Ninja
Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
The entry point to Ninja's Woodfire line: a 1,760 W electric grill with a small pellet box that burns about half a cup of wood per cook, so it produces real smoke without propane, charcoal or a gas line. It grills, smokes, bakes and roasts. It has replaced the seven-function OG701 as the base model on Ninja's own store, dropping the air fryer, broil and dehydrate modes to hit a lower price.
We may earn a commission. Price and availability on Amazon may differ.
Specifications
Pros
- ✓Produces genuine wood smoke while running on a normal household outlet, which no gas or electric competitor does at this price
- ✓Half a cup of pellets per cook makes fuel cost trivial against a pellet grill's 20 lb bags
- ✓31.9 lbs and under 19 inches wide — it stores on a shelf between uses
- ✓Weather-resistant build, so it can stay outside rather than coming in after every cook
Cons
- ✗141 sq in is genuinely small — two or three servings, not a cookout
- ✗Dropped to four functions from the OG701's seven, so no air fry, broil or dehydrate
- ✗One-year warranty, the shortest of anything in this price band
- ✗Non-stick grate coating is consumable and not replaceable in the way cast iron is
Compare the Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Grill & Smoker
Related grills
More from Ninja →
The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL is a 7-in-1 electric outdoor grill, smoker, and air fryer that burns a small box of real wood pellets for flavor while cooking on electric heat. It's owner discussions's go-to answer for balconies and apartments where charcoal and gas are banned.
The top of the Woodfire line: 180 sq in, 1,760 W, seven functions including air fry and dehydrate, and — the reason to pick it — two built-in meat thermometers rather than one, so a brisket and a pork butt can each be tracked to their own target. Bluetooth app control pushes alerts to a phone. It sits above the Pro Connect XL the catalog already lists, which has a single probe.
The smaller Lumin: same 1,560 W element and same 600°F+ ceiling, but 180 sq in instead of 242 and 26 lbs instead of 36.5. It keeps the sear, smoke, steam and boil modes and ships with the steam and smoking reservoir. The trade is purely grate area and footprint — nothing is given up on heat.
Weber's full-size electric: 1,560 W on a standard 120 V outlet, 242 sq in of porcelain cast-iron grate, and a published max over 600°F — high enough to actually sear, which is what separates it from the low-watt electrics it competes with. A reservoir under the grate lets it add wood smoke, steam or boil, so it does more than one thing. This is Weber's answer for people who cannot use fire where they live.
Current Backyard
Current Model G2 Electric Grill
The top of the electric grill market: a full-size cart grill reaching 700°F on 120 V, with two independent heat zones, two included meat probes and sockets for four, and Wi-Fi control. 330 sq in of primary grate plus a 92 sq in warming rack. It replaces the original Model G alongside the cheaper Model G+, and it is the only electric that matches a gas grill's searing temperature.
Masterbuilt
Masterbuilt 40-Inch Digital Electric Smoker
The 40-inch step up from the 30-inch already in the catalog: the same insulated cabinet and side wood-chip loader, stretched to four racks and 970 sq in. An electric smoker heats with a resistance element and makes smoke by smouldering chips in a tray beside it, which is a fundamentally different mechanism from a pellet cabinet's auger — the smoke is thinner and more controllable, and you can hold 160°F for cold-ish work such as sausage or cheese. The viewing window and glass door are on the pricier Window and Legs variant, not this one.