Grills are versatile cooking appliances that you should definitely invest in. The Traeger Ironwood and Camp Chef Woodwind are two of the best in the market and are also worth comparing.
First off, Traeger is the pioneer of pellet grills and they started way back in the 1980s. This means that their models as of today are well-developed and innovative.
Camp Chef is also a well-known company when it comes to producing pellet grills. Their release of the first pellet grill from Camp Chef was about a decade after Traeger released theirs.
So these two are close competitors and they have the best grills on the market. They should not be compared because they are both great but we cannot help it for the same reason.
Both of these companies have released lines of grills that you can use for almost any recipe. The Ironwood from Traeger and the Woodwind grills from Camp Chef are the earlier models.
Although not the most advanced, these two grill series from these companies are patented and are the bases of the most innovative pellet grills that you will find in most stores right now.
They still have the basic capabilities that you will find in most grills. These basic features make them easy to use as you do not need something too fancy to make them work or to operate.
While Traeger is known to release innovative and high-quality products, Camp Chef does not back down with their signature manufacturing process and attention to details on their grills.
So while the general view and comparison of these two companies in making grills are a bit of a tie, we should dive into the details of the grills to get a better understanding.
Table of Contents
Setting Up The Grills
Perhaps the hardest job you are going to do with these pellet grills is to set them up. That’s right, they are so convenient and easy to use that setting them up would be the only hassle.
See, these pellet grills have electronics inside them that needs to be powered. So when you set them up outside the house, make sure that you have an electrical outlet nearby.
If not, you can bring out an extension cord to connect the grills into. You need to set the grills up outside and far from flammable objects as they can produce a lot of heat that may burn them.
Once the grills arrive from delivery, you can use them within an hour or less. The setup is very easy but they are heavy so when moving them, make sure to get help from other people.
Fill up the pellet hoppers and then start firing them up. Within minutes, these pellet grills will reach their maximum temperatures so you can cook right away.
Since these grills use pellets as fuel, they can cook almost anything while also adding flavors to the food. That is why it is also perfect to smoke in these pellet grills.
Significant Differences Between The Traeger Ironwood Grill Series And Camp Chef Woodwind
While there are similarities between these two grill series, they also have their differences. That is quite obvious since they are made by two different companies.
But also, it is important to take a look at the differences between these two as it will help you make a more precise decision on which one you like more, so here are some:
Cooking Space
The first difference that you will clearly notice is the size of the grills. The Traeger Ironwood grill series do not have a very long appearance while the Woodwind series have some.
While this feature seems simple, it is important to know the cooking area that the grills allow you to have so you will know which fits your preference and available area for setup.
The Camp Chef Woodwind grills are available in 3 sizes. First, is the 20-inch, the 24-inch, and lastly, the 36-inch grill which has their own configurations depending on the size.
The numbers used in labeling these grills indicate the length of the grill. So with the Woodwind 36, you can have a long grill where you can cook multiple pieces of meat in.
The 24 and 36-inch options can be configured to a WiFi-only grill, a WiFi grill with propane searing sidebox, or with a WiFi grill with a Woodwind Sidekick power burner.
As for the Traeger Ironwood grill series, the company offers only two sizes. The Ironwood 650 and Ironwood 885, both have the same features so the size is the only difference.
Do not compare the numbers with the Woodwind grills as the labels used by Traeger indicate the total cooking surface area of the Ironwood grills which is pretty equal to the Woodwind grills.
However, when you look at the Ironwood grills, you will notice that it is quite impossible to fit that much cooking space on such a short and stout pellet grill.
But the design of the Ironwood grills helps in creating more cooking space. These grills are pill-shaped allowing them to stack up to two racks inside the chamber even when closed.
So the Traeger Ironwood grills take this feature over the Woodwind grills since they have a larger cooking surface and allow multi-level cooking for versatility.
Temperature Range
When it comes to the ability and versatility of cooking, you should definitely consider the temperature range of the grill that you want to buy as it will determine their benefits.
A grill with a wide temperature range will definitely win because that would simply mean that it can sear with very high temperatures or go low and smoke meat perfectly without burning.
The Traeger Ironwood grills can reach temperatures of up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, enough to cook pizza in 10 minutes or sear a steak with perfect marks and chars on the surface.
That is pretty powerful but most grills can go even higher than that. As for the Woodwind grills, they can go as high as 500 degrees Fahrenheit which is pretty great for barbecues.
The lower the grill can go, the better since they can cook meat slowly and create a soft finish on the food. The Traeger Ironwood grills can go as low as 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since these grills use pellets, that kind of temperature gives enough heat to cook meat for hours and are also able to put a lot of smoky flavors in the meat when it is finished.
The Woodwind grills have a very low capacity where they can go as low as 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This is a better temperature for smoking as you have more control when doing so.
By 20 degrees Fahrenheit, the Woodwind grills win the temperature range of this comparison. They are more versatile in terms of what they can cook because of their wide range.
Pellet Hopper Capacity
Another feature that might not sound like a big deal but when you think about it, the capacity of the pellet hopper makes a huge difference when grilling for a whole day.
It also means that the larger the pellet hopper capacity is, the less time you spend refilling it. This is not a hard task but repeatedly refilling them can be frustrating and unnecessary.
With the Traeger Ironwood grills, you can go for up to 20-pound pellet hoppers. This is a big hopper that can last for up to 10 hours of continuous cooking, pretty impressive right?
Well, the Camp Chef Woodwind grills beat that by a mere 2-pound margin. While 2 pounds of pellets do not sound like much, it makes a huge difference in the long run.
So clearly, the Camp Chef Woodwind grills win this category as the extra 2 pounds of pellets will let you cook longer, in fact, 2 pounds can actually go for another hour of cooking.
Similarities
Now that we have seen the differences between the Ironwood grill series and the Woodwind grills, let us now go through their similarities and what makes them great grills.
Convenience and Control
These grill series are both controlled via a WiFi connection. That is the best way to keep the food in check while you relax by the pool or while watching your favorite game.
All you need to do is to connect the grills with your WiFi. The first time we tried this, it took a bit of adjustment for the grills to connect but once they connected, they went full-on.
When the grills are turned off, they disconnect to the WiFi source. But once you turn them on, you no longer need to manually connect them again as they automatically connect to the WiFi.
This allows you to control the grills accurately even when you are far away from it. As long as your mobile device is connected to the same WiFi source as the grills.
There is not much difference between the interface of the apps from these grill companies. You can control the temperature and the timer and the grill will be automatically set.
One major difference with this control is the display. The Traeger Ironwood grills have a simple LCD display on the side while the Camp Chef Woodwind grills have a full-color display.
DC Motors and Auger mechanism
This feature is what allows the grills to automatically raise the temperature or lower it if you set it through your smartphone. This mechanism moves the pellets from the hopper to the firebox.
DC Motors in these grills help in keeping the grill at the right temperature. This way, you do not have to manually place the fuel inside the firebox to prevent accidents and avoid the hassle.
One disadvantage of the Ironwood grills with their DC motors is the brush meant for cleaning. Sometimes it is helpful but there are times where it just clogs the pathway for the pellets.
Cooking Capabilities
These grills might have different manufacturers and temperature ranges but they do put up impressive results. That is why we put the cooking capabilities under the similarities.
Smoked meat in these grills is perfect as they fall off the bone when finished. The meat is perfectly smoked and tenderized with the flavor from the pellets seeping into the food.
Grilling or searing meat is also not a problem. Both grills can go up to high temperatures enough to put some charring or browning to the food that you are cooking.
They are perfect for almost any recipe and using other cookware in them is not a problem as well. This gives more versatility to the grills so go use anything you want in them.
Conclusion
The Traeger Ironwood grills series is the earliest line of grills from Traeger. They are still being sold up to now so that means that they perform great even with the simplest features.
The Camp Chef Woodwind grills are also early models. However, they are very easy to use and you can choose the right size for your place.
Their power and convenience of use make these grills from Traeger and Camp Chef perfect for barbecues int he weekend. They will surely impress all the guests that you have.
Taking care of them is also not a problem as they are made with durable materials meaning they do not require too much maintenance. They can also be easily cleaned with just a wipe.
So look no further and decide which grill fits in your backyard and then purchase either the Traeger Ironwood or the Camp Chef Woodwind grills for your next backyard party!
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