By cryptoadmin 
Grill corporations are taking a unique method in 2025. As an alternative of refining premium sensible pellet fashions and including much more options, they’re aiming to offer a strong outside cooking expertise for much less cash than normal. Weber did so with the Smoque earlier this week and now Traeger is following swimsuit. With the Woodridge sequence, Traeger presents an all-new look and simplified controls, and even probably the most inexpensive possibility is provided with Wi-Fi connectivity. Plus, you possibly can improve all of them with further equipment.
The common Woodridge is the most cost effective possibility of the brand new trio. At $800, it’s the identical value because the smallest Professional sequence mannequin, the Professional 575, and $1,000 lower than the mid-range Ironwood grill. Your entire Woodridge sequence has a novel design that differs from the pricier Timberline and Ironwood grills, and Traeger ditched the touchscreen for a simplified setup. However don’t let the worth idiot you, the corporate didn’t lower many corners to maintain prices down. The Woodridge is a workhorse, and in some methods it’s higher to prepare dinner on than Traeger’s costlier grills.
Design
The very first thing I observed concerning the Woodridge is that Traeger removed the touchscreen controls. I don’t doubt that part was costly, and in my view it was pointless. As an alternative, there’s a easy set of buttons for timers, meals probes, ignition and menu. Subsequent to them is a multi-color show with massive numbers that make temperature, time and different stats straightforward to see, even from a distance. On the far proper of the panel, a single knob means that you can scroll by and modify temperature settings and extra.
Like different Traeger fashions, the controller is put in on the pellet hopper, which doubles as a small aspect shelf. On the Woodridge, the hopper has a 24 pound capability, greater than sufficient for many low-and-slow smoke classes. These new grills even have Traeger’s Pop-And-Lock (PAL) rail system across the exterior. These will let you customise your grills with issues like cabinets, paper towel holders and condiment baskets. There’s additionally ample rack storage in-built, with spots to retailer each the longer high rack and the smaller backside ones, too.
The Woodridge is probably the most primary of the brand new grills, and it doesn’t have any sort of shelf or cupboard beneath. As an alternative, there’s simply an X-shaped bracket that retains the legs comfortable and tight. On the hopper finish, there are two wheels with rubber tread and two legs on the opposite. There’s no deal with to elevate the grill to maneuver it, so it’s a must to use the side-mounted PAL rail. On the underbelly, you’ll get Traeger’s so-called EZ-Clear Grease & Ash Keg that collects all of the waste from the prepare dinner chamber for straightforward removing.
Even the lid and prepare dinner field on the Woodridge have a brand new form. The lid is flatter and appears extra like a fuel grill than the oval tops of the Timberline, Ironwood and Professional sequence. You continue to get two ranges of grates inside protecting 860 sq. inches of cooking space, however there’s much less vertical house to stack meals. Traeger redesigned the parts underneath the cooking floor too, putting in handles on the drip tray for straightforward removing and a canopy for the grease keg. The trail for grease is now extra enclosed, so errant embers ought to be much less of a priority.
General, I’m impressed with the construct high quality on the entry-level Woodridge. It will’ve been straightforward for Traeger to make use of low cost supplies to cut back price, however the grill is sturdy and may final for years. The legs are rock strong and all the pieces feels hefty and robust, which is a welcome shock in comparison with different funds pleasant choices.
Cooking with the Woodridge
In case you’re in search of a simple pellet grill that will get the job accomplished, the Woodridge is a superb possibility. It isn’t loaded down with options you may not use, however does all the pieces from low-and-slow barbecue to high-heat searing with a temperature vary of 180-500 levels Fahrenheit. I sometimes use pellet grills for smoking, so most of my testing centered on that, however I can vouch for the Woodridge’s capacity to keep up temperatures of 500 (and barely above).
The Woodridge doesn’t have Traeger’s signature Tremendous Smoke mode, however the grill nonetheless imparts a lot of smoke into your meals. I notably loved the layered taste on a double-smoked, glazed ham over the vacations. The convection air movement contained in the cooking chamber strikes smoke round to blanket your meals with the nuance of the wooden pellets. Even at increased “smoking” temperatures of 300 levels and above, the grill was nonetheless producing vital quantities of smoke.
An enormous characteristic on the Woodridge is Traeger’s WiFire tech. This Wi-Fi connectivity sends important cooking stats to the corporate’s app in your cellphone, permitting you to maintain tabs on the method from wherever. For the Woodridge, this implies you possibly can see knowledge from wired or wi-fi meals probes, modify grill temperature, set timers, activate Hold Heat mode and shut down the grill in your cellphone. As all the time, the Traeger app has a wealth of recipes if you want some inspiration, full with steering for novices. The app is likely one of the greatest instruments on Traeger’s grills, so it’s good to see the core options from the software program can be found on this base mannequin.
Different Woodridge choices
The common Woodridge is the bottom mannequin within the new trio with the Woodridge Professional and the Woodridge Elite above it. The Professional has 970 sq. inches of cooking house, Tremendous Smoke mode, a folding aspect shelf and a backside storage shelf. It additionally presents an upgraded controller with a pellet-monitoring sensor contained in the hopper. These upgrades price $200, because the Woodridge Professional is $1,000.
On the Woodridge Elite, you get a number of the greatest features of Traeger’s costliest grills — the Timberline and Timberline XL. These conveniences embrace insulated building for higher warmth retention, a 1,100-watt infrared aspect burner and an enclosed cupboard base. The additions come on high of the 970-square-inch cooking space and different key specs from the Woodridge Professional. You’ll pay much more for this grill, although, because the Elite is $1,600. So, it’s a lot much less enticing than the opposite Woodridge choices.
The Woodridge, Woodridge Professional and Woodridge Elite had been simply introduced right this moment, however the first two can be found now at Traeger’s web site or from retailers within the US and Canada.
Ultimate ideas on the Woodridge
After Traeger went much more premium with its Ironwood makeover in 2023, the corporate had an enormous hole between its most inexpensive fashions and its costlier ones. The unique Ironwood was a pleasant bridge between the Professional sequence and the Timberline, however all of these upgrades killed that worth proposition. The brand new Woodridge sequence reclaims a few of that territory, and even the bottom trim offers you all the pieces you’d need in a primary pellet grill. In truth, I’d argue it goes past that. The Woodridge and Woodridge Professional are huge upgrades in comparison with the Professional 575 and Professional 780.
Each time I exploit the Woodridge I’m amazed by the sturdy construct high quality Traeger delivered whereas holding the associated fee down. The brand new look is actually a departure from the corporate’s different grills, so it’ll take some getting used to. However, if you’re utilizing it, that doesn't matter. I want the brand new simplified controls to Traeger’s affinity for a touchscreen and the Woodridge carried out nicely each time I cooked on it. In case you suppose most of Traeger’s lineup is simply too costly, and that the Professional sequence has been round too lengthy to put money into one, the Woodridge is perhaps best for you.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/residence/kitchen-tech/traeger-woodridge-review-a-big-upgrade-for-the-entry-level-pellet-grill-160010591.html?src=rss