via Brandon Wenerd / BroBible
I’ve been cooking with the Ninja Woodfire Grill for about a year now, and let me tell you, it’s been a game-changer. It’s like someone took all the best parts of a traditional grill, a smoker, and an oven and mashed them together into one sleek, compact device. It’s perfect for leveling up your cooking game, especially when space is tight.
Now, I know it’s a bit cliché, but it seems like every millennial dude hits a point in life where they aspire to be the summer patio king—just like our dads and grandpas. That’s me right now to a tee. Welcome to the smoked meat era of our lives. It’s just that we can do it while blasting Blink-182 and sipping Modelos instead of watching cable news and drinking light beer that barely passes for beer.
I’ve written a lot about the Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker here on BroBible over the last year. You get all the bells and whistles with the Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL Grill and Smoker, making it incredibly user-friendly. I love that it’s electric, meaning I don’t have to make any special trips for propane or worry about annoying my neighbors with charcoal. Just plug it into the same outdoor extension cord I use for Christmas lights during the holidays.
People often ask what I use it for, and honestly, the better question is, what can’t you use it for? It has seven cooking functions (Grill, Smoker, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Air Crisp, and Broil) and a 180-sq-in nonstick grill grate that will make plenty of food for a family of six. Whether it’s roasting veggies that you’d usually do in an oven or grilling burgers, hot dogs, and chicken with high-heat searing, I’ve learned over the last year that this grill does it all. It even has a dehydrate mode—perfect for homemade beef jerky, which I got into making this past spring as a snack for an epic road trip using Ninja’s Woodfire Outdoor Oven.
But the real star feature of the Woodfire XL Pro Connect, in my opinion, is the smoker. That little pellet box is a flavor bomb, packing your food with intense, mouthwatering goodness with the push of a button. It’s my go-to for any protein, and its small size makes it a breeze to store and use. The Ninja Pro Connect app is loaded with presets, so it’s a cinch to get it dialed up for a smoking sesh.
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The Best Things to Make on the Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker, Ranked
I feel like you’ve heard me yap exhaustively about Ninja’s hardware. But you haven’t really heard me yap about how freakin’ good the food is.
If you follow me on Instagram (shameless plug to follow me), you know that I’m constantly using my Ninja Woodfire to make dinner at home. I wanted to give you guys a breakdown of what I love to make. I hope it’s inspiration to explore your own creativity with this nifty device.
Without further ado, here are some of my favorite creations with the Ninja Woodfire:
Smoked Lamb Chops
Usually, you’d roast these in the oven, but I decided to give them a smoky twist by seasoning them with Meat Church Holy Cow BBQ rub, then smoking them at 250 degrees for an hour. The lamb comes out tender with a deep smoky flavor that’s just out of this world. I couldn’t believe how juicy it came out. I made a thyme-dijon horseradish sauce as a dipper to bring out the smoked lamb’s earthy flavors. It was sublime—fun to gnaw those carnivorous lollipops right off the bone like a caveman.
Smoked Chicken Wings
I’m never deep frying or even air frying chicken wings at home ever again. Smoking wings at 350 degrees is a revelation. The smoke flavor with that dark meat is superb. They come out with a crisp exterior and juicy interior. I love tossing them in a tangy buffalo sauce (Frank’s RedHot and melted butter, usually, but sometimes I’ll experiment with other sauces) and serving them up with a side of blue cheese as a dipper.
These wings are a staple for game day, paired with a cold beer and some good company. Perfect for those Sunday afternoons filled with friends and football.
Here’s a video I made over on my Instagram about making these wings:
Smoked Whole Chicken
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Once you start smoking your own whole chickens, you’ll never waste a cent on a puny grocery rotisserie chicken in a bag ever again. A whole chicken smoked at 325 degrees for about an hour comes out juicy and full of flavor. The smoke is the real star here, as it gives your chicken an umami jolt that rocks the taste buds. I make sure to season it well with a blend of herbs and spices, often heavy on paprika and garlic. It’s perfect for a family dinner, and the leftovers make fantastic sandwiches for the next day. This bird is a crowd-pleaser that never fails to impress.
Smoked Ribs
Barbecue ribs cooked low and slow at 250 degrees using Ninja’s All-Purpose wood pellets are a labor of love. I’ll season them in a spicy dry rub and let them smoke for three or four hours, wrapping them in foil after two to keep them moist and tender. When it’s finally time to eat, I’ll slather them with whatever BBQ sauce I have laying around the kitchen or whip up something of my own, depending on the mood. Ribs on the Ninja Woodfire pay off in flavor dividends. Great for those lazy Sunday afternoons with the family, with meat that falls off the bone.
Hungry yet? Get one for yourself via NinjaKitchen.com…
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Smoked Chimichurri Steak
You can do steak however you want on the Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker. Sear a strip steak on the grill, smoke a ribeye with butter and all that marbling, or tackle a tomahawk. But a personal favorite of mine is Chimichurri Steak. I like to pick up frozen pre-marinated chimichurri skirt steaks at Wild Fork, thaw them out, then fire up the Woodfire smoker and slap them on to sizzle away. It takes less than ten minutes to reach a perfect medium-rare. The smoky flavor mingles with the fresh herbs, creating a truly unique red meat flavor nirvana.
Brisket
Learning how to smoke a brisket is like confronting the final boss of smoking meats—the ultimate BBQ challenge. I headed to Austin, Texas—the BBQ capital of America—to learn how to do this the right way. I had some great company that walked me through it: Season it, let it sit, don’t go nuts with too much smoke, get a great bark to seal in all those flavors, don’t worry about the stall that happens at 160, and pull it when you get to 200 or so.
I smoked a nine-pound brisket on the Ninja Woodfire XL at 250 for about eight to nine hours, resulting in incredibly tender and flavorful meat. I went through two pellets of smoke over the course of the cook. It’s a marathon, not a sprint, but worth every minute. It was one of those things where I couldn’t believe I did it. It was divine and felt like my biggest accomplishment yet, like playing Super Mario 3 and defeating Bowser in his castle to rescue Princess Peach. This one’s for those big gatherings where you want to show off your BBQ skills and leave everyone in awe of your culinary prowess.
Smoked Duck Breast
Hi. My name is Brandon, and I have an addiction… to that dark, gamey taste of smoked duck breast. This is my dish. This is my thing. If you’re coming over for dinner at my house and I’m cooking, I’m making you duck. Unconventional? Sure. But I don’t care. I’m quacky like that.
Duck is one of my favorite meats of all time, and while working in a country club kitchen in college, I learned there are all sorts of ways you can prepare it, especially with sauces accompanying it. There’s the Francophile classics, like duck a l’orange, but I personally think duck with a plum or cherry port sauce is more delicious.
I love taking a duck breast, seasoning the fat with a dry garlic, thyme, rosemary, and pepper seasoning, then smoking it on the Ninja Woodfire at 300 degrees for 20 minutes, pulling it when it hits that magical number of 165 degrees. Parts of the outside get a little crispy. All that fat seals in the flavor. It comes out divine. Of course, there are all sorts of sauces you can make to accompany it, but lately, I’ve been enjoying it with Trader Joe’s Thai Sweet Ginger Sauce, which is sweet, spicy, salty, and garlicky, balancing out the strong smoky flavor from the duck itself. Plus, it’s easy to make: Just pour the stuff out of the bottle.
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Rediscovering the Joy of Cooking via Grillin’ and Chillin’ with the Ninja Woodfire
I don’t know about y’all, but I’m at a stage in life where work, finances, and other obligations can feel overwhelming. So, for me, finding a new hobby can be a lifesaver. I got back into skiing. I got back into fly fishing. Now I’m into grilling. I know it sounds insane, but the Ninja Woodfire Grill has done just that for me. It’s one of those things, like golf, skiing, fishing, or having a little project around the house, that just starts to occupy your brain.
It’s more than just a cooking device—it’s a social hub, a conversation starter, and a ticket to rediscovering the joy of cooking outside the kitchen, where you can make it a leisure experience to unwind with some brews and the boys. This grill has turned my yard into a place of gathering, laughter, and culinary creativity. It’s given me something exciting to look forward to and a way to occupy my headspace with fun and flavor, rather than stress and to-do lists.
Whether you’re a seasoned pitmaster or a weekend warrior, the Ninja Woodfire Grill and Smoker is an essential tool for anyone serious about bringing their culinary creations to life. It certainly has leveled up my game, so I’m trying to spread the gospel far and wide about how it will help others.
Time to claim that summer patio king crown and make your backyard the ultimate hangout spot thanks to your experimentation in your smoked meats era. Highly recommend checking it out!