Hey I’m Randy with BBQGuys.
Today we are going to be checking out Traeger’s Ironwood series.
This thing can smoke, grill, bake.. and it’s packed with some pretty cool features.
Let’s check it out.
Traeger’s Ironwood series is fueled by wood pellets that are held in this 20 Lb. pellet
hopper.
These hardwood pellets are available in a range of popular wood flavors to pair with
whatever you choose to cook.
When it’s time to grill, just power up the D2 controller and dial in your temperature
anywhere between 165F and 500F.
Once set, the auger will transport the amount of pellets needed to reach and maintain your
target temp.
For more reliability, the Ironwood series uses an industry first brushless motor to
power their variable speed fan and auger.
Once the pellets reach the fire pot, the hot rod ignites them, and the variable speed fan
stokes the fire, helping you reach your desired temperature quickly and precisely maintain
it.
Traeger’s D2 system makes it easy to grill, bake.. or smoke with woodfired flavor.
The Ironwood series even adds the convenience of WIFIRE technology.
The Traeger app allows you to use your phone to monitor and control your Ironwood grill.
When I was getting ready to smoke a brisket, I was able to monitor the preheat from my
phone while getting it prepped.
This was a 17Lb.
Brisket, so I opted to let it smoke overnight at the office.
I used the included temp probe so I could keep an eye on the progress and headed home
to let it cruise.
The next morning it was still going strong with some good color.
After letting it rest, the results were impressive..
It turned out really tender and juicy.
It was a huge relief to not have to worry about maintaining the temperature I wanted
throughout the night, the Ironwood is not a grill you will have to babysit.
For times when you want guidance throughout the whole cooking process, the Traeger app
even has a collection of recipes to choose from.
These recipes are fully compatible with the Ironwood, simply press “cook now” and
the app will send the target temps and timer settings for great results on whatever you
choose.
When it comes to extra smoke flavor, Traeger’s Ironwood series has a super smoke mode, which
utilizes its variable speed fan to get the maximum amount of smoke between 165 and 225
degree settings.
These ribs got some great wood fired flavor using this mode.
For maximum smoke circulation, the Ironwood series features Traeger’s innovative downdraft
exhaust system.
This forces the smoke to exit through these ports at the back of the grill, right near
cooking surface level.
This design causes the fan forced smoke and heat to create a vortex around your food before
exiting the grill.
The Ironwood series even has a “keep warm” setting, so your food can be ready whenever
you are.
For cooking surface versatility, the inside of the Ironwood Series has a two tier grate
design.
To give you an idea of what you can fit on the Ironwood 885, here is what it looks like
loaded with a little bit of everything.
The top rack works well for low and slow smokes like this brisket, because you have plenty
of room to put a water pan on the lower rack to add moisture during the cook.
For times when you don’t need it, the top rack can be removed.
The larger bottom grate can either be used in the lower position for grilling, or set
it a step higher for more delicate items.
Underneath the cooking grids, you will find Traeger’s grease drip tray.
This provides plenty of surface for drippings to vaporize off of, adding to the smokey flavor
you get when grilling.
The grease drip tray also provides a layer of heat diffusion from the fire pot in the
belly of the grill, these burgers cooked really even across the grates and there is never
a need to worry about runaway flames burning your food.
The grease tray slants to the left side, causing excess drippings to drain into this bucket
on the left side of the grill for easy cleaning.
Underneath the grease tray on the Ironwood, you will find Traeger’s heat baffle.
This adds another layer of heat diffusion above the fire pot.
This baffle can be removed for cleaning when is needed.
The fire pot sits in the belly of the grill, and this is where your pellet fuel ignites
and burns.
For added heat retention, the belly and side walls of the Ironwood are double walled.
This allowed me to smoke the brisket overnight and still have pellets left in the morning.
The lid also has a gasket to add further insulation, and the included temperature probe can be
run through this port on the side of the grill so that the wire doesn’t keep the lid from
closing all the way.
For times when you want to change out the pellet flavor you are cooking with, the back
of the hopper has a pellet cleanout door.
The left side of the Traeger Ironwood has a stainless steel side shelf with tool hooks,
for keeping everything close at hand.
Thanks for watching today, if you have any questions about Traeger Grills give us a call
or check us out online.
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BBQGuys.com we smoke the competition!