Is the Ninja Woodfire Pro XL Electric BBQ Grill the perfect Christmas present?

The Ninja Woodfire Electric BBQ has been one of the most popular barbecue reviews on our site since we tested it in June, so when we heard that Ninja was bringing out a new version - the Ninja Woodfire Pro XL Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker - we couldn’t wait to get our hands on it. 

The original, smaller Woodfire Electric BBQ & Smoker has a mammoth seven cooking modes, with air frying, baking, roasting, dehydrating and reheating rounding off its grilling and smoking capabilities. It's an impressive offering and has proved popular with al fresco diners across Britain.

While the Pro XL has traded the dehydrating, reheating and baking functions of its smaller sibling in exchange for a 30% larger cooking capacity. 

We’ll have to wait until spring for the results of our lab tests, but in the meantime, we took one home to see how it compares to the Woodfire Electric BBQ and to cook up a festive feast.

Read our review of the Ninja Woodfire Electric BBQ, or check out where to buy it below.

Whether you're a last-minute shopper or just need some inspiration, we've got you covered with our last minute Christmas gift guide

How the Pro XL compares to the Woodfire Electric BBQ 

Both are mainly made from powder-coated steel, with a ceramic-coated aluminium grill and a steel fat-catching tray. 

They have prominent digital displays, with visual prompts and audible beeps to help you easily control the cooking.

We haven't lab tested the Pro XL yet, but if you're already sold, you can find it at the retailers listed below.

Cooking a Christmas dinner

A cold December day when the sun sets before four might not be the first thing that comes into your head when you think 'barbecue weather', but that's the weather we've got. And as the Woodfire Electric BBQ XL was released last month, we'd be remiss not to try cooking a Christmas dinner on it.

The larger capacity of the Pro XL meant that our 4.6kg turkey - more than big enough to feed three hungry children and four very hungry adults - fit with relative ease. We had to spatchcock the bird to close the lid, but there was plenty of space around it on the grill. 

Some of the original's cooking functions have been removed, but the Pro XL can still BBQ, smoke, roast and air fry. We chose the smoke function for our turkey and used the wood pellets provided . The meat was delicious, with crispy skin and a subtle smoky flavour. 

After our turkey was finished and resting, it was simple to turn the dial from Smoker to Air Fry, and set the temperature and time to cook roast potatoes and parsnips. The parsnips took around 15 minutes and the roasties about 30 minutes, coming out soft and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the outside.

Ease of use

The Pro XL is bigger than its predecessor but also has carry handles to make it a bit easier to lift and move around. Beyond that, we thought this barbecue was incredibly straightforward to use - the controls are simple to adjust, and the instruction manual is easy to follow. 

A new feature is a thermometer which keeps track of the food's temperature and automatically turns off the heat when it’s cooked, rather than setting a timer. It is worth keeping an eye on the display though - it was a bit of a surprise when our turkey was ready after just an hour and a half.

There's a grease tray at the back of the BBQ which works well and is easy to remove and refit. We even used this to add the cooked turkey juices to our onion gravy for a wonderfully smoky kick.

Cooking steak

It doesn’t just excel at poultry: we also cooked a steak using the Grill (BBQ) function and thermometer. 

The preset beef settings allow you to choose what cook level you’d like (rare, medium rare, medium, medium well or well done) and using the thermometer means the grill monitors the cooking level and stops at your preselected setting. We found this incredibly handy, and it worked well as our sirloin steak came out exactly how we wanted it, although it was quite fiddly to insert the temperature probe into our thin cut of meat. 

The display has been upgraded too and now tracks the food's progress. It was quite fun to stand and watch it click up from rare to medium rare and beyond. The BBQ even beeps and tells you to flip the food over during cooking.

Check back in the spring when we bring you full test results of the Ninja Woodfire Pro XL Electric BBQ Grill & Smoker, once we've got it into the hands of our lab experts and professional chefs.

In the meantime, check out our barbecue reviews to see how we've rated over 80 different models, from full-sized to portable, charcoal, electric and gas.