Ninja Foodi Smart XL DG551 Review: Buy It for the Probe

Most people judge the Ninja Foodi Smart XL DG551 as an air fryer with a grill plate. That misses the reason to give a 24-pound appliance a permanent section of your counter: the thermometer makes expensive meat less of a gamble.

The verdict up front: Buy the Ninja Foodi Smart XL DG551 if you want steak, chicken, and pork cooked indoors to a repeatable doneness, especially when weather or apartment rules rule out an outdoor grill. The probe is the reason to choose it. The large body and greasy upper interior are the reasons not to.

1. The thermometer is the real product

The DG551 gives you 4 protein settings and 9 doneness levels. You insert the probe, choose the target, and let the grill track the center temperature instead of cutting into dinner every few minutes. That matters more on a thick ribeye than it does on frozen fries.

Ninja says the grill uses a 500°F grate and 500°F cyclonic air. The result is a browned surface and grill marks while the probe watches the interior. It will not add charcoal or wood-smoke flavor, but it solves a different problem: getting a weeknight steak off the counter before you have cooked the pink out of it.

Probe placement still matters. Put the tip near fat or bone and the reading can mislead you, and meat keeps cooking while it rests. The machine removes guesswork, not judgment.

2. The XL label is useful, not limitless

Ninja says the grate holds up to 6 steaks or 24 hot dogs, real family capacity for burgers and chicken breasts.

The same capacity makes the DG551 a countertop commitment. Ninja’s own spec sheet lists it at 18.74 by 17.95 by 14.45 inches and 24 pounds. Retailer listings quote a smaller footprint, so measure your own counter. The lid opens upward, so check clearance above the spot too. If you have to haul it out for every meal, its 6 cooking modes will matter less than its weight.

3. Smoke is reduced, cleanup is not

Ninja sells this with a Smoke Control System, and retail copy calls it virtually smoke-free. Owners are more measured. Smoke is the complaint Best Buy shoppers file most often, 22 mentions against 10 for noise and 5 for preheat time.

One owner named the mechanism. He stopped cleaning the round grease filter in the top of the unit, and several cooks later it set off his smoke alarm.

The grate, pot, and basket are dishwasher safe, which makes cleanup look simple. The long-term nuisance sits above the food, where grease reaches the splatter shield, the lid, and the fan. If you grill ribeyes often, clean up there before residue becomes part of the appliance.

4. The other 5 modes only count if they replace something

Air Crisp, Roast, Bake, Broil, and Dehydrate turn the grill into more than a steak machine. The included crisper basket holds 4 quarts.

That versatility only pays if it retires another appliance. If a separate air fryer and toaster oven already earn their space, the DG551 adds overlap. If you want one machine for grilled proteins and crisp sides, the overlap becomes consolidation.

Who should skip this

This is the wrong indoor grill if your priority is flame or smoke flavor. An outdoor grill does that job better.

It is also hard to justify in a small kitchen with low cabinets or no counter space. The size is part of the capacity, not a storage problem that disappears after purchase.

Anyone who hates cleaning around fans and heating elements should weigh that irritation against the probe. The removable parts are not the whole job.

For the right kitchen, the buying logic stays simple: choose the DG551 for the thermometer and indoor repeatability. The other modes earn its footprint, but they are not the reason to bring it home.

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