Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi 20 Review: Four Probes Included

Updated 2026-08-21 Researched, not tested in person

Quick answer

Buy the Woodwind WiFi 20 if you want a well equipped pellet grill without the flagship price, and you cook for a family. Skip it if you need to cook for a crowd, because the 20 inch model is the small one in the line and grate area is the thing you cannot add later.

The pellet grill that includes the things other brands sell you separately.

Best equipped for the money

Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi 20 Pellet Grill

~$310

A WiFi PID pellet grill with four meat probes included, an ash cleanout system and direct flame grilling to 650F.

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Probes	Four meat probes included
Control	WiFi PID controller, Camp Chef Connect app compatible
Temperature range	160F to 500F, 25,000 BTU
Searing	Slide and Grill direct flame grilling to 650F
Ash handling	Patented Ash Kickin' cleanout system
Smoke control	Smart Smoke Technology with 10 smoke level settings

Specifications above come from Camp Chef's published feature list. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

Four probes in the box is genuinely unusual and it removes the most common first accessory purchase.
Slide and Grill direct flame at 650F makes it a credible searing device, which most pellet grills are not.
The ash cleanout is a lever rather than a shop vacuum, and pellet grill ash management is otherwise the worst chore in the category.
A 160F floor is lower than most competitors, which matters for jerky and for cold-ish smoking of cheese in cool weather.
Ten smoke settings give you a real, if modest, lever on smoke output.

Where it falls short

The 20 in the name is the size, and it is the small model. Check the grate area against what you actually cook before assuming it is enough.
Smoke settings change smoke output within the range a pellet fire can produce, which is still less than charcoal. Ten settings do not make it an offset.
Like every pellet grill it needs dry pellets, mains power and a functioning controller.
Direct flame searing means moving a slide plate, which is a manual step mid cook and gets hot.
App and firmware complaints appear in owner reports across the whole connected pellet category, and this is no exception.

What owners report

What owners of the Woodwind line consistently praise is the equipment level: four probes, the ash cleanout and the sear slide together cover the three things people otherwise buy or improvise. Reported complaints are the usual connected-appliance ones, and very rarely about the cooking itself.

The second theme is smoke expectation. The ten smoke settings give a genuine but bounded lever, and owners who came from charcoal still describe the smoke as lighter. That is the pellet grill trade in general, and our pellets versus chunks for flavour comparison explains why the fuel form makes the difference.

The third is fuel planning. Direct flame searing burns pellets quickly, and a cook that mixes low smoking with a hot finish uses far more fuel than the smoking phase alone suggests. The pellet usage calculator is the way to plan that rather than guessing at the shop.

Who it suits

Cooks who want a fully equipped pellet grill without paying flagship prices.
People who want to smoke and sear on one machine.
Anyone who cooks several things at once and will use four probes.

Who should skip it

Cooks who need large capacity, who should look at the 24 or 36 inch models or a different brand entirely.
Anyone who wants heavy smoke flavour.
People who want a cooker with nothing electronic in it.

Alternatives worth considering

Capacity Pick

Z Grills ZPG-550B2 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

~$370

553 square inches with a PID controller and a hopper cleanout, if grate area matters more to you than the probe count and the sear slide.

Check price on Amazon

Step-Up Alternative

Traeger Ironwood 885 Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

~$1,010

885 square inches, double-wall insulation and a more mature app, which is what the extra money buys.

Check price on Amazon

Similar Money

Pit Boss Pit Boss 500 Carbon Series Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker

~$300

543 square inches and a 3-year warranty at a similar price, if warranty length and grate area matter more than the four probes.

Check price on Amazon

Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Camp Chef Woodwind WiFi 20 worth it?

For the equipment level, yes. Four probes, an ash cleanout and direct flame searing cover the three things people usually add to a pellet grill after buying it. The limit is size, and size is the one thing you cannot retrofit.

Camp Chef Woodwind vs Traeger Ironwood: which is better?

Camp Chef gives you more included equipment and a sear function; Traeger gives you more grate, better insulation for cold weather and a more mature app and accessory ecosystem. Choose on climate and capacity.

What do the ten smoke settings actually do?

They change how the fire cycles, which changes how much smoke the fire produces at a given temperature. It is a real lever within the range a pellet fire can produce, and it does not turn a pellet grill into a stick burner.

Can you sear steaks on it?

Yes, using the Slide and Grill direct flame function which reaches 650F. It is a manual slide rather than a setting, and it is genuinely hot enough for a crust, which most pellet grills are not.

How much grate area do I need?

Depends entirely on your biggest realistic cook rather than your average one. Run it through the smoker size calculator before deciding the 20 is enough, because a packer brisket takes far more room than people expect.

How we choose gear: we compare published manufacturer specifications, capacity and temperature ranges, materials, warranty terms and verified owner reviews. We do not test gear in person and we do not publish hands-on claims we cannot support.

Cook times and temperatures are researched guidance, not a food-safety authority. Every figure on this page is an estimate: smokers, ambient weather, humidity and the individual cut all move it. Food is safe when a calibrated instant-read thermometer says so, never when a clock or a chart does. Keep food out of the 40°F to 140°F danger zone, observe the 4 hour rule, and follow current USDA safe minimum internal temperatures. If you are cooking for anyone pregnant, very young, elderly or immunocompromised, cook to the USDA minimums rather than to a preference-based doneness temperature.

Keeping your own cook times, rubs and pit temperatures? The Smoking & Cook Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.