Ninja has expanded its range of outdoor kitchens with Ninja Flexflame – a propane grid that can smoke, cry and cook pizza. Full review!
Dissemination: Ninja provided me with a grid to review. Opinions are mine.
What is a Ninja Flexflame
I cooked on Ninja grids since they entered the outdoor market for the first time with the ninja fire grid. In fact, I was also presented in Grill’s infomext.
Over the past two years, Ninja has developed Flexflame and I was lucky enough to work with them throughout the process: Beta by testing different versions.
On the surface, the Ninja Flexflame is a gas grid that runs away from the propane. But once you learn more on the grill, you will see that it is a complete outdoor cooking system.
I mean, this is Ninja after all. You know they are master to incorporate a lot of features in each device. So we lower what exactly this grid can do and what distinguishes it from the other gas grids.
How to cook on a Ninja Flexflame
With most of the gas grids, the grid temperature is adjusted with the dials for each burner. You don’t have much flexibility in addition to that, as well as maintaining 1-2 burners outside for indirect cooking.
With 3 pimples ninja flexflame, there are four primary cooking functions: grill/pizza, 2-zone, roast/cooking and low and slow. Each function controls burners in a different way and has its own digitally controlled temperature range.
Grill/pizza
This is the function you will use for the direct grid for the steak and hamburgers or to cook pizza.
In this setting, all three burners are active and the temperature range can be set by 450-600f with 5-degree increases.
2-zone
When choosing the 2 -zone setting, the front and medium burners are active and the rear burner is off. The temperature can be set by 350-500f.
NOTE: When using the dual zone setting, I recommend either removing the upper rack or placing your food on the upper rack for indirect cooking. It's a little hard to flip food if you try to cook it under the rack.
Roast/cook
I love this cook mode for cooking cakes, bread and cakes. It allows you to actually cook on a grid without burning the bottom.
With this setting, the front and rear burners are active and the central burner is off. The temperature can be set by 300-450f.
Low and slow
This is the ideal setting for smoking chest, pork buttering or more ribs. The front and rear burners are off and only the central burner is on. For this setting, the temperature varies from 200-300f.
THOUGHTS: I have smoked multiple briskets using the low & slow setting, and they're so good, you can't even tell they came off of a gas grill.
NOTE: With all cook functions, the fan is activated when the hood is closed. Once you open the lid, the fan stops spinning. The fan is rather loud, but I got used to it.
How to cook with smoking on a Ninja Flexflame
Although the heat source for Flexflame is propane, you can add smoke to food by activating the flavor function of the fire. And it works, it doesn’t matter what function you choose.
On the right side of the grilled lid, there is a pellet hopper. This contains about 2 cups of wooden pellets. Once the flavor button of the wooden fire on the control panel is pressed, the burner in the hopper turns the pellets, causing them the smoke.
Then, a cyclonic fan in the grill pushes that smoke into the grill to add smoke flavor to your food.
With other gas grids, you can use a pellet tube or a sheet pocket with wooden chips, but smoke floats only in the grill. With the Ninja Flexflame, that smoke circulates due to the fan, which gives more uniform flavor.
PRO TIP: Each smoke cycle lasts about 45 minutes. For longer cooks, I recommend refilling the hopper 2-3 times. You don't need to re-ignite the pellets so long as they are still burning. If they've burned out before you refilled them, just push that Woodfire Flavor button again.
Cold smoke on Flexflame
Not only can you add smoke during the grill, but you can also cold smoke on the Ninja Flexflame.
To do this, leave the propane tank away and not turn on the burners. Just place the food on the grill, add pellets and activate the fire flavor function. So, smoke cold food for as long as the recipe requires.
Ninja Flexflame functions
Grilled cabinet
Let’s start with the grid wardrobe and storage. The Ninja Flexflame is located on top of a trolley with two front doors. When you open the doors, most of the right side is for the propane tank. On the left side, you can keep things like wooden pellets or grill tools.
The left inside is also where the tray is located. This makes cleaning the grill really easy because everything you need to do is open the door and remove and empty the tray.
NOTE: I wish there was just a bit more room in the cabinet so there was enough space to hold the full size griddle upgrade. But it is large enough to hold the half griddle and pizza stone.
Flexflame has two very large shelves on both sides, which is excellent for the preparation of food and the seal of pans and tools.
The thorn of the grill is located right under the right shelf. It is very short, so you will have to use a 3 -pointed extension assessed for outdoor life.
The digital control panel is located on the front of the right shelf. This includes the dial for ignition of the grid, the setting of the function, the temperature adjustment and the addition of the wooden fire flavor.
Also on the right side there is the pellet hopper. This is where you can add wooden pellets, if you want to use the smoke function on the grill.
Internal
Inside the grid, there are three burners running horizontally. They are each covered with flame tamer. In the traditional configuration, you will have two grids that rest on the burners.
If you decide to use the plate update, remove one or both grids and add the plate for half or full.
There is also a higher cooking rack inside. With other gas grids, this is usually only a heating grid, but with the ninja, you can also cook on this rack due to the way the fan circulates the heat inside the grill.
Ninja Flexflame updates
What makes this a complete outdoor cooking system are updates.
The grill alone allows you to grill, smoke, roast and cook. But you can also use it as a plate or pizza oven.
Plate
Add the half plate if you want the versatility to be able to grill part of the plate while cooking another part on a plate. This is excellent for the bacon cheeseburger.
If you just need the plate functionality or you are going to cook larger meals, go with the full premium plate. Keep in mind that you will need a place to archive it when it is not in use.
When you cook with the plate, you will use the roast/cooking function. The quick start guide provides temperature suggestions for different foods.
Pizza
The Ninja Flexflame produces fantastic pizzas when adding the pizza stone and the peel for the perforated pizza.
Simply place the pizza stone on the grill and put the grill on the grill/pizza function. The temperature will vary, depending on the type of pizza you are cooking.
What I love this ability is that you don’t have to rotate pizza at all due to the cyclonic fan. Cook the crust evenly around the edges and the bottom is perfect.
The non -stick pizza peel makes it easy to transfer the pizza raw and cooked to and from the grid. My only complaint about it is that it is enormous and takes up a lot of space to store. I wish the handle was bent so that it adapted to the grill.
Other accessories
Other accessories that I recommend are the lining of the tray for fat and the grilled coverage. You can also get the Ninja plate spatula, set of tools for grill, stainless steel grids, grilled basket and expandable roast and skey.
Shop accessories
Ninja Flexflame GRILL SPECIFICATIONS
- Model: Series PG300
- Height: 49 inches
- Length: 60 inches
- Depth: 25 inches
- Weight: 139 pounds
- Primary cooking area: 17 inches of depth for 25 inches in width (425 square inches)
- Secondary cooking area: 5.5 inches of depth for 22 inches in width (121 square inches)
- Fuel source: Propano and wood pellets
- Electrical evaluation: 120V – 60Hz 400W
- BTU: 37,000
- Spelling capacity: 2 cups of pellets
- Temperature interval: 200-600f Gradi
- Price: $ 999
- Warranty: 10 years limited
Price indicated at the time of the revision; subject to changes
Final thoughts
I was a fan of the Ninja products for years and Flexflame certainly resists the name Ninja.
So often people ask me which I recommend grid. I usually ask them which source of fuel want to use and if they want to be able to grill or smoke.
The Ninja Flexflame offers the best of many worlds. Preheat quickly with little mess. It is digital for easy control. It allows you to smoke without having to learn to manage the fire live. And it offers so many functions and functionality.
