If you’re something like me, you’re most likely not accustomed to completely smoking practically 50 kilos of pork shoulder utilizing a smartphone whereas mendacity in your mattress. But there I used to be with the brand new Traeger Timberline, hitting the “super smoke” button and checking my temps at 6 am earlier than my morning espresso, making sufficient meat to feed 100 individuals at my city’s annual yard kegger.
I haven’t simply been cooking large quantities of pork on Traeger’s freshly redesigned premium smoker. In truth, this summer time, it’s turn into uncommon for me to prepare dinner something that isn’t in a roundabout way smoked. Chicken salad? Smoke that hen first. Steak? Smoke it earlier than you sear it on the built-in induction burner. A recent juicy melon? Throw it on the Traeger for 30 minutes for a superbly caramelized desert.
This sensible smoker and induction burner supplies the proper all-in-one outside kitchen. Minus a middling Wi-Fi connection (you’ll need to make sure that your yard has solid coverage), the brand new Timberline delivers every thing I’d need from a contemporary smoker and extra: You can bake, sauté, and smoke in a single unit that’s power- and fuel-efficient. After about two months, I’ve barely used a bag and a half of wooden pellets. The fly within the smoke-ringed ointment? It prices $3,500. That’s loads of money for any kitchen equipment.
A New Rig
The Timberline is available in a big orange field with clear directions for setup, however it’s your decision a companion that will help you transfer a few of the heavier bits. The coronary heart of the system is a large insulated smoke field with room for six pork shoulders, or concerning the equal racks of ribs or chickens (the corporate also sells an XL version with roughly a 3rd extra space for an extra $300). Inside the smoke field, there are three tiers you’ll be able to put every thing on, with a vent for the smoke reduce halfway alongside the bottom of the smoker in order that it circulates totally to the highest earlier than venting.
There’s a drip tray and ash/grease catch in an easy-to-detach compartment within the cupboard under the smoker, which additionally serves as a terrific place to retailer additional pellets and steel liners for the drip tray. You’ll get loads of use out of these steel drip liners earlier than it’s good to change one; the six pork shoulders solely stuffed one up about midway.
Besides the smoke field, on the suitable of the unit you’ll discover a field the place you’ll be able to fill your wooden pellets of selection (Traeger despatched me an assortment of their very own in-house pellets, however you should use different manufacturers). There’s even a plastic bin and particular entice door so you’ll be able to drop one sort of pellet out of the auger for storage and put one other sort in if you wish to smoke one thing with, say, hickory earlier than switching again to applewood.
The important management space for the Timberline is on the suitable facet of the unit by way of a really comfy push-button knob and a coloration LCD show. The greatest approach to make use of it although is to attach your telephone to the grill by way of the Traeger app. Once you could have it related to your Wi-Fi, you’ll be able to management each side of the machine (together with setting timers and temperature alerts) out of your smartphone. It’s fairly rattling nifty. You simply need to make sure that your router has sufficient vary as a result of I skilled a spotty connection on the Traeger from time to time.
The left facet of the Timberline homes an induction burner, which pairs completely with forged iron pans for searing gadgets you’ve simply cooked to perfection on the smoker, or for cooking companion dishes whilst you await one thing to complete smoking.
Accessory rails encompass the entrance and sides of the smoker and provide you with a spot to place issues like a paper towel holder, a pop-up holding tray, and hooks for grill tools. Traeger despatched me these equipment, that are good and all, however not crucial, particularly since they value loads. You’ll pay $120 for a front shelf, $60 for a bin to store utensils, and $120 for a stainless steel grill tray. Yikes. The one accent you want—a grill cowl—prices an astonishing $180. No, it’s not made from silk.
