Pro vs ironwood. Can’t decide

[Ruiny]

So I’m looking for a new Traeger but can’t decide on the model.
The sales guy at bbq world was very pro on the pro and was negative on the ironwood. In particular the downdraft feature. According to him the chimney needs to be at the top or else you get stale smoke on your food. But the other bbq speciality store said it’s a great feature.
In my mind that’s the deciding feature.
Thoughts on the downdraft or the grills in general.
Thanks

 

[TXFIre]

I had a Pro 575 that I exchanged for an Ironwood 650.
I honestly cannot tell a difference in how food tastes between the two of them.

 

[Johnmil2000]

The ironwood has double walled ss sides which will save on fuel. The downdraft supposedly keeps the smoke in the chamber longer that will produce more smoke flavor. It also has a ss side shelf and a larger hopper (20lbs vs 18lbs on the pro) that will fit a whole bag of pellets. not sure if this is worth $400 more. Im still thinking about returning the 780 and getting the ironwood. this will depend on if Traeger fixes the pro's temp issue

 

[primeone]

I debated between the grills for a few weeks and ended up going with the Ironwood 650 and have been happy with my decision. With a fan moving and circulating the air, I felt the smokestack was not needed.

Here are some of the main reasons I convinced myself (and wife) I needed to spend the extra money.. haha

• 500 degrees,
• Double wall insulation

*** Adjustable lower grate - This has been really nice.
* Side shelf

I figured it was about $100 a feature

Also, check out this chart showing the benefits of the different d2 controllers:

 

[Russells]

I’m with Primeone plus I like the super smoke mode, pellets seem to be light on smoke and I like a little more but you also get a $20 smoke tube and throw in there. I also like to grill in winter and wanted the extra on the side wall. It’s nice the hopper has storage for probe but that might be on the pro, I hadn’t looked at it.

 

[Gold Dust Charlie]

"Stale smoke"?

The forced induction fan circulates the smoke and then vents it out the rear vent.

 

[CampWhatnot]

So I’m looking for a new Traeger but can’t decide on the model.
The sales guy at bbq world was very pro on the pro and was negative on the ironwood. In particular the downdraft feature. According to him the chimney needs to be at the top or else you get stale smoke on your food. But the other bbq speciality store said it’s a great feature.
In my mind that’s the deciding feature.
Thoughts on the downdraft or the grills in general.
Thanks

Which BBQ world do u deal with? I deal with the Whitby location. Cheers

 

[KirkP]

The Pro grills still have unresolved temperature issues while the Ironwood does not. Just on that alone (together with the double wall insulation), I would go with the Ironwood.

 

[Steevo]

Another vote for the Ironwood here. I bought the 650, and am loving it so far. Only three cooks on it now, but all have met or exceeded expectations. I did a couple of tri-tips the other day that were moist and delicious, with an impressive smoke ring.

 

[CampWhatnot]

Another vote for the Ironwood here. I bought the 650, and am loving it so far. Only three cooks on it now, but all have met or exceeded expectations. I did a couple of tricks-tips the other day that were moist and delicious, with an impressive smoke ring.

Yup I agree. I have put 80# worth of pellets through my 650 so far and it's been good since the firmware update on the lower temps.

 

[Lumpy]

I am now at 60 lbs gone through my Ironwood. Only problem I have is that I have gained a few pounds.

Lumpy

 

[JordanK]

The Pro grills still have unresolved temperature issues while the Ironwood does not. Just on that alone (together with the double wall insulation), I would go with the Ironwood.

The Ironwood only has double wall insulation on the side walls. Both grills have the same double wall on the curved bottom half of the drum. IMHO, the biggest advantage is that the downdraft exhaust seems to circulate the air more consistently and has a few extra features in the D2 controller like Supersmoke, pellet level sensor and a few other small goodies.

My Pro 575 has been great. Works great at the lower temps after the firmware update. Still has a bit of a temperature gap at the higher temperatures but my latest mucking around seems to show that the cause might be related to the weather. When the air temperature is above 70F the gap seems to reduce. The other day the temperature dipped down to 55F when I was cooking dinner and I notice much more of a gap when you set the grill to 350F+.

Both are great grills. I would have purchased the Ironwood but I got a big discount on the Pro put it close to half the price. Was a no brainer for me...

 

[PriceMP5]

I unfortunately will be taking my pro series 575 back this weekend, Instead I’m going to shell out the extra money to get the ironwood 650. My temperature problems have no solution so far and for that kind of money I am pretty disappointed that it is not working at 100%.

 

[Joshnic]

When I was looking to buy a Traeger I compared the pro at Home Depot vs the Ironwood 650 at ace hardware. The quality of the ironwood compared to the pro is night and day. The first thing I noticed was the weight of each lid, the ironwood is considerably much heavier and more sturdy vs the Pro. The ironwood is my first Traeger so I can’t compare taste. I have had my ironwood for about 3 months and I don’t have any complaints I love it. I use it for everything my Weber grill hasn’t been used since. I have made a brisket, wings, meat loaf, beer can chicken, hamburgers, steaks, smoked Mac and cheese, baked potatoes just to name a few things. Yes the ironwood is more money but it is well worth the extra cash. I am actually making a baked blueberry French toast casserole in it as I type this.

 

[Joshnic]

Blueberry French toast casserole