Traeger Timberline XL: Specifications
Price: $ 3,799.99
Dimensions: 51x71x25 inches (HWD)
Cooking place: 1320 square inches
Weight: 289 lbs
Traeger Timberline XL is the latest version of the company’s flagship series of grills, and represents the most advanced grill art. It’s full of thoughtful details and high-tech features ranging from Wi-Fi connectivity to induction cooking.
If you do not need or want all the dynamic features that are standard, you can save a lot of money and probably be almost as happy with one of the smaller and cheaper choices among best grills. But if you have the money, and grilling on the edge means more to you than the red juice seeping out of the ribeye, this is a smart, future-oriented purchase. And did I mention that it makes incredibly good food?
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Traeger Timberline XL review: Prices and availability
Two models of this grille, which went on sale late this spring, are available: the regular Timberline and the larger (and more expensive) Timberline XL.
- Traeger Timberline: $ 3,499.99
- Traeger Timberline XL: $ 3,799.99
We reviewed the Timberline XL, which boasts 1320 square inches of cooking space as opposed to Timberline’s 880 square inches. Our contact with Traeger insisted that the size is the only difference between the two models and that the functions and performance are otherwise identical.
Traeger Timberline XL review: Design and features
Fully assembled, the Timberline XL weighs 289 pounds and measures 51 x 71 x 25 inches (HWD), although you will want to leave an extra 20 inches both in front of and behind the grille to provide adequate exhaust space and protect the surroundings from the heat. (Non-XL Timberline measures 51 x 59 x 25 inches and weighs 238 pounds.)
You can access the inside of the dish-like cooking area by lifting the rounded lid. Three grates (two of which are adjustable) provide a total of 1320 square inches of cooking surface (or 880 on the standard). Traeger has redesigned the internal heat supply system with stainless steel insulation which it claims will provide better regulation of the internal temperature; a smart combustion system helps both keep the temperature constant and reduce flare-ups.
New on this Timberline is an updated control panel, which combines a full-color touch screen, four buttons for accessing various functions, and a round dial for adjusting the temperature and navigating the menus; an induction top with one burner; below the cooking surface, EZ Clean Grease + Ash Keg, which collects much of the fat and ash produced during cooking for easy disposal later; and an enclosing accessory rail.
There is plenty of storage in the bottom cabinet, and a container for fuel pellets can be placed permanently on the right (or replaced by extra shelves, if you prefer). A magnetic wooden cutting board for attaching to the lid of the pellet hopper, a metal tray for cooking vegetables or fish, and two wired and a wireless temperature probe round off the accessories.
Traeger Timberline XL review: Setup
Our Timberline XL arrived via FedEx Freight in a shipment that weighed only 350 pounds and measured 49.5 x 52.5 x 22 inches; you need at least two people to move and assemble it.
Having a wide-open area with a solid, flat floor (like a deck or garage) will simplify installation, even if it is already quite simple thanks to Traeger’s extensive printed and online instructions; the company has also included all the screws and hardware you need.
Attaching the wheels and the accessory rail were the hardest parts for me, but even they were not that difficult.
Two people should be able to complete the assembly in two to three hours, including the boarding process when you first turn on the grill, which connects the grill to your Wi-Fi home network (although only 2.4 GHz networks are supported) and automatic seasons it.
Traeger Timberline XL Review: Performance
Over the course of several days, I put the Timberline XL through a battery of cooking challenges designed to test everything it could do.
From juicy burgers to moist fried chicken, and from juicy smoked salmon to tender ribs that fall apart, Timberline XL did not disappoint in the meat category. Burning romaine lettuce and shaking croutons for grilled Caesar salad also worked well, as did frying tubers for potato salad. The slotted tray was ideal for preparing a mixed vegetable mixture we could not grill in the traditional way.
The baking was a success with a plethora of chicken chiladas and chocolate pecan scones worth two sheets, although Traeger’s Grilled New York Style Pepperoni Pizza recipe was a dud, with the recommended 450-degree cooking time of 15 minutes far insufficient to finish. paien. (It’s better to make cast iron pizza, wait until Traeger releases his new pizza oven accessories later this year, or pick up one of our best outdoor pizza ovens.)
Perhaps most impressive was the induction top, which expanded the range of dishes I could whip up, all at the same time. Sautéed vegetables, caramelized onions, charred corn and pizza sauce turned out to be unique uses for me, but everything you can cook on the stove, you can make here.
One last note about the grill itself: Our measurements with newly calibrated ThermoWorks thermometers showed that its internal temperature was routinely as much as 20 degrees (Fahrenheit) higher than what the screen reported.
This did not give me many problems (although the fried chicken came close), but monitoring the temperature closely during the preparation of more delicious food is probably a good idea. And do not touch the upper right part of the lid: it reached over 200 degrees on several occasions.
Traeger Timberline XL review: Cleaning
Although Grease + Ash Keg speeds up one aspect of the cleanup, you may still need to spend a good deal of time keeping Timberline XL in top shape.
I had to spend a lot of time scraping away the accumulated waste on the drip tray and scraping dirt away from the grease drain pipe. (It is worth covering the drip tray with aluminum foil to save yourself some time). Vacuuming ash from the firebox with a vacuum cleaner and removing creosote from the back plate and inside the grill door (and, twice a year, the Downdraft Exhaust System) are other necessary maintenance tasks.
Traeger Timberline XL review: Smart functionality
The Traeger mobile app is just a bone, but it gives you just enough opportunities to interact with your grill in new and unexpected ways. You can look up one of the integrated recipes so that the grill can go through all the intricate heating procedures for you, set the grill manually to any temperature you want, activate the timer or activate any of the other button functions on the front panel.
If you activate notifications, you will also be informed when the grill is preheated or completely switched off or told when there are few pellets. This was a mixed bag; that information is nice to have, but over longer cooking times (two hours or more) the pellet warnings first became annoying and then oppressive. I would recommend that you do not bother to turn these on unless you really feel like this information, you only cook for short periods, or you are fanatical about keeping the pellet container full. After a few days of “25% full” warnings, I was about to grill my phone.
Traeger Timberline XL Review: Dom
With its breadth of features and controls, all the different ways it allows you to cook, its easy smoking ability and its well-honed skill for almost any type of cooking, there is no other grill similar to Traeger Timberline.
Whether it is the best grill for you depends on how much you are willing or able to pay. This new Timberline is about twice as expensive as its predecessor, and you can buy top-quality charcoal or propane grills for $ 550 or less. They may not have all the bells and whistles, but is that such a terrible thing?
In a year or two, many of the same features will be filtered down to Traeger’s cheaper Ironwood and Pro lines, so waiting is another option. But if you’re in the market now and it does not want to torpedo your personal finances, Timberline is a great way to grill.
