Last Updated on October 13, 2021
A long-time contributor to GrillBabyGrill. Jim has had a lifelong relationship with the art of grilling, passed on from his father and grandfather to him.
Enjoying a meal outdoors at a sunny picnic table or under a sun-drenched pergola is one of the American summer’s favorite traditions. People love to gather around their grill to smoke ribs or grill veggies while enjoying the company of friends or family in their backyards.
One of the increasingly popular grill types in the outdoor cooking scene is the pellet grill. Pellet grills are great outdoor ovens that offer various ways to prepare your favorite recipes while infusing your favorite Hickory, Oak, or Cherry wood flavors into your food. The Traeger Ironwood 885 is a trusted pellet grill that thousands of Americans use every year for their barbecuing traditions.
Traeger Ironwood 885 Detailed Review & Breakdown
Pellet grills have been around since Traeger first developed them over 30 years ago. Over the years, Traeger’s original designs have been updated, morphing into the incredible pieces of smart, outdoor cooking equipment.
Why Traeger?
Over 30 years ago, in Mt. Angel, Oregon, Traeger designed and manufactured the Original Wood-Fired Grill. Today, Traeger is a grilling industry leader. Traeger is a master of innovation, integrity, and passion. The brand has expertise in grill production and knows a thing or two about cooking on them.
After decades of perfecting the art of cooking over a wood-fired grilling surface, the Traeger brand continues to transform its industry by pushing the envelope to include technology many other brands don’t.
With Traeger brand grills, you’ll be getting all the bells and whistles you love in high-tech equipment, but you can still enjoy the best-tasting food you’ve ever prepared thanks to the hardworking, forward-thinking construction.
How Pellet Grills Work
If you’re not familiar with how pellet grills work, it’s easy to get intimidated by these high-tech outdoor ovens. Fortunately, they’re reasonably easy to figure out. Unlike most other grills, pellet grills work on two different fuel sources: Compressed sawdust pellets and electricity. It’s as easy as plugging them in, filling up the hopper, and turning them on.
Once the grill is turned on, the brushless motor starts and turns the auger. As the auger rotates, it delivers the wood pellets from the hopper into the firebox where they are ignited. The ignited wood pellets create the heat and smoky flavors that infuse into your meats, veggies, and desserts on the cooking surface.
The grill regulates itself to the temperature you set. If the grill’s internal probe detects a temperature variation, it automatically adjusts the variable speed fan to either blow heat and smoke faster or slower around the cooking chamber. Thanks to the double insulated walls of the interior cooking chamber and the downdraft exhaust, you’ll never lose heat or smoke from the chamber.
Traeger Ironwood 885
The Traeger Ironwood 885 is an upgraded model of the 650 design. The difference comes in at the grilling space. The Ironwood 885 offers more grilling surface, which means you can prepare a larger variety of foods on the same grilling area than most other models.
This fantastic and diverse cooker provides easy solutions to all your cooking needs. No matter what sort of baking, braising, grilling, barbecuing, smoking, or roasting you want to do, the Traeger Ironwood 885 is your best option to get it done while infusing the most delicious smoky flavors into your food.
Due to its reliable and thoughtful construction, this grill can do your bidding all year round. If you want to smoke chickens in the middle of winter, the Ironwood 885 has the heat retention capabilities to get it done right for you, thanks to its double-walled insulation. If you want to use applewood pellets for baking an apple pie and roasting a pot roast on your Traeger, you can. Infuse that smoky flavor into your favorite mac and cheese recipes or chili to win the neighborhood cookoff. You can’t lose with a Traeger Ironwood 885.
Features of the Ironwood 885
The high-tech features of the Ironwood 885 are what sets this pellet grill apart from other brands. Thanks to its Wi-Fi capabilities, you can quickly turn this grill on, monitor the fullness of the pellet hopper and internal temperatures, and then turn it off by just tapping your smartphone or tablet.
If you left your phone upstairs, just call over to your Amazon Alexa or Google Home assistant. They’re all compatible with your Ironwood 885.
Specifications
Pros
Cons
Jim Bob
Final Thoughts
Your Traeger Ironwood 885 is one of the most dependable, durable, and reliable pieces of cooking equipment that you’ll purchase. Even with their higher price points, you’ll never regret the purchase thanks to the overwhelming amount of things you can do with these appliances.
From baking to braising to barbecuing, your Traeger Ironwood 885 can get the job done efficiently with minimal effort on your part. All you need to do is turn it on, put your food on the grates, close the lid, and enjoy your day with friends, family, neighbors, and other guests. They’ll be impressed with all the things you can do on just one appliance, and you’ll be happy to socialize and entertain instead of being stuck in front of a grill.
Reclaim your summertime fun by going entirely hands-off with your grilling experience.