Traeger wants to make your grilling experience a little more…high-tech. The company has announced its latest wood-pellet grille that it says will completely change the outdoor cooking experience. The new grill, called the Traeger Timberline, is built with a few core principles in mind — consistency, convenience, and versatility — and the way it achieves these is through some pretty high-tech solutions.
In the market for a new grill? The Timberline and Timberline XL may be expensive, but they’re well worth considering. Traeger flew me out to Salt Lake City to check out the new grills for myself. Here’s what you need to know.
Grilling technology
While the new grill offers tech like a touch display and functionality with the Traeger app, perhaps the best thing about the Timberline has more to do with how it helps you actually grill. The company says that the grill has been redesigned from the ground up, with a range of new features and technologies that could come in handy.
For example, the grill boasts a new so-called FreeFlow firepot, which is used when the grill is put into SuperSmoke Mode, and ensures that the grill can output the smokiest flavor possible. Not only that, but the grill also offers full stainless steel insulation, which helps keep the cook as consistent as possible, and helps the grill maintain a more precise internal temperature.
The grill is more versatile than previous-generation models too, and lets you cook a full meal from start to finish. Part of that has to do with the grill’s built-in induction cooktop, which is perfect for things like cooking onions.
Traeger wants to make it a little easier to clean up after the cook too. The grill has Traeger’s new EZ-Clean Grease & Ash Keg system, which can channel the grease and ash into one easy-to-empty unit. Of course, it remains to be seen exactly how well this system works, but the concept is pretty neat.
The new touch-display
At the heart of the new Timberline grill is a touch display that’s built to help the user maintain a consistent cook, and maintain their grill. The touch display works in tandem with the grill’s new so-called smart combustion system that leverages a number of sensors throughout the grill to keep the heat consistent and even. On the display, you’ll be able to monitor the temperature inside the grill, ensuring that the cook remains consistent at all times.
The display does more than just monitor a cook though. It can also play a role in helping you perform maintenance on the grill, ensuring that you keep it in shape, and ready when you need it. This is far from the first Traeger grill to offer a display, but it is the first with Traeger’s new full-color touch display.
Traeger App
Perhaps even better than the touch display on the grill is the fact that the grill works in tandem with the Trager app. This is far from the first Traeger grill to leverage the Traeger app, but it’s still worth noting.
Through the app, you can control almost anything about the Timberline. You can set the temperature of the grill, and monitor the progress of that temperature over time. And you can set timers for your food, and even control more advanced features, like the Super Smoke mode.
It seems like a pretty well-designed app, and serves as a natural and smart evolution for the grill.
Pricing and availability
The Traeger Timberline and Timberline XL don’t come cheap. The standard Timberline, which has an 865 square inch capacitity, comes at $3,499, while the Timberline XL, with its 132 square inch capacity, comes at $3,799. Both will be available later in the spring in the U.S. and Canada, though we don’t have a specific date for them just yet.
