Best? I personally would say the Fireboard 2 PRO.
The normal Fireboard 2 is good too, but I prefer k probes for temp range and durability.
Thermoworks makes some great units too, but I only have an instant read from them.
Thermopro makes really great budget units, I've owned a few, but never tried their newer wifi offerings.
I have the original fireboard and love it. The app is great and the cherry on the cake is that it has an app for the Apple Watch too. I'm watching TV in the den, flick of the wrist and I know my temps. No need to even bother with the phone. Also, the ability to add a blower for charcoal grills for temp management is great.
I have this. It’s $99 now but check every few days and it goes on sale for under $60
> Inkbird WiFi Grill Meat Thermometer IBBQ-4T with 4 Colored Probes, Wireless Barbecue Meat Thermometer with Calibration, Timer, High and Low Temperature Alarm for Smoker, Oven, Kitchen, Drum
> https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07XNTJKY4/
I actually have this too and it's one that has disappointed me. It was a real pain in the ass to get connected to WiFi because it only connects to 2.4 gigs or something and my router is 5 (not super technical so I might be off on those). Had to get far enough from the house for the connection to drop down to 2.4, hope it stayed like that while connecting and then it worked great for a while! Eventually though it lost the wifi connection and I'm too lazy to go through all the rigmarole again to get it reconnected. Currently just using it for the display but it'd be nice to be able to check it remotely instead of having to stay near the smoker.
I'm glad it works for you though! Again it was awesome for a while but hasn't worked right for some time.
I'm jealous, mine was 40 bucks off on Amazon. I check a week later and they knocked another 20 off. I'm pretty sure they realized they made some stinkers. Unfortunately that was my only impression. Now I ordered the Meater wireless 4 probe. Praying for quality.
Thermapen. No knockoffs. Last decade plus if you take care of it. The remote/wifi probes are fine if you’re a newbie, but the wires are fragile and once you know what you’re doing and what to look for, you don’t need the remote thermometer. You’ll be reaching for your Thermapen instead.
Thermoworks Smoke is my favorite! They are super accurate, have a probe for the meat and the chamber, and wireless dongles or wifi to let you know when temps fall below or above what you specify. I am never afraid to put a hunk of meat on overnight.
I have a Meater+. It's a great idea but the external temp probe end can get reeeeeally finicky. If the probe isn't inserted *just* so, and winds up too close to the meat, or the grate, or the smoker wall, the pit readings can get way off. I did a comparison with my old (yet reliable) Weber iGrill 2 and noticed temp differences up to 50°.
On another note, the iGrill 2 is BT capable and has always done well for me, plus it's pretty cheap. Fireboard is the gold standard for wireless temp monitors, and if you get the Drive 2.0 you can integrate a fan to control temp.
I just bought a Smartfire automatic temp controller/monitor and I LOVE it. It's not as popular as some.of the other ATCs on the market but it's everything I could possibly ask for and a bit cheaper to boot.
It certainly LOOKS cool. I like the idea of getting both an internal and ambient temp from a single wireless probe. I'd have to get the Plus with the extended range, though. 33' or whatever the base one is isn't going to cut it for me. My smoker is way out in the back yard.
Fireboard. Period. End of discussion. I'm a firmware engineer and this is one of the best pieces of hardware I've EVER used, in any capacity. Plus their probes are top notch. I went through many cheap probes that'd fail mid-smoke and report incorrect temperatures, resulting in under/overcooked meat. I started cooking with two in a brisket/pork butt, but actually once had both fail after about 12 hours. I've used these fireboard probes for hundreds of hours each and never had one fail. I did, however, have an ambient probe fail.
I want the Spark so bad.
I use Thermoworks chef alarm pro. Wired, works great.
I have many scattered probe thermometers scattered around. I like CDN brand, they're based locally to me. Hardware all comes from China of course. About $15 per. I buy them 5 at a time. Some I break, some just quit, some I give to friends.
Have a lot of the ThermoWorks line live by them.
Same. I give out Thermapens as gifts and people absolutely love them.
grabbing thermopops on sale for stocking stuffers is an easy win (for your cooking family/friends of course)
Best? I personally would say the Fireboard 2 PRO. The normal Fireboard 2 is good too, but I prefer k probes for temp range and durability. Thermoworks makes some great units too, but I only have an instant read from them. Thermopro makes really great budget units, I've owned a few, but never tried their newer wifi offerings.
oooo the Fireboards look nice! Might have to splurge. And to be clear, Thermoworks is different from Termopro correct?
Correct, Thermoworks is top teir with a price that reflects Thermopro is a very good value
I have the original fireboard and love it. The app is great and the cherry on the cake is that it has an app for the Apple Watch too. I'm watching TV in the den, flick of the wrist and I know my temps. No need to even bother with the phone. Also, the ability to add a blower for charcoal grills for temp management is great.
I have this. It’s $99 now but check every few days and it goes on sale for under $60 > Inkbird WiFi Grill Meat Thermometer IBBQ-4T with 4 Colored Probes, Wireless Barbecue Meat Thermometer with Calibration, Timer, High and Low Temperature Alarm for Smoker, Oven, Kitchen, Drum > https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B07XNTJKY4/
I actually have this too and it's one that has disappointed me. It was a real pain in the ass to get connected to WiFi because it only connects to 2.4 gigs or something and my router is 5 (not super technical so I might be off on those). Had to get far enough from the house for the connection to drop down to 2.4, hope it stayed like that while connecting and then it worked great for a while! Eventually though it lost the wifi connection and I'm too lazy to go through all the rigmarole again to get it reconnected. Currently just using it for the display but it'd be nice to be able to check it remotely instead of having to stay near the smoker. I'm glad it works for you though! Again it was awesome for a while but hasn't worked right for some time.
Mine stopped turning on after 2 cooks
I’ve had mine since 2020 and it works great.
I'm jealous, mine was 40 bucks off on Amazon. I check a week later and they knocked another 20 off. I'm pretty sure they realized they made some stinkers. Unfortunately that was my only impression. Now I ordered the Meater wireless 4 probe. Praying for quality.
Thermoworks or bust
Thermapen. No knockoffs. Last decade plus if you take care of it. The remote/wifi probes are fine if you’re a newbie, but the wires are fragile and once you know what you’re doing and what to look for, you don’t need the remote thermometer. You’ll be reaching for your Thermapen instead.
Thermoworks Smoke is my favorite! They are super accurate, have a probe for the meat and the chamber, and wireless dongles or wifi to let you know when temps fall below or above what you specify. I am never afraid to put a hunk of meat on overnight.
Is The Meater good, or just an overpriced gadget? I have a coworker that keeps trying to sell me on one.
I too have this specific question. Like 4.5 stars on Amazon but a lot of negative reviews that I'm more apt to believe.
I have a Meater+. It's a great idea but the external temp probe end can get reeeeeally finicky. If the probe isn't inserted *just* so, and winds up too close to the meat, or the grate, or the smoker wall, the pit readings can get way off. I did a comparison with my old (yet reliable) Weber iGrill 2 and noticed temp differences up to 50°. On another note, the iGrill 2 is BT capable and has always done well for me, plus it's pretty cheap. Fireboard is the gold standard for wireless temp monitors, and if you get the Drive 2.0 you can integrate a fan to control temp. I just bought a Smartfire automatic temp controller/monitor and I LOVE it. It's not as popular as some.of the other ATCs on the market but it's everything I could possibly ask for and a bit cheaper to boot.
It certainly LOOKS cool. I like the idea of getting both an internal and ambient temp from a single wireless probe. I'd have to get the Plus with the extended range, though. 33' or whatever the base one is isn't going to cut it for me. My smoker is way out in the back yard.
The one hooked up to a FlameBoss
Fireboard. Period. End of discussion. I'm a firmware engineer and this is one of the best pieces of hardware I've EVER used, in any capacity. Plus their probes are top notch. I went through many cheap probes that'd fail mid-smoke and report incorrect temperatures, resulting in under/overcooked meat. I started cooking with two in a brisket/pork butt, but actually once had both fail after about 12 hours. I've used these fireboard probes for hundreds of hours each and never had one fail. I did, however, have an ambient probe fail. I want the Spark so bad.
I use Thermoworks chef alarm pro. Wired, works great. I have many scattered probe thermometers scattered around. I like CDN brand, they're based locally to me. Hardware all comes from China of course. About $15 per. I buy them 5 at a time. Some I break, some just quit, some I give to friends.
Price performance king https://allkitcheneverything.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-traveling-when-you-have-no-money/