‘I tried the Ninja Woodfire now it’s on sale and it’s made barbecue season so much easier’

Barbecue season is all about smoky flavours, soaking up the summer sun and embracing the great outdoors. But let’s not forget the struggle of lighting the charcoal and the ensuing mess and clean-up; suddenly it all seems like a bit too much hassle. But what if there was an alternative?

While Ninja is renowned for its kitchen air fryers, it’s less famous for its outdoor cooking range. So I put the Ninja Woodfire to the test, which bills itself as an ‘electric barbecue grill and smoker’ and is now the UK’s bestselling barbecue, to see if it lived up to the hype.

To cut to the chase, I was seriously impressed by the experience, and while this £299.99 garden gadget is on the pricey side, a current £50 discount from Ninja makes it a more tempting proposition.

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The Ninja Woodfire is a versatile outdoor cooking device
(Image: Chris Hall)

The Ninja Woodfire is a versatile piece of kit with a wide array of cooking functions. These are controlled by the dial and buttons on the front, making it super easy to preheat and cook exactly to your liking, reports Chronicle Live.

Unlike a traditional charcoal barbecue, such as this classic Weber, getting the Ninja Woodfire going is a breeze, so you’ll be ready to start cooking in around 15 minutes. The smart part – and what gives the Woodfire its name – is the hopper on the side of the lid where you can add flavoured wood pellets.

These will catch fire and burn, with the smoke sucked into the Ninja and mixed with your food. This not only adds a wonderful aroma but also enhances the flavour and brings a bit of thrill to your outdoor cooking. Granted, it’s not exactly the same as a charcoal barbecue, but it’s a closer match than a typical electric barbecue, such as this plug-in model from B&Q.

Let me break down what goes on inside the Ninja Woodfire. It has a heating element at the bottom and another at the top of the lid, allowing it to cook from both ends. There’s a fan in the lid that circulates the heat like an air fryer, and it also spreads the smoke for that barbecue taste.

The Woodfire has a griddle plate inside that drains fat from your food
(Image: Chris Hall)

The base of the Ninja Woodfire features a griddle plate for cooking, which means your steaks or burgers will get that barbecue-style sear, but without any open flames or risk of a grease fire – any excess fats simply drain off into a tray below.

The Ninja Woodfire arrives mostly put together (there’s a version with a stand, but I’ve just been using it on my garden table), so you can get started in no time.

Best of all, the Woodfire comes with a recipe book that’s not only packed with brilliant ideas for family meals, but also provides guidance on what settings to use for a wide variety of foods – ribs, wings, veggies – as well as instructions on how to use the Woodfire’s other features.

Because it’s versatile, you can use it as a smoker, using those wood pellets (you get two packets free) to flavour your food with a long and low temperature cook, while you can also roast a whole chicken (it’s big enough), bake, dehydrate or reheat your food.

Wood pellets provide the smoky flavour to food
(Image: Chris Hall)

All you need is an external plug socket – no gas, no charcoal – and there’s very little mess. The cooking plate comes out for easy cleaning, but it’s not dishwasher safe, so you’ll have to do it by hand.

If there’s a downside to the Ninja Woodfire, it’s the size of the grill. You’ll just about feed a family of four using it, but if you’re planning a barbecue in your garden, then you can only cook about 16 sausages at a time, so for a large gathering, you might need something bigger.

The Ninja Woodfire is sure to be popular this summer, so snap it while there’s £50 off the price.

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