We Made Four Racks Of Ribs On The Traeger Woodridge Elite Pellet Grill — It Cooked As Well As Smokers Twice The Price

The Traeger Woodridge Elite Pellet Smoker is simply a caller full-featured exemplary from 1 of our favourite grill companies. The Woodridge Elite has a ample cooking area of astir 1,000 quadrate inches and includes a broadside burner truthful it tin grip afloat repast prep. There are 3 Woodridge grills, and While nan Elite is nan astir costly successful nan line, it's still beginner-friendly.

All nan best Traeger grills are worthy considering, but nan Woodridge Elite has that typical sauce: a $1,600 value tag. That's an unthinkable worth for a WiFi-connected and Super Smoke-enabled Traeger grill that tin fresh 8 racks of ribs.

After spending weeks cooking pinch nan Woodridge Elite, I deliberation it's a awesome smoker. Its temperatures stayed constant, and its broadside burner was convenient. There are immoderate quirks, but overall, I confidently urge this grill.

Design

Of nan 3 Woodridge grills, nan Elite is nan only 1 pinch an electrical cooktop, afloat assemblage insulation, and a furniture enclosure. The grill insulation allows you to navigator year-round, nary matter nan climate. Plus, it keeps nan somesthesia much accordant erstwhile smoking complete respective hours.

I did announcement that nan furniture doors connected my grill are misaligned. They usability properly, latching onto nan magnets and swinging unfastened without immoderate squeaks, but they don't align precisely. I triple-checked each nan screws and moreover switched nan spacers connected each doorway to spot if that would reside nan problem, but it didn't. Ultimately, it doesn't impact function, but I did see nan relationship betwixt a budget-friendly value and insignificant creation flaws.

Frankly, I only noticed nan doorway alignment because of different creation peculiarity. On nan Elite, nan grease and ash keg is offset conscionable capable that you request to pen some doors to propulsion it out. We still emotion nan keg and nan furniture enclosure that hides it.

Assembly

For assembly, Traeger does a very bully occupation of packaging parts successful a measurement that sets group up for success. There are 2 well-documented instruction books successful English and Spanish, positive video instructions.

From commencement to decorativeness nan Woodridge Elite took maine astir 3 dedicated hours to afloat assemble. I was capable to do everything myself, including flipping it from upside down to correct broadside up halfway done nan assembly. It took maine 2 hours to afloat combine nan entry-level Woodridge grill — nan cabinet, other wheels, and broadside burner added much clip to nan Elite's job.

Cooking

Feeding pellets into an auger isn't ever nan astir accordant because temperatures tin alteration during a agelong smoke, but I had minimal change cooking connected nan Elite. Across 5 different smoking sessions, from 180 to 450 degrees, I've only noticed a positive aliases minus of 5 degrees.

This accordant capacity is apt acknowledgment to nan amended insulation connected this model. I saw much variance successful raising and holding temperatures connected nan entry-level grill. Living successful lukewarm confederate California, I wasn't bothered by nan difference, but anyone successful cooler climates should deliberation astir splurging for maximum insulation.

The 970-square-inch cooking area was ample for my family of four. Some of nan meats I smoked, for illustration a azygous rack of ribs and a mini turkey breast, astir disappeared. Traeger says nan Elite tin do up to 8 racks of ribs aliases 8 pork butts astatine once. I didn't spell to that extreme, but I comfortably fresh 4 racks of ribs.

Side burner

The Elite's broadside burner is simply a modular electrical burner, truthful location are nary restrictions connected what pots and pans you tin use. It did return 5 aliases six minutes for nan cookware to scope mean heat, which is simply a small slower than I would person liked. The much annoying aspects were nan touch-sensitive somesthesia buttons and nan parameter lights, which were challenging to spot successful sunlight.

Utilizing nan burner to make nutrient successful operation pinch nan smoker intends nary much moving backmost and distant to a room stove.

WiFi cooking and Traeger app

One advantage of a modern smoker grill for illustration nan Woodridge Elite is its WiFi connectivity. I ne'er had relationship issues, but you will request a decent wireless router astatine location that reaches wherever you scheme connected grilling. On nan Elite model, nan hopper has a sensor that shows successful nan app nan magnitude of substance left.

The app's inheritance changes colour from grey to agleam orangish to bespeak nan grill's temperature. So, erstwhile you unfastened nan app, you tin spot if it's basking aliases not, moreover earlier your eyes find nan nonstop number. If you're utilizing Super Smoke, nan inheritance besides becomes hazy.

There's an Apple Watch app that will show temperature, timer, and a Super Smoke button. I would emotion to spot Traeger adopt Apple's Live Activities truthful it tin show a unrecorded timer countdown correct connected your Lock Screen aliases Dynamic Island.

Control panel

Another point that keeps nan costs of this grill down is utilizing single-purpose buttons to prime different modes alternatively of a touchscreen.

I ended up liking nan large blocky matter utilized to show nan somesthesia because it's easy to spot from a distance. More importantly, nan controller is responsive: erstwhile you twist it, nan somesthesia changes immediately. The Timberline touchscreen mightiness beryllium much interactive, but I ever recovered it to beryllium a small sluggish erstwhile jabbing astatine nan screen.

Clean up

The EZ-Clean Grease & Ash Keg strategy is making its measurement to each Traeger smokers and continues to beryllium a point of beauty. It's a azygous location for some those by-products; tucked underneath nan grill, it remains hidden and safe from accidental bumps. The grip grip makes it easy to region and slot backmost into place. If there's thing to kick about, it's nan aluminum liners that you'll want to buy; it's annoying, but they make cleanup a snap.

Cons to consider

I loved nan Woodridge Elite, but nan grill isn't flawless. I saw immoderate cosmetic issues for illustration misaligned furniture doors, which tells maine location mightiness beryllium immoderate variance successful construction. In position of design, I would person preferred nan broadside burner lid to beryllium bolted connected and hinged, alternatively of being a loose cover. Additionally, nan pellet sensor useful arsenic advertised but isn't ever 100% meticulous since nan pellets siphon disconnected unevenly.

The Woodridge Elite features a 970-square-inch cooking area, and nan full grill is 67 inches wide. It's a bully operation of usable abstraction and beingness size, but it's still not mini and mightiness consciousness excessively bulky for metropolis dwellers aliases those pinch mini patios.

What are your alternatives?

There are 2 different Woodridge models. The entry-level grill is nan smallest and cheapest, and it cooks conscionable arsenic consistently arsenic nan Elite. Unfortunately, it only has 2 wheels and doesn't person Super Smoke abilities.

If you unrecorded successful a lukewarm ambiance aliases scheme to usage nan grill only successful nan summer, I deliberation nan Woodridge Pro is nan champion worth of nan caller grills. The Pro has nan aforesaid dimensions and cooking area arsenic nan Elite, positive nan Super Smoke Feature, for $600 less. However, it has little insulation and doesn't person a broadside burner aliases furniture enclosure.

Beyond Traeger, we person classed nan best pellet smoker crossed each brands. The Camp Chef Woodwind 24 is comparable to nan Woodridge Elite for correct astir $1,000.

The bottommost line

Overall, nan Traeger Woodridge Elite was dependable and accordant done each its cooks. The Elite is simply a compelling value: you get almost a afloat outdoor room for $1,600 including an electrical broadside burner, furniture enclosure, and entree to nan Traeger app and room of recipes. It was truthful easy to navigate nan controls and navigator connected that I'd urge it to newcomers and knowledgeable smokers.