It just might be one of the best times of year. The weather is warming, the flowers are blooming… but most of all it’s the return of grilling season. The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL is here to fulfill all of your grilling needs and desires.
The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL features a variety of cooking, grilling, and smoking options all in one incredible device. This versatility is pared with technology through the Shark|Ninja App for even more capabilities. The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL is big on cooking space, features, and flavor!
First Impression:
There’s a certain type of grill that tries to be everything. Usually, it ends up being a novelty I’m wheeling into the garage by October. However, the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL isn’t that grill. After a few weekends of grilling burgers and mahi-mahi, air frying mac and cheese bites (and coconut shrimp, and fries, and more mac and cheese bites), cooking pizzas, and smoking a brisket; did I mention a borderline irresponsible amount of mac and cheese bites – I’ve got a pretty clear read on where the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL shines, and where some will notice it’s limitations.
The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL (let’s just call it the Ninja Woodfire Pro going forward) is an electric grill with seven cooking functions (including smoker). This 7-in-1 fully connected outdoor grill and smoker makes cooking simple, convenient, and takes out all the guess work. The Ninja Woodfire Pro offers incredible versatility and precision utilizing technology in a way Ninja has become renowned. Finally, clean up is about as simple and easy as you will ever find on a grill. The grill plate comes out and the nonstick surface wipes clean for effortless maintenance.
Features:
First, let’s talk about the hook: this is an electric grill that uses real wood pellets for smoke, wrapped in a slick, app-connected package. Honestly, I appreciate how Ninja excels in combining so many features into one product. On paper, that’s wildly appealing. In practice, it delivers. The Woodfire tech does a respectable job mimicking traditional smoking. I just have to align my expectations with what the Ninja Pro truly is – a convenient table grill. It’s not a backyard blazer, nor is it meant to be. So I’m not babysitting a firebox or managing airflow. I just dump in a half cup of pellets, press a button, and it handles the rest. That convenience factor is the Ninja Woodfire Pro’s biggest win, and it’s not even close.
Cooking on Ninja Woodfire Pro feels like cheating, but in a good way. The Pro Connect app integration is surprisingly useful, not gimmicky. When smoking my brisket I had to run pick up one of my kids from a birthday party. On the way, I got to monitor temps, get alerts, and track the cooking process – all from my phone. Even better, the App comes with preset options for a ton of different proteins and meals. It puts all the control and information I need on full display in the palm of my hand.
Additionally, the Ninja Woodfire Pro alerts me when it’s time to flip, can track two proteins simultaneously thanks to the dual probes, and has dozens of recipes to help me maximize its versatility. Which is huge when I’m cooking for a group, want to keep everyone happy and don’t want to hover like an anxious line cook. It’s not quite “set it and forget it,” but it’s about as close as backyard cooking gets without sacrificing results.
Results:
Now, the actual food. The grill hits solid temps and produces legit grill marks. I find that the preheat is a little slower than I would like on everything but the air fry setting. Once I adjust and factor that into my cooking ritual its smooth sailing. The Ninja Woodfire Pro doesn’t give me propane-level sear aggression, but for a plugin, porch grill it is good – just not primal. The food is delicious, and I find my kids begging me to use the Ninja Woodfire Pro for almost every meal.
Where the Ninja Woodfire Pro really pulls ahead is in versatility. With seven cooking modes (grill, smoke, air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate), and unlike most multi-function appliances, these aren’t throwaway features. I air fried wings that came out crisp without drying out, and smoked a brisket that had a respectable bark. Not competition-level, but absolutely backyard brag-worthy. The App (and available recipes) is the real win. Simple. Clean. User-friendly. This is about as plug-n-play, quick, convenient, and versatile is its going to get. A nod to Ninja’s dominance in this arena.
For Consideration:
That said, there are some limitations. The biggest tradeoff here is flavor depth. While I get real smoke, it is a lighter, cleaner profile compared to a traditional offset or even a mid-range pellet smoker. If chasing that heavy, stick-burner intensity, is the goal – then this isn’t that machine. It’s more “weeknight smoke” than “Texas hill country.”
The capacity is another thing to consider. Ninja calls this “XL,” and to be fair, it’s bigger than their original model. It features 180 square inches that can handle things like two racks of ribs or about ten burgers. But if the goal is to feed a large crowd regularly, then you will feel the limits. It’s ideal for small gatherings, couples, or families. This isn’t a block party type of grill.
Also, it doesn’t come with a grill stand and has a shorter cord (for safety). Something to keep in mind when thinking about your outdoor setup. Between weighing about 49 pounds and needing an outlet the Ninja Woodfire Pro is more portable-ish than camping trip add-on. Think “move it around the patio,” not “take it to the lake.” Overall, this is best for apartments, patios, individuals, and medium sized families – anyone seeking versatility and what the Ninja Woodfire Pro is designed to tackle.
Summary:
The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect Premium XL is a high-functioning technology rich cooking system. It trims the friction out of outdoor cooking without surrendering the results. You lose a bit of intensity, but gain a ton of usability, and end up with something that fits modern life a lot better than a full-blown smoker.
It’s not the bells and whistle grill. It’s not the barrel blazing smoker. But it might be one of the most enjoyable hybrids out there – and for a lot of people, that’s exactly the point. So if you are looking for backyard convenience, versatility, and dynamic flavor – this is the grill for you!
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