It's fair to say that when it comes to barbecues, Americans do it bigger and better. Cooking outdoors is no casual affair, with the same care and attention as you would expect in the kitchen.
When it comes to the barbecues themselves – or grills, as they're known State-side – the Traeger name is known for being top dog. Unlike the gas grills of Weber, Char-Broil and Cuisinart, Traeger's models are all wood-pellet powered. This is no simple bonfire cookout though, these are state-of-the-art precision grills that can provide a range of cooking styles.
Traeger's premium offering is the Timberline and the original 2017 design has just had a major upgrade to make the whole experience even more impressive. If you're burning your burgers on one of these, you're doing something very wrong.
The temperature control and color touchscreen display on the Traeger Timberline
The Timberline comes in regular and XL sizes but even the regular is huge by normal sizes. The Timberline features 880 square inches (56cm squared) of cooking space across three levels. That's space for eight racks of ribs or 9 chickens. Plus an induction plate on the side, to place a pan or skillet and sear, fry or sauté. The XL cranks that up to 1320 square inches (0.85 square meters) or space for 16 racks of ribs or 12 chickens.
There's a full-color touchscreen display on both units to monitor the temperature and perform maintenance checks. The WiFIRE technology connects the Timberline to the Traeger app, to control it from anywhere and there's now a more powerful Wi-Fi antenna built-in. It even comes with MEATER wireless meat thermometers that you can place inside your chicken or steak to know exactly when it reaches the right temperature.
The Timberline XL has cooking space for up to 12 chickens, if you're planning on feeding an entire football team.
To improve the cooking it has a new fully stainless steel interior to allow for hotter temperatures and a smart combustion system using a series of sensors in the grill to ensure an even heat. Even cleaning it is made simple, thanks to a grease and ash keg to quickly dispose of the excess after cooking.
ModiFIRE accessories allow you to customize the cooking style and the Pop-And-Lock rail allows you to set up the layout as you want it, with storage bins, veg trays, hooks and shelves. It really is more of a complete outdoor kitchen than just a grill.
The Timberline and Timberline XL are priced $3499 (£3699.99 / AU$4700) and $3799 (£3999.99 / AU$5100) respectively and will be available later this spring in the US. UK and Australian prices and availability are to be confirmed.
