The Traeger Ironwood 885 pellet grill is gone. Here's how the new Ironwood ($1,800) and Ironwood XL ($2,000) compare, what owners report, and what to buy now.
Reviews are built from manufacturer specs, retailer listings and the pattern of owner reports. Our hands-on cooks and temperature tests are pending, and each page will say when one has happened and on what date.
Our take
The Ironwood 885 was the Traeger most owners should have bought, and the current Ironwood and Ironwood XL improve on it with a touchscreen, a 22 lb hopper and a 10 year warranty. At about $1,800 and $2,000 in October 2026 they're expensive, and owners say the controller reading and Wi-Fi setup are worth watching.
Best for
Weekend smokers who want Traeger's app, Super Smoke and an overnight-sized hopper, and value a 10 year warranty over thicker steel.
Who should pass
Skip it if you want a thick-walled cooker or a real steak sear for this money; look at recteq or the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro, or the Weber Searwood 600 for searing.
about $1,800
Price checked October 2026. Retail prices move.
Pros
Cons
Traeger no longer sells the Ironwood 885. Its place went to the Ironwood (616 square inches, $1,799.99) and the Ironwood XL (924 square inches, $1,999.99), both priced on traeger.com in October 2026. If you’re shopping for an 885, you’re looking at a used grill or leftover dealer stock, and you should know the new versions are better in three specific ways and unchanged where it counts most. The rest of our pellet grill reviews cover the alternatives.
The three upgrades are a touchscreen controller, a 22 lb hopper and a warranty that went from 3 years to 10. What didn’t change is the Ironwood’s reason to exist: Super Smoke, the downdraft exhaust and the Traeger app. The surprise is that the base model lost grate area, dropping from 885 square inches to 616, which is why the XL is in the lineup.
No one here has cooked on either generation yet. This review is built from Traeger’s product and support pages, retailer listings and owner reports on BBQGuys, Home Depot and the Traeger forums, and it will be updated with dated results from our own temperature logs.
| Ironwood 885 (discontinued) | Ironwood (2026) | Ironwood XL (2026) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooking area | 885 sq in (570 + 315) | 616 sq in | 924 sq in |
| Hopper | 20 lb | 22 lb, pellet sensor | 22 lb, pellet sensor |
| Temperature range | 165 to 500°F | 165 to 500°F | 165 to 500°F |
| Controller | D2 dial with WiFIRE | Touchscreen with WiFIRE | Touchscreen with WiFIRE |
| Warranty | 3 years | 10 years limited | 10 years limited |
| Price, October 2026 | Used or clearance only | $1,799.99 | $1,999.99 |
Super Smoke works below 225°F on all three. The 885 weighed 163 lb and the current Ironwood weighs 199 lb. None has flame access for searing; heat reaches the grate through a diffuser.
The Ironwood is the grill most Traeger owners trade up to. It suits someone who wants the app, more smoke than the Pro series makes, and a hopper that gets through a brisket without a midnight refill. Traeger puts its best features here: Super Smoke, downdraft exhaust, a pellet sensor and, on the current model, the touchscreen.
Pick the XL if you cook for crowds or want two packer briskets side by side. Otherwise the 616 square inch Ironwood fits one brisket and a pan of beans.
A used 885 can be a good buy. It’s a big grate, a 20 lb hopper and the same 165 to 500°F range, with a warranty that has probably expired. At $800 to $1,000 it’s a fair deal. At $1,500, it isn’t, since about $300 more gets you a new Ironwood with 10 years of coverage.
I’d skip the line if steak searing matters, because 500°F through a diffuser doesn’t crust a thick ribeye, owners say. I’d also skip it if you care more about steel than software. At this price, recteq and the Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 give you a heavier box.
Smoke is the main reason to choose an Ironwood over a cheaper Traeger, and owners back that up. Super Smoke cycles the fire pot to make visible smoke below 225°F, and the downdraft exhaust pulls it across the meat rather than straight out the back. Owners who came from a Pro 575 say the bark on a pork butt is clearly better. It’s still Traeger’s clean, mild smoke, though, and no one mistakes it for a stick burner. If that’s what you’re after, read the Lone Star Grillz review.
Most units hold temperature well, with owners reporting about 5°F of swing at 225°F in mild weather. The complaint that comes up often enough to take seriously is display accuracy. Some owners report the screen reading well above the real grate temperature (in the worst reports, 400°F on the display and 300°F at the grate), and a few describe high-temperature shutdowns when set to 450°F. It’s a minority of grills, but common enough to plan for.
Watch out: For the first month, cook with an independent probe clipped at grate level next to the meat. If it disagrees with the controller by more than 25°F, call Traeger while you’re well inside the warranty, before you blame your rub for a dry brisket.
Searing is weak here, as on every Traeger. At 500°F through the diffuser you get grill marks on chicken and a soft crust on burgers. The current grate has a lower slot that sits closer to the heat, which helps, but it isn’t a sear zone. Owners finish steaks in a cast iron pan on the grate or indoors.
The Ironwood burns like any thin-walled pellet grill, around 1 lb an hour at 225°F and 2 lb or more at 450°F, with more needed in winter. Pellets ran about $0.50 to $1 a pound in October 2026 (see our pellet guide), so a 10 to 12 hour brisket at 250°F costs roughly $6 to $15 in pellets.
The pellet sensor is the practical win. The app pings your phone before the hopper runs dry, and owners who do overnight briskets mention it more than any other feature. The pellet calculator will estimate your own cook.
The build gets mixed marks. The lid seals well and the barrel is heavier than a Pro’s, but two complaints repeat. Barrel paint can peel down to bare steel, and Traeger treats that as cosmetic and doesn’t cover it. A handful of owners also report grills arriving damaged or missing parts, which is a shipping and quality-control problem, not a design flaw, though it still costs you a week.
The app is the best in the category and the thing Traeger does better than anyone. You can set the grill from your phone, watch the probes, get the low-pellet alert, and run Super Smoke or Keep Warm remotely. The touchscreen is a genuine improvement over the 885’s dial. Pairing is the sore spot, with owners reporting the first Wi-Fi setup failing and Traeger support walking them through it. Once connected, the reports are stable.
The 10-year warranty on the current Ironwood and XL is a big jump from 3 years on the 885. It’s a limited warranty, so read what’s excluded, and owner experience with Traeger’s claims process is mixed across the brand.
Traeger.com had the Ironwood at $1,799.99 and the Ironwood XL at $1,999.99 in October 2026. Dealer bundles with a cover and pellets are common, and Traeger discounts both around the big holiday weekends.
The first comparison is in-house. The Traeger Woodridge costs $899.99 for the base model and $1,149.99 for the Pro, which adds Super Smoke and a pellet sensor. What the Ironwood adds over a Woodridge Pro is the lid gasket, lights, heavier steel and a more polished display. Traeger Ironwood vs Woodridge works through whether that’s worth $650. The Traeger Pro 575 is the budget step down, with less smoke and a smaller hopper.
Outside Traeger, the Weber Searwood 600 lists at $999 with a 600°F ceiling and a real direct-flame mode, and Weber Searwood vs Traeger puts them side by side. The recteq lineup offers thicker steel at Ironwood money, covered in Traeger vs recteq. If you’re wondering whether you need to spend this much at all, Traeger vs Pit Boss is the place to start, and the whole brand is in the Traeger review.
Buy the current Ironwood if the app and Super Smoke are the point and you’re willing to check it against a grate probe early on. Buy the XL only if you regularly fill more than 616 square inches. If you’re not sure you’ll use those features, the Woodridge Pro gets you Super Smoke for $650 less, and if steel thickness matters more than software, spend the same money at recteq.
Set the grill to 250°F with oak and hickory pellets, wrap the brisket in butcher paper around 165°F, and pull it at about 203°F when the probe slides in easily. A 13 lb packer needs about 10 hours on the grill plus 1 to 2 hours of rest.
Set the grill to 300°F with cherry and pecan pellets and plan on about 3 hours 15 minutes for a brined 14 lb turkey. Pull when the breast reads 162°F and the thigh 175°F, then rest it 30 minutes.
Run the grill at 250°F with half apple, half hickory pellets and cook 2 lb baby back racks unwrapped for about 4 hours (4.5 including prep). Pull at 195 to 200°F between the bones, when the rack bends almost in half.