The very first grilling corporation to introduce wood pellet grilling technology, named Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC, was established in 1985 in Oregon. The company introduced the world to a whole new landscape of grilling food and barbecue using the convection method. Convection is a type of cooking in which liquid and steam circle around the food, and food is cooked by the circulating motion of heatwaves in the form of steam or vapors.
Though wood pellets are the most commonly used fuel type in grills these days, Traegers’ were the first ones to introduce wood pellet grills. Traeger Pellet Grills, LLC is now based in Salt Lake City, Utah. They have continued to make their signature wood pellet grills featuring the latest and up-to-date technologies that make the user control the grill from their smart devices.
Comparison Table – Traeger Century 885 Vs Ironwood 885
| Traeger Century 885 Grill (COSTCO) | Traeger Ironwood 885 (Amazon) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Preview |  |
|
| WiFIRE Traeger App | Yes | Yes |
| Wheels | 4 | 4 |
| Weight | 175 pounds | 175 pounds |
| Total cooking area | 885 square inches | 885 square inches |
| Product dimension | 49"H x 56"W x 23"D | 47"H x 54"W x 27"D |
| Smoker | Yes | Super Smoker Feature |
| Insulation | Single Wall | Double Wall Insulation |
| Meat probe | Yes | Yes |
| Fuel | Wood Pellets | Wood Pellets |
| Why should you Buy | If you are already at COSTCO and do not need a Super Smoker Feature. | Superior to Century 885. Has Great Insulation and Superior Smoker. |
| Check Price | Check Price |
What to Expect from this Article?
Grills manufactured by the company are high-end and give you a whole new cooking experience. It is built in a way to deliver high performance and cooking, boosting your experience. Using wood pellets as fuel gives your food a nice smoky flavor and texture. These grills have sensors that give an alert when pellets are running out.
Being a Costco member, queries may arise about Traeger century 885 Vs. Ironwood 885; what are the similarities and differences between the two grills and differ from each other. The following article precisely explains the difference in features between Traeger century 885 and Ironwood 885, also stating the pros and cons of each grill. There are a number of key distinctions that set these grills apart from one another, and the purpose of this article is to assist you in determining which of these models is ideal for your needs.
Pros & Cons: Traeger Century 885 vs Ironwood 885
Traeger Century 885
Ironwood 885:
Detailed comparison – Traeger Century 885 vs Traeger Ironwood 885
Build Quality
Both the grills are made up of painted steel, making the grill durable and reliable. Steel construction makes the grill rust-proof and prevents the buildup of rust over the grill surface. This helps in the maintenance of the grill over time and makes your grill look amazing even after years of use.
Cooking Surface Area
Traeger Century 885 has a primary cooking grate of 646 square inches. This is quite a big surface for cooking large amounts of food, including burgers, steaks, and briskets. This much cooking surface area helps to cook the food for your family at once and reduces the hassle of cooking food pieces one after the other, consuming a lot of time.
The secondary cooking grate area is 238 square inches, providing an additional surface for cooking and adding up to the total cooking surface area. If you ever want to expand your cooking capacity, the secondary cooking area provides you with the job.
Ironwood 885 is equipped with 570 square inches of primary surface area, providing a larger surface for cooking and grilling food. This large cooking surface area is enough to cook for your family.
If you have a gathering at your place and need to cook a larger amount of food, the grill features an additional secondary cooking surface area of 315 square inches.
Hopper Capacity
Traeger Century 885 has a hopper capacity of 20 pounds. This hopper size is not that large enough and lasts for almost 6 to 20 hours of cooking time, depending upon if you’re cooking on low or high heat.
Likewise, Traeger century 885, Ironwood 885 also has the capacity of 20 pounds of wood pellets. One hag of 20 pounds of wood pellets can be added to the hopper and the cooking time for this capacity of the hopper is between 6-20 hours, depending upon the temperature at which the food is being cooked.
Size
Traeger century 885 is a large grill with grill dimensions of 56 X 49 X 23 inches. This is a larger grill that can cook 10 chickens at a time. 7 rib racks and 9 pork butts can also be cooked simultaneously due to larger grill dimensions.
Ironwood 885 comes with dimensions of 53 x 27 x 47 inches and 885 inches of total grilling/cooking surface area.
Weight
Both Traeger century 885 and Ironwood 885 weigh 175 lbs. These are quite heavy grills.
Temperature Controller
The grill is featured with a digital meat probe that has high precision in documenting the temperature. Traeger has fitted the grill with their latest generation of the control system, which consists of the D2 drivetrain and the WiFire controller. The fact that this control system is DC-powered and so capable of being precisely controlled is one of its many outstanding features. You may anticipate the grill to maintain an internal temperature that is within 5 degrees of the set point.
The disadvantage that comes with the introduction of these new features is that because it is so accurate, the pellets burn so effectively and clean that there is significantly less smoke produced than there was with the prior controllers. One of the most common complaints regarding pellet grills of any brand is that they don’t give enough smoke flavor to your food, and many people believe that this problem is compounded by the presence of highly accurate control systems in the grills.
Ironwood 885 has the upper hand over Traeger century 885 in having features that are missing in Traeger century 885. These features include:
The control panel of the Ironwood comes equipped with a Super Smoke mode. However, the control panel of the Century does not. You are able to turn on Super Smoke at any temperature between 165 and 225 degrees Fahrenheit, and when you do so, the grill will generate a greater quantity of the fine blue smoke that is essential to producing delicious barbecue. Because the smoke outlet on the Ironwood is positioned towards the back of the grill, it directs the smoke to go “down and around” the meat before allowing it to leave the barbecue. The smoke can be directed “Up and Out” from the Century’s side-mounted smokestack, reducing its time in direct contact with the meat.
Power Requirements
The draw on a battery is quite low because the Traeger only requires 300W of electricity for the first four minutes of use and then just 50W after that.
Traeger Ironwood 885 needs the power of almost 300 W. You need to connect the grill to a power source in order to run its WiFire and control screen, along with the auger. If you are planning on shifting from gas or charcoal to Ironwood 885, you must consider this factor.
Price
Ironwood 885 is an expensive grill as compared to that of the Traeger century. Although Traeger’s century 885 and Ironwood 885 are very similar to each other, having almost the same features, Ironwood 885 still costs around $500 more than that Traeger.
Traeger Century 885 costs around $1349.99, while Ironwood 885 costs around $1717.85, being $500 more expensive.
Other Differences
- The Ironwood 885 comes standard with double-walled insulation, which cuts down on pellet use on blustery and chilly days.
- The Traeger Century 885 barbecue comes with a cover and a warming tray attached underneath the grill. The cover is a wonderful accessory to have in order to safeguard the grill from the rain.
Specifications of Traeger Century 885 vs Ironwood 885
Traeger Century 885:
- Product Dimensions: 56 X 49 X 23 inches
- Item weight: 175 lbs.
- Hopper capacity: 20 lbs.
- 885 square inches of large cooking surface area; 646 inches of primary cooking surface area, and 238 square inches of secondary cooking surface area
- WiFire to control the grill from the phone through the app
- Providing 6-in-1 function
- Digital meat probe – to document the precise temperature readings
- Smokestack
Ironwood 885:
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- Product Dimensions: 54 X 47 X 27 inches
- Item weight: 175 lbs.
- Hopper capacity: 20 lbs.
- 885 square inches of large cooking surface area; 570 inches of primary cooking surface area, and 315 square inches of secondary cooking surface area
- WiFire to control the grill from the phone through the app
- Providing 6-in-1 function
- Digital meat probe – to document the precise temperature readings
- Double-wall Insulation
- Super smoke
- Pellet sensor
- Rear vent
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the traeger ironwood 885 worth it?
Yes, the Traeger Ironwood 885 is worth it. Super Smoker and Double wall insulation make this grill ideal for smoking and grilling. WIFIRE technology allows you to control your grill from anywhere. Apart from this, Traeger Ironwood 885 grill has multiple features to justify its price.
The Traeger Ironwood 885 is a high-end pellet grill that offers excellent value for the money. It is packed with features that make it easy to use and very versatile. The grill also includes a meat probe, so you can cook your food to perfection.
Does the Costco Traeger Century 885 have Super Smoke?
The Costco Traeger Century 885 does not have Super Smoke. Though it has a smoker feature, it does not have the Super Smoke feature that is found on some of the other Traeger models.
Verdict
Ironwood and Traeger century almost have similar features. Ironwood 885 has some additional features that make it distinct from Traeger Century 885, but it comes at a price that is almost $300 greater than that of Traeger century 885. Both the grills are equipped with the latest technology features giving you an amazing grilling experience. You can choose the grill according to your budget; if you want to send an extra $300 on ironwood, it will prove to be worth it. On the contrary, if you are short on budget, you can conveniently go with Traeger 885 since it also provides many of the similar features as the Ironwood 885.