For The Best Home-Cooked Barbecue, Buy A Smart Grill

Smart grills are a smart choice.

A couple years ago, I was telling a friend why I liked my Traeger Ironwood 650 so much. I mentioned the Super Smoke Mode which was new at the time, and the technology which allows you to control, and change the temperature using your smartphone—among other features.

My friend said to me with some distain, “that’s not food, that’s technology.” He was exactly right and that was my point. Grilling—like indoor cooking—has come a long way. When technology can be applied to help home cooks—and backyard cooks—be more successful, I am all for it.

After all, I have always advocated for flavor first, fire-building second. The most important end result is to have a delicious memorable dish or meal when the cooking time is up. To me, how I got there, or how you got there, is secondary.

I don’t believe that you have to suffer through multiple failures to serve a great meal. I believe that you should be able to serve a good meal the first time you use your grill, and if technology and evolved design can help insure that, I’m all in.

If that sounds good to you, you need to check out the new Traeger Timberline Grill Series. This year, Traeger has upped the ante with their premium line of pellet smokers which is as close to an outdoor kitchen as you can get in a portable grill. First, they are gorgeous!

The enclosed cart is substantial, functional and sleek. The patented P.A.L. or Pop-And-Lock rail system allows you to customize your cart with “pop-in and pop-out” accessories including a paper-towel or butcher-paper roll holder, baskets for spices and sauces, shelves, tool holders, and a magnetic bamboo cutting board among others.

The three things that have me the most excited about this new updated grill are the focus on consistent heat—the real secret to great outdoor cooking—the elimination/reduction of flare-ups and the new and improved grease removal system.

A “smart combustion system” uses a series of smart sensors and data to help control the heat and avoid flare-ups. As someone who has had a few big grill fires, this is especially interesting and I know that I am not alone.

To accomplish this, they went through every inch of their old grill and re-built it. This means that there are a lot of new and/or improved features including a more powerful WiFi antenna for easier connection to their WiFire technology from a smartphone among many more. [There are so many new features that it would be impossible to detail them all here, you can read more about it on their website.]

The new full-color screen display also performs grill maintenance checks which I think is brilliant and a long time coming. If our cars can tell us when it’s time to change the oil, why can’t our trusty backyard grills do something similar?

My favorite feature of the Traeger Ironwood and the Timberline is the Super Smoke Mode and Traeger was the first pellet grill manufacturer to introduce the technology. In the new line, the Super Smoke Mode has been improved with the addition of a FreeFlow™ Firepot that produces maximum smoke output when the Super Smoke Mode is engaged, and the ability to add an extra burst of smoke at higher cooking temperatures.

Traeger has marketed their pellet smokers as grills that can be used to cook anything—from hamburgers and hotdogs to veggies, steaks and pizzas to authentic smoked foods like pulled pork, brisket and ribs. In my experience, it does a masterful job with traditional smoked foods as well as fish and chicken but not so much with traditional grilled foods that require a high heat and less time. This is one of the areas of improvement that they worked on with the new release. The new grills have a full stainless-steel interior that helps regulate the cooking temperature and creates radiant heat which results in hotter temperatures at the cooking grate, resulting in better searing.

Anyone who cooks a lot will rejoice at the advanced ash and grease removal system that collects all the “drippings” eliminating the need for the large disposable grill liners, grease bucket and shop vac. The ash and the grease flows into a fully enclosed “keg” that collects it and is easy to remove. Because it is fully enclosed, it won’t tip over and make a mess and the ashes won’t blow away. Even better, it is protected from animals which you don’t even realize is an issue until you see your first raccoon or dog feasting at the drip pan.

Finally, and maybe the best new addition is the induction side-burner. This replaces the traditional gas burner. A gas side burner is difficult to keep lit in the outdoor wind, and it only keeps a consistent temperature when the weather is ideal. As a fan of portable induction burners, I’ve thought that this would be a great addition to my outdoor grill for years, and I am excited to see that Traeger has incorporated it in the new Timberline.

If you are looking for a next level pellet grill, the new Timberline series checks all the boxes and comes in two sizes. The Timberline with 880 sq. in. of cooking space and Timberline XL with 1,320 sq. in. of cooking space. The suggested retail $3499. and $3799, respectively. Both grills will be available online and through Traeger dealers.

You can read more about the pellet grill category here.