Ninja FlexFlame Review – Girls Can Grill

Ninja has expanded its outdoor kitchen lineup with the Ninja FlexFlame – a propane grill that can smoke, griddle and cook pizza. Full Review!

Disclosure: Ninja provided a grill for me to review. Opinions are my own.

What is a Ninja FlexFlame

I have been cooking on Ninja grills since they first broke into the outdoor market with the Ninja Woodfire Grill. In fact, I was even featured in the grill’s infomercial.

For the past couple of years, Ninja has been developing the FlexFlame, and I’ve been fortunate enough to work with them throughout the process – beta testing different versions.

On the surface, the Ninja FlexFlame is a gas grill that runs off of propane. But once you learn more about the grill, you’ll see that it’s a complete outdoor cooking system.

I mean this is Ninja after all. You know they are masters at incorporating a ton of features into every appliance. So let’s break down what exactly this grill can do and what sets it apart from other gas grills.

How to cook on a Ninja FlexFlame

With most gas grills, you adjust the grill temperature with dials for each burner. You don’t have much flexibility beyond that – other than keeping 1-2 burners off for indirect cooking.

With the 3-burner Ninja FlexFlame, there are four primary cooking functions: Grill/Pizza, 2-Zone, Roast/Bake and Low & Slow. Each function controls the burners differently and has its own digitally controlled temperature range.

Grill/Pizza

This is the function you’ll use for high-heat direct grilling for steak and burgers or for cooking pizza.

At this setting, all three burners are on and the temperature range can be set from 450-600F in 5-degree increments.

2-Zone

When you choose the 2-Zone setting, the front and middle burners are on and the back burner is off. The temperature can be set from 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/Bake

I love this cook mode for baking cakes, breads and pies. It allows you to actually bake on a grill without burning the bottom.

With this setting, the front and back burners are on and the middle burner is off. The temperature can be set from 300-450F.

Low & Slow

This is the ideal setting for smoking brisket, pork butt or several racks of ribs. The front and back burners are off and only the middle burner is on. For this setting, the temperature ranges 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. 

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Quick + Easy Grilled Dinners

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Smoked Brisket on the Ninja FlexFlame

All the steps you need to smoke brisket on the Ninja FlexFlame. Unlock Woodfire technology for unbeatable flavor and tenderness.

View Recipe

Smoked Pulled Pork on the Ninja FlexFlame

You can smoke pulled pork on a gas grill with the Ninja FlexFlame. I’ll show you how with Girls Can Grill Pork Rub and some wood pellets.

View Recipe

How to Cook with Smoke on a Ninja FlexFlame

Although the heat source for the FlexFlame is propane, you can add smoke to your food by activating the Woodfire Flavor feature. And it works no matter which function you choose.

To the right side of the grill lid, there is a pellet hopper. This holds about 2 cups of wood pellets. Once you push the Woodfire Flavor button on the control panel, the burner in the hopper ignites the pellets, causing them to smoke.

Then, a cyclonic fan in the grill pushes that smoke right into the grill to add smoke flavor to your food.

With other gas grills, you can use a pellet tube or foil pouch with wood chips, but the smoke just floats in the grill. With the Ninja FlexFlame, that smoke circulates because of the fan, which gives more even 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 Smoking on the FlexFlame

Not only can you add smoke while grilling, you can also cold smoke on the Ninja FlexFlame.

To do this, just leave the propane tank off and don’t ignite the burners. Simply place your food on the grill, add pellets and activate the Woodfire Flavor feature. Then, cold smoke your food for as long as the recipe calls for.

Ninja FlexFlame Features

Grill Cabinet

Let’s start with the grill cabinet and storage. The Ninja FlexFlame sits atop a wheeled cart 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 store things like wood pellets or grill tools.

The left inside is also where the grease tray is located. This makes cleaning the grill really easy because all you have 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. 

The FlexFlame has two very large shelves on both sides, which is great for food prep and holding pans and tools.

The grill’s plug is located just under the right shelf. It’s very short so you will need to use a 3-prong extension cord rated for the outdoors.

The digital control panel is located on the front of the right shelf. This includes the dial for igniting the grill, setting the function, adjusting the temperature and adding woodfire flavor.

Also on the right side is the pellet hopper. This is where you can add wood pellets, if you want to use the smoke feature on the grill.

Interior

Inside the grill, there are three burners that run horizontally. They’re each covered by flame tamers. In the traditional setup, you’ll have two grill grates that rest on top of the burners.

If you decide to use the griddle upgrade, you’ll remove one or both grill grates and add the half or full griddle plate.

There is also a top cooking rack inside. With other gas grills, this is usually just a warming rack, but with the Ninja, you can cook on this rack too because of the way the fan circulates heat inside the grill.

Ninja FlexFlame Upgrades

What makes this a complete outdoor cooking system are the upgrades.

The grill by itself allows you to grill, smoke, roast and bake. But you can also use it as a griddle or pizza oven.

Griddle

Add the half griddle if you want the versatility to be able to grill part of your dish while cooking another part on a griddle. This is great for bacon cheeseburgers.

If you just need the griddle feature or you’re planning to cook larger meals, go with the premium full griddle. Just keep in mind, you’ll need a place to store it when it’s not in use.

When cooking with the griddle, you’ll use the roast/bake function. The quick start guide provides you with temperature suggestions for several foods.

Pizza

The Ninja FlexFlame makes awesome pizzas when you add the pizza stone and perforated pizza peel.

You simply place the pizza stone on the grill grate and set the grill to the grill/pizza function. The temperature will vary, depending on the type of pizza you’re cooking.

What I love about this capability is that you don’t have to rotate the pizza at all because of the cyclonic fan. It cooks the crust evenly around the edges and the bottom is perfect.

The non-stick pizza peel makes it easy to transfer the uncooked and cooked pizza to and from the grill. My only complaint about it is that it is huge and takes up a lot of space to store. I wish the handle folded so it would fit under the grill.

Artisan Pepperoni Pizza on the Ninja FlexFlame

This artisan pepperoni pizza is a fun recipe for family pizza night. Let everyone build their own pizza and bake them on the Ninja FlexFlame.

View Recipe

Other Accessories

Other accessories that I recommend are the grease tray liners and grill cover. You can also get the Ninja griddle spatula, grill tool set, stainless steel grill grates, grill basket and expandable roast and smoke rack.

Shop Accessories

Final Thoughts

I’ve been a fan of Ninja’s products for years, and the FlexFlame definitely stands up to the Ninja name.

So often people ask me what grill I recommend. I usually ask them what fuel source they want to use and if they want to be able to grill or smoke.

The Ninja FlexFlame offers the best of many worlds. It preheats quickly with little mess. It’s digital for easy control. It allows you to smoke without having to learn how to manage live fire. And, it offers so many functions and features.