Traeger Woodridge Overview | GearJunkie Examined

Editor’s be aware: I up to date this assessment in March 2026 to incorporate a full yr of testing and value updates since its authentic publication in January 2025.

I’ve been smoking meat on a Traeger for about 8 years, and I’ve cooked some scrumptious meals. However expertise has modified vastly since I acquired my old-school pellet grill. So, I jumped on the alternative to do a Traeger Woodridge assessment. The Woodridge line packs fashionable expertise right into a pellet grill that begins at $900.

In a world of excessive inflation, the brand new Woodridge prices lower than my non-Wi-Fi Traeger Professional Sequence 34 did in 2017. However how would this new Traeger carry out? Might it exchange my grill that’s cooked a whole bunch of improbable meals, from steaks to veggies to brisket? I used to be prepared to search out out.

Briefly: The Traeger Woodridge is a cook dinner’s pellet grill at a price value. The Woodridge line (together with the Woodridge, Woodridge Professional, and Woodridge Elite) maintains most of the capabilities of Traeger’s premium fashions however prices $1,000 much less. It will get sizzling quick, maintains regular temperatures, and provides straightforward cleansing. Wi-Fi management permits cooks to regulate lengthy smokes from wherever. And it will get sizzling sufficient for a great sear.

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14 Months of Testing

I wrote the total assessment that follows greater than a yr in the past. These grills are a giant funding, so I felt it was vital to replace this assessment with deeper testing insights.

First, the worth of the Woodridge has elevated by $100 because it launched in January 2025 at $800. The remainder of Traeger grills have additionally gone up in value at the same proportion (as have most grills). Tariffs? Inflation? Your name.

Onto the grill. I just like the Woodridge much more at present than after I first examined it. It has confirmed extraordinarily dependable, apart from one downside with the digital management unit that cropped up about 2 months after the preliminary assessment. The unit’s show went out, making it practically unattainable to set the temperature or management the grill.

Traeger supplied glorious guarantee protection and despatched a substitute half inside days. It took me about quarter-hour to change out the half and set up the brand new one, and since then, the grill has labored flawlessly for the previous yr.

As you’ll learn in the remainder of the assessment, the Traeger Woodridge is a good machine for very easy cooking. Now that I’ve owned it for greater than a yr, I really feel much more assured recommending it as a low-maintenance, efficient device for smoking meats, low-and-slow cooking, and even higher-temp, quicker cooking for meals like steaks and salmon. And it cooks one actually good elk burger.

I’ve discovered that the Woodridge doesn’t accumulate a lot ash within the hopper, however you do must empty it each couple of months when you cook dinner often. I feel mine pushes a little bit ash onto the within of the grill physique, so I additionally wipe it down each few cooks to maintain it clear inside.

In contrast with different pellet people who smoke I’ve used, it will get sizzling pretty shortly, reaching 425 levels in about 15 to twenty minutes, relying on the ambient temperature, which isn’t a lot slower than my gasoline oven at residence. And it fortunately holds 500 levels, a lot hotter than older Tragers I examined.

One yr in, the Traeger Woodridge has become a central appliance in my everyday cooking. I still highly recommend it. Read on for my original review.

Traeger Woodridge Assembly

The pre-release Traeger Woodridge arrived on a pallet the day after New Year’s Day. As expected, it weighed about 200 pounds, and I had to enlist the help of an office mate to load it into my truck. But I got it home in one piece and got to work on assembly.

For most users, this is where you’ll begin your journey. Expect a large box, good instructions, some heavy lifting, and a six-pack. I did the assembly alone, but I would highly recommend a buddy. It’ll be faster, more fun, and so much easier.

Traeger says you can assemble the Woodridge in about 90 minutes. I consider myself pretty handy, and it took me a solid 3 hours alone. It wasn’t bad, but be warned: There are a lot of screws.

Make sure you have a lot of space, some patience, and time. Follow the well-written instructions. I used a power drill dialed way down on its power to speed the process. If you do, be cautious not to strip the bolts. It worked for me.

Long story short, 3 hours later, the grill was ready to fire up for seasoning.

Traeger Woodridge Review

First, here is a little context about my grilling and smoking. I love to cook, but I’m not a chef. I cook for passion and fun, and I love trying new recipes.

Historically, I use the Traeger mostly for slow cooking and smoking meat — think brisket, smoked salmon, or even goose pastrami. I cook a lot of wild game and often braise meats like elk shanks for many hours to tenderize tough cuts.

So, the Traeger is one of several tools in my cooking arsenal. I also have a small Green Egg komodo grill, which I usually use for hotter grilling. And this brings me to one of the first tests for the Woodridge: Could it get hot enough? My old Traeger really struggled to get above 400 degrees.

I fired up the Woodridge and set the temp to 500 degrees. Let’s see what this shiny new contraption could do.

Good news. After about 20 minutes, the Woodridge was pegged at 500 degrees. That is plenty hot enough to sear a steak or cook burgers quickly. And it’s vastly hotter than my old Traeger ever reached. It’s also worth noting that the ambient temperature was only about 20 degrees Fahrenheit when I did this test. Color me impressed.

I dropped the temp down to 375 for my first cook and threw on some buffalo wings, following Traeger’s recipe. No surprise here; they turned out delicious.

Second Cook in the Traeger Woodridge

For my second cook, I decided to lean into the smoke and low-slow cooking of a pot roast. And in this case, I cooked a venison round steak left over from the 2023 season.

Firing up the grill, I brought it to 180 degrees and got some smoke rolling. Here, it would have been nice to upgrade to the Woodridge Pro for its “super smoke” mode, but I made do with the base model at low temp to see what would happen.

About 90 minutes later, I had a nice, deep red smoked appearance on the outside of the meat. The smoker was indeed doing its job.

To complete this recipe, I pushed the temperature to 275 degrees and loaded the meat into a Dutch oven with potatoes, carrots, onions, wine, broth, and spices. I covered it, shut the lid, and went to the office.

From there, I could monitor the temperature while I took meetings for a couple of hours. I even pulled up my Ring camera a couple of times to make sure everything was safe and sound in my yard while the grill was cooking. Technology really is a wonder sometimes.

What was the verdict? Delicious.

Who Should Buy It?

Based on this early testing, I think the Traeger Woodridge is a success. It gets hotter, faster than my old smoker. It seems to be much easier to clean. I love the intuitive settings and ability to use a Wi-Fi-based app to monitor my cooking from anywhere.

I haven’t used it enough yet to need to give it a full cleaning, but I will update this review after another dozen or so cooks to provide the best information I can for those shopping for grills.

I suspect cleaning will be much improved. My old Traeger Pro Series 34 had a bucket that hung on the side to collect grease. I accidentally dumped it and its contents no fewer than five times since I’ve owned it. Nasty. It also required me to vacuum out the internal combustion area every couple of months, which was a major pain.

I hope the Woodridge is an improvement and suspect it will be.

The Woodridge has one other neat capability, which the brand calls its “Pop-And-Lock,” or P.A.L., system. This allows you to very easily add accessories like shelving. I added a front shelf with the system, and it really is slick.

I also like the price. Compared with other models, the Traeger Woodridge is relatively affordable. The base model retails for $799 ($899 in 2026), and the Pro model — adding more space and a Super Smoke mode — costs $999 ($1,149 in 2026). The Elite model comes at a more premium price of $1,599 ($1,799 in 2026) but adds insulation to the body and a 1,100W infrared side burner.

An educated guess says the base Woodridge and Woodridge Pro models will dominate sales, catering to those who want premium capabilities at a reasonable price. It’s still early in my testing, but I already like the Woodridge’s performance more than my old model. The ability to reach 500 degrees, Wi-Fi control, and simplified cleaning are major improvements that will make this a much more versatile and user-friendly grill.

For those looking for a pellet grill capable of everything from long, slow cooks to blazing hot sears, the Traeger Woodridge offers a compelling choice. It has most of the features of higher-end models at a price that leaves room for groceries.