycles the auger more frequently to create more incomplete combustion, which generates additional smoke compounds without raising the temperature. In our testing, pork shoulder cooked at 225°F with Super Smoke on produced a noticeably deeper smoke ring than the same cook without it.
The grill functions without WiFi. You can set temperature manually with the controller. But the WiFIRE app features, including remote monitoring, temperature adjustment, and guided cook programs, all require a WiFi connection. Bluetooth alone isn't supported for full app control. If your patio doesn't reach your home WiFi signal, a WiFi extender placed near the grill solves the problem.
Traeger pellets typically run $18 to $25 for a 20-pound bag, which is roughly one full hopper. At low and slow temperatures (225°F), the grill burns about 1 to 2 pounds of pellets per hour. A 14-hour brisket cook uses approximately 14 to 20 pounds, or one bag. Factor $20 to $25 in fuel per major cook. Third-party pellets that fit the specs can reduce this cost.
The Ironwood 885 is worth the upgrade over the Pro 780 if you do serious low-and-slow smoking. The Ironwood adds Super Smoke mode, the downdraft exhaust system, and a larger 885 sq in cooking area. The downdraft exhaust in particular makes a real difference on long smoke sessions. The Pro 780 is a good grill, but it lacks these features at its lower price point.
Last tested: March 2026. See also: Weber Genesis E-335 Review | Weber Genesis vs Traeger Ironwood | Best Outdoor Grills 2026
