Meater Pro thoughts


 

ChrisGariepy

TVWBB Fan
My adult son bought me a Meater Pro for my bday, looks much better than my “wired” old Weber igrill thermometer

Going to try it soon, anyone have one?? Like it?

Thoughts are appreciated
 
I have a meater plus I use for rotisserie cooks. The meater pro is supposed to have better transmission range.

I'm not in love with it, compared to my wired thermoworks devices, but it is nice for spinning food and I'll use it in longer cooks so I can graph the temps.

I had some frustration with the connection being dropped and to handle this I use an android tablet paired with the meater plus block, and that is paired with the meater probe. I can have the tablet plugged in to wall power and set to never sleep, and the table it about 10 feet away from the meater plus block so range is not an issue. The tablet is linked to the meater cloud, and if I want to see data on my phone I'll link my phone to the cloud. That allows me to move well out of range but still see the temps and all on my phone.

I already mentioned I have a Plus, not a Por, but on the plus the ambient temp is slow to report but I've learned to work around it. Also, the meat probe is slow and often reads lower than an instant read so I factor that in as well.

My .02 of advice is learn how yours reads and factor that into your cook.

Good luck !
 
Thanks, I’ve liked my wired igrill one and will give this a try. If I don’t like it I can always upgrade. Sounds like one w Wi-Fi is best
 
The channel "Smoke trails BBQ" did a comparison about the different bluetooth/wireless thermometer sticks, and also a short discussion about wired alternatives.

In terms of actual cooking application I find the simple wired thermometers with a normal base station convenient. It is the setup I am used to, and works for me. YMMV if you have different cookers. You may have insulation issues if you use a wired thermometer in your kitchen oven for example.

Personally, a thermometer stick would have niche applications. Rotiserie is one, but also sous vide temperature control would be another. I almost bought a stick just for the christmas cook this year, where I may cook an expensive meat sous vide.

In terms of temperature accuracy, the thermometer stick ambient sensor has quirks which you should be aware of. Depending on the brand, you have to put the stick all the way in the meat, where the ambient sensor is just above the surface. During your cook, your meat "sweats" water, and cools the air around the meat and the sensor. So it will read lower than the "true" ambient temperature. Also the ambient sensor has shielding around it, which makes it slower to respond than a wired probe.

I would not call it a drawback, because measuring the true ambient temperature becomes a maddening task. Wired thermometer for example over-estimate the temperature, because the ambient heat also affects the signal in the wire. The ambient temperature of a thermometer stick is still useful, its all in how you interpret its result.
 
I have had the pro for 3 years and it works great !!
I just have to take the battery out of the charger and put them back in the day before a cook.
 
Bought my 3rd during the Black Friday sales. I have not experienced the same issues that others have shared. Use it primarily for reverse sear, and its ability to endure temps over 900 F allows great control over the entire cook. I do not really use it to monitor ambient temp but when I have it seems close enough
 
You can look on reddits bbq area and there is no love for the Meater probes. Lots of issues with accuracy. I love my ThermoWorks smoke with WiFi. Really great to watch trends.
 
My wife bought me one 3 years ago, neat concept but I never used it. All the connectivity stuff is a PITA to me, I use my cheap DOT and check things once in awhile. I have it here somewhere if someone wants it.
 
I have had a + for about 3 years now and use it for all types of cooks e.g. rotisserie, domestic oven, direct etc. I would agree that the ambient temp can be a bit lower than the actual, again, as already mentioned - due to it's proximity to the protein it is stuck in

I do have to admit though, it has never let me down through it's own fault. The one time I did is because I didn't chen the battery required too charge it and it ran out halfway through the cook. Christmas dinner has been a lot more stress free using it.

Conversely, it is my Thermapen 1 that I struggle with. I have to open and close the probe 4or 5 times just to get it to come on and some of the temps it reports are a bit out there.
 
Conversely, it is my Thermapen 1 that I struggle with. I have to open and close the probe 4or 5 times just to get it to come on and some of the temps it reports are a bit out there.
I've often wondered about the durability of the rotary joint/connections of the Thermapen and similar designs, so much so that I purchased a Thermoworks Dash instead. The Dash is not as quick to get a reading, but it has no rotary joint. I figured there either had to be rotary contacts (subject to contamination/wear/corrosion) or wires that wind/unwind (and eventually break). What you describe in regards to the Thermapen seems to confirm my concerns.
 
I did this on my Thermapen Classic that I've had for years. I also have a thermapen one and have had zero issues with it.

 
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I've often wondered about the durability of the rotary joint/connections of the Thermapen and similar designs, so much so that I purchased a Thermoworks Dash instead. The Dash is not as quick to get a reading, but it has no rotary joint. I figured there either had to be rotary contacts (subject to contamination/wear/corrosion) or wires that wind/unwind (and eventually break). What you describe in regards to the Thermapen seems to confirm my concerns.
<shrug> I rocked an original ThermaPen for over 15 years, and a failing display (I suspect due to water,) is what got me to buy a ThermaPen one. I have never been disappointed with anything I've bought from Thermoworks.
 
I did this on my Thermapen Classic that I've had for years. I also have a thermapen one and have had zero issues with it.

I think I would be inclined to call ThermoWorks first. I have found that their customer service is both responsive and helpful. They have a record of your purchase(s) and your brand loyalty is recognized.
 
I think I would be inclined to call ThermoWorks first. I have found that their customer service is both responsive and helpful. They have a record of your purchase(s) and your brand loyalty is recognized.

Thermapen One has a 5 year warranty. My classic superfast had a 2 year warranty and I think I bought it in 2017. I bought a Thermapen One and then I repaired my classic. Now I have two that work great.

@PDay if your thermapen One is less than 5 years old. I'd contact TW support.
 
I've got a meater + I never use. It was ok, though. I'm betting the pro is a much better product. Reviews that I've seen look good. I got an RFX for Christmas and I bought an additional probe. The Thermoworks app needs a serious overhaul, though. The app on the Meater is much better from what I remember. Like other have said, don't put too much trust in the ambient probe. It is a good indicator of what's going on, though. Thermoworks just went with a wired ambient probe due to the challenges of getting a wireless ambient probe to work. Maybe someday, they'll figure something out. I've had all kind of probes. I've had two different Mavericks, then I got the IGrill, then the Smoke, then Signals, then the Meater+, then the RFX. The only one I feel was total junk was the Igrill. I got rid of the Mavericks and the Igrill. The Smoke is pretty much bullet proof. I used the RFX for an overnight pork butt cook recently, and put the smoke in for a back up ambient probe because I trust it so much.
 
I’ve used it 2x and it has worked great so far. It tells u food temp, smoker temp and estimated time left to cook. I always like fun things to try so I will continue to mess around w new things, I won’t be afraid to try another one
 

 

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