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Ninja Woodfire BBQ Grill - Five features I love that make it my summer essential
Ninja Woodfire BBQ Grill - Five features I love that make it my summer essential
The Ninja Woodfire BBQ Grill and Smoker is a versatile outdoor cooker that can grill, smoke, air fry, roast, bake, dehydrate and reheat - and it's currently on sale
Writer Chris Hall tried out Ninja's Woodfire Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker
(Image: Ninja's )
Brits are flocking to purchase the Ninja Woodfire as the summer sun emerges and everyone is keen to enjoy their best garden life. The Ninja model is said to be brimming with easy-to-use BBQ features, so writer Chris Hall tested it out.
The brand is well-known for its innovative air fryers, combi cookers and ice cream makers. The Woodfire family includes a couple of models – there's the Woodfire Outdoor Oven (essentially a pizza oven) and the barbecue Grill and Smoker.
Now is a great time to buy, as there's a £70 discount from Ninja direct as well as a £70 discount on Amazon, shoppers can get this outdoor cooker for £229. When it comes to alternatives, there isn't currently another brand offering the same type of wood-smoked cooking on the go, however, the Tower Portable Barrel Grill could be an option for simple BBQs.
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Here are the top five features of the Ninja Woodfire barbecue Grill and Smoker that truly make it stand out and will ensure you get delicious food time after time, as Chris Hall highlights for the Mirror.
1. The woodsmoke system
Using electric rather than gas or charcoal, the first thing to understand is where the Woodfire name originates from. That's due to a system that ignites wood pellets that you place in a hopper on the side of the lid.
When you select the Woodfire mode, it ignites these wood pellets, drawing the smoke into the lid with the internal fan. The flavoured smoke is then circulated, infusing your food with that smoky flavour.
Chris says the Ninja also gives off a great smokey aromoa
(Image: Ninja )
Using wood smoke makes this a bit more thrilling than a standard electric barbecue and it's incredibly simple to use. Other electric BBQs can utilise wood chips, but they need to be placed inside the grill, which means you lose cooking space – this isn't an issue with the Ninja Woodfire.
The Woodfires come with sample wood chips for you to try, and then you can purchase more once you've decided which ones you prefer.
2. The interchangeable grills
Instead of a grate like a traditional BBQ, the Ninja Woodfire features a grill plate. This is a griddle, so it has raised bars for those sear marks on your food, with a drain hole at the back.
This allows excess fat to drain away, ensuring your food isn't swimming in grease.
The entire tray is removable, making it easy to clean, but it's not dishwasher safe, unlike some competitors like the Weber Lumin, due to the non-stick coating. I have managed to clean the grill easily, avoiding harsh scourers, and the non-stick coating still works, however, some shoppers have reported the non-stick coating coming off.
If there's a drawback to the Ninja Woodfire, it would be the size of the grill. It manages to cater to a family of four, but if you're hosting a barbecue in your garden, then you're limited to cooking around 16 sausages at once, so for larger gatherings, you might need to consider a bigger option.
3. Cooking controls
The controls on the Ninja Woodfire are designed for precision and ease of use, and in line with Ninja's other products, setting it to cook in various styles is straightforward.
You can dial in the exact temperature you desire, decide whether to add smoke flavour or not, and set the cooking duration all through the user-friendly controls. Simply hit "start" and the grill begins its preheat, activates the smoke system, and prepares itself.
The Ninja BBQ uses wood pellets to create a smokey taste
(Image: Amazon )
The Woodfire Pro XL and the Woodfire Pro Connect XL models come with a temperature probe for precise cooking, which is particularly useful for ensuring meats aren't overcooked. However, this isn't offered on the standard model.
4. Family-sized
My gas barbecue was enormous. Lighting it up to cook just a few sausages always seemed a bit excessive, so the compact size of the Ninja Woodfire is a benefit.
The Woodfire is available in a few sizes, including an XL model that's larger if you need to cater for more people or want to cook larger cuts of meat or perhaps whole fish. It's 30% larger than the regular Ninja Woodfire, but it also costs more.
I favour the smaller model because it's just the right size. I can barbecue chicken legs and thighs along with corn on the cob for four people without any issues, and it's large enough for a smaller whole chicken too, but it's certainly worth considering how many people you regularly cook for.
Unlike a barbecue that utilises an open flame, there's no need to fret about leaving it unattended, as there's no exposed flame and no risk of a flare-up.
5. It's portable
It's compact enough to fit into your car or camper van for a camping trip or if you fancy taking it to a mate's place to broaden their outdoor cooking options on barbecue night, provided you can plug it in.
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It comes with large carry handles on the side, making it easy to move around and store, while it also boasts an IPX4 waterproof rating. It's not intended to be left outside indefinitely, but if you forget it outside one night and it gets a bit damp, it's not a problem.
The Ninja Woodfire is available for purchase with a stand and a cover. I haven't tested these and have used it on a garden table when cooking (it's clean when cooking, so the table doesn't get dirty) but, a stand would be beneficial for those who want to use it like a standard barbecue.
