As Advertised (almost) Warning Long Post

[ARCEE]

Yesterday I did my own personnel proof of function test on my new (almost a month now) TXL.

Trager advertises 16 racks of ribs capacity. I could only fit 14 racks of Smithfield St Louis trimmed ribs into the machine. 6 racks on the bottom (3x2) and 4 racks each on the secondary shelves (2x2). If I had been doing "Baby Backs", I might have gotten 16 racks. This is the "almost" portion of the test.

I have been cooking Memphis Style Dry Ribs for about 50 years now. I really do feel that I know and understand the ribs. I use a dry rub, no mustard, no wrapping, and run these at 275 degrees with a planned cook time of 5 - 6 hours from on to off the grill. As a side note, plan on 7+ hours for full spares, and 3-4 hour for baby backs (my experience only).

I have been having questions about the true temperature management of the TXL. By this I mean what are the actual grate temps inside the box regardless of what the Traeger Thermal Probe display is showing on its Temperature Display leds. I have done several tests using the ThermoWorks Signal setup which gives the temps, graphs each probe, and tracks averages. This is still a work in progress because I need to understand what I see. I have set up 4 probes and have gotten different results from an empty grill and a loaded grill. I get different results depending on where I am placing the probes and different results depending on the TYPE of probe I am using. Let's let this question ride.

Yesterday, I did a cook to see how my TXL would cook a full load of ribs (14 racks). Sometimes the best test for me is the final "does it do the work" and does it behave as I expect. I let it come up to 275 on the Traeger LED and then racked the ribs. I used NO probes of any kind. I closed the top and walked away for 5 hours. My TXL passed with flying colors.

At 5 hours, 3 of the smaller racks tested ready and I pulled them. (Ready testing is done with a bamboo skewer as a probe, a twist test looking a flexibility, and a bend test checking the same thing.) Bone pull back and dark color do not mean the ribs are done to me.. I closed the lid after probing all 14 racks and left 12 on the grates.

A side note is that the new XL "Open Lid Management" software really works. Instead of going into Turbo Mode or Fire Out protocols, the XL seemed to wait after the lid was closed and let the box and meat mass raise the temperatures. It then gently and efficiently brought the box back to 275 with an overrun to 281 before drifting back to my set temp.

I returned to the box every 15 minutes to recheck and pull racks as they finished. The last rib racks came off at 6 hour and 15 minutes. These were the biggest of the racks and needed the extra time. The XL performed as historically projected. It cooks ribs perfectly with some special notes deserved.

1. The color and smoke were very good (excellent color).
2. The moisture content of the "dry" ribs was excellent (maybe the best I have ever seen).
3. The grate placement and rib load had the top ribs basting the lower racks.
4. The cook time was absolutely what I expected with a 275 degree rib cook. This timing has been proven using Big Green eggs with computers, Timberline 850, Timberline 1300, and a Traeger 75 Texas model back when (replaced the controller with a PID from BlazinGrills). The 75 was a dead on cooker.

Lastly I have to mention the grease management. It was flawless.

I know this is long, but, I have a lot to say when I spend this much money on a Traeger smoker. I have a lot more testing to do before I proclaim this the best of the litter. I used my 1300 as back up for the other 4 racks of ribs that wouldn't fit on the XL. It performed as expected. All good.

 

[Slimpicker]

At 5 hours, 3 of the smaller racks tested ready and I pulled them. (Ready testing is done with a bamboo skewer as a probe, a twist test looking a flexibility, and a bend test checking the same thing.) Bone pull back and dark color do not mean the ribs are done to me..

Explain your "done testing" a little more. Since you don't use a therm.

 

[ARCEE]

I drive my son nuts because I refuse to use temperature for ribs. I am 72 years old and it has taken years to get to where I am "one with the ribs" for dry memphis.

Ribs pull back and ribs brown, but they are like all high collagen meats. You want the fat to finish converting to collagen. The completion of this conversion is shown for ribs in a very specific set of findings (subjective, but not too much so.)

The number one test after you see pull back and you see moisture glistening on the rib racks is what I call the poke test (you stick the ribs between the bones). The next time you cook ribs try this for yourself. I use a bamboo skewer like you find in the grocery store for this, but, I started with a simple tooth pick. Take the rack you want to test and slowly push the tooth pick completely through the meat between two of the rib bones. If you feel any resistance, the rack is not done. If it goes through the rib smoothly with no resistance, it is ready but will have a bite characteristic to the meat. If the push goes through like you have pushed into a tub of butter at room temperature, the ribs are fall off the bone tender (literally). I like the smooth no drag feel that leaves the meat on the bones with a small bite.

The second test is the twist. It is a verification. With a pair of tongs, grab one end of the rack and give it a gentle twist (like winding a rubber band). A fall off the bone rib will tear at the twist. A done rib will twist but not tear (unless you keep at it and hold down the other end.) If the whole rack turns as a single unit, it is not ready.

The bend test can be done at any point on the rack. Simply grab the rack with a pair of tongs and lift the rack of ribs. If it tears at the bend, it is fall off the bone. It should bend kind of limply? (very flexible) but not tear for a rib with a bite on it. If the rack lifts as a unit without flexing, it is not done.

A rack of ribs can go from failing the poke test to passing in a span of minutes at 275 degrees. I believe it is caused by the Colligan conversion occurring all at once in a thin piece of meat like a rib.

The next time you cook ribs, bring out a tooth pick or skewer and a pair of tongs. After they brown and begin their pull back, open the lid and run the 3 tests. It only takes a minute or two to test two or three racks. This will establish your "not ready" base line for these subjective tests. After that, test them about every 15 minutes or so until you suddenly find the change point. It is dramatic and it is real. Once you see it, you will never question your ribs doneness again. (my opinion).

Old Guy personal timing historical findings at 275 degrees for Memphis Dry ribs. Baby Backs 3 hours. St Louis trimmed spare ribs 5 - 6 hours. Full Spare Ribs 7 hours plus.

I hope this proves to be of some value. It is my finding and technique based on cooking ribs for 50+ years.

 

[rarnold5000]

Yesterday I did my own personnel proof of function test on my new (almost a month now) TXL.

Trager advertises 16 racks of ribs capacity. I could only fit 14 racks of Smithfield St Louis trimmed ribs into the machine. 6 racks on the bottom (3x2) and 4 racks each on the secondary shelves (2x2). If I had been doing "Baby Backs", I might have gotten 16 racks. This is the "almost" portion of the test.

I have been cooking Memphis Style Dry Ribs for about 50 years now. I really do feel that I know and understand the ribs. I use a dry rub, no mustard, no wrapping, and run these at 275 degrees with a planned cook time of 5 - 6 hours from on to off the grill. As a side note, plan on 7+ hours for full spares, and 3-4 hour for baby backs (my experience only).

I have been having questions about the true temperature management of the TXL. By this I mean what are the actual grate temps inside the box regardless of what the Traeger Thermal Probe display is showing on its Temperature Display leds. I have done several tests using the ThermoWorks Signal setup which gives the temps, graphs each probe, and tracks averages. This is still a work in progress because I need to understand what I see. I have set up 4 probes and have gotten different results from an empty grill and a loaded grill. I get different results depending on where I am placing the probes and different results depending on the TYPE of probe I am using. Let's let this question ride.

Yesterday, I did a cook to see how my TXL would cook a full load of ribs (14 racks). Sometimes the best test for me is the final "does it do the work" and does it behave as I expect. I let it come up to 275 on the Traeger LED and then racked the ribs. I used NO probes of any kind. I closed the top and walked away for 5 hours. My TXL passed with flying colors.

At 5 hours, 3 of the smaller racks tested ready and I pulled them. (Ready testing is done with a bamboo skewer as a probe, a twist test looking a flexibility, and a bend test checking the same thing.) Bone pull back and dark color do not mean the ribs are done to me.. I closed the lid after probing all 14 racks and left 12 on the grates.

A side note is that the new XL "Open Lid Management" software really works. Instead of going into Turbo Mode or Fire Out protocols, the XL seemed to wait after the lid was closed and let the box and meat mass raise the temperatures. It then gently and efficiently brought the box back to 275 with an overrun to 281 before drifting back to my set temp.

I returned to the box every 15 minutes to recheck and pull racks as they finished. The last rib racks came off at 6 hour and 15 minutes. These were the biggest of the racks and needed the extra time. The XL performed as historically projected. It cooks ribs perfectly with some special notes deserved.

1. The color and smoke were very good (excellent color).
2. The moisture content of the "dry" ribs was excellent (maybe the best I have ever seen).
3. The grate placement and rib load had the top ribs basting the lower racks.
4. The cook time was absolutely what I expected with a 275 degree rib cook. This timing has been proven using Big Green eggs with computers, Timberline 850, Timberline 1300, and a Traeger 75 Texas model back when (replaced the controller with a PID from BlazinGrills). The 75 was a dead on cooker.

Lastly I have to mention the grease management. It was flawless.

I know this is long, but, I have a lot to say when I spend this much money on a Traeger smoker. I have a lot more testing to do before I proclaim this the best of the litter. I used my 1300 as back up for the other 4 racks of ribs that wouldn't fit on the XL. It performed as expected. All good.

Archee,
Thank you for the post! I just assembled my Timberline XL yesterday and haven’t given it a test run yet. I am glad to know you are proving it out.
Question for you, I always put tin foil over my drip pan in my Texas Elite, did you do anything for the drip pan on the XL? I don’t see any drip pan tray liners for the XL. I am worried about it getting destroyed quickly. I want to preserve it as long as possible and lining it with tin foil made clean up a breeze.

 

[Sdsmith1989]

Traeger is not making a liner for the drip pan on the new Timberlines. I was worried about that at first, but now I realize that it really is not needed because it is stainless steel. I just get a scraper and push everything down the chute. I have used the Traeger cleaner after a chicken wing cook, and it loosens up and cleans up really well.

 

[DKrics]

Arcee,
I really appreciate your attention to details and sharing of your empirical data.
I want to know where you read about the open lid management software. Is this something published? I want to better understand the algorithm as to how the TXL decides when and how to heat up. My experience has been very slow heating times to reach higher Temps like 350 or 400 and higher, and inconsistent rates of temperature rise. I have yet to use this to cook slow and low.
If you know more about the so called brains of the TXL I'd be very interested in learning.