The Meater Plus is a new line of wireless grill thermometers and the future of cooking. BBQ meat smoking and grilling often require paying close attention to the meat’s internal temperature. When smoking meat, it is extremely helpful to monitor the progress of the internal temperature as it rises and, better yet, set alerts for certain temperature points during the cook.
While many thermometers can do this, not many can do it without using any cables or wireless at all.
Now, I want to clarify that the term “wireless meat thermometer” is often used by brands to also describe Bluetooth and other thermometers that “wirelessly” transmit temperature data to your phone or another device, but the temperature probe still uses a wire to transmit the data to a receiver.
The Meater + is truly wireless
The Meater Plus is a truly wireless device, meaning that it doesn’t have any wires and also transmits temperature data wirelessly. The thermometer probe houses all the components, including a rechargeable battery, and on the other end, there is a smart app on your mobile phone that gathers all the data and handles many features, including alerts.
Companies like Meater have managed to take the good old probe we are all familiar with and design it to fit all the components needed to read temperature and transmit data wirelessly.
Let me introduce you to the Meater Plus
The Meater Plus is the successor to the original Meater. I will get more into the differences between these two thermometers, but I want to introduce you to the newest model, the Meater Plus.
You have likely heard some chatter about these new types of wireless food thermometers, and they are pretty revolutionary. So, of course, we had to get our hands on one.
The Meater Plus is a stainless steel probe a little over five inches long with a ceramic head. The probe houses temperature reading complements, and the head houses electronics like the Bluetooth transmitter.
The Meater Plus probe has two sensors in one single device: the stainless steel probe measures food temperature while another sensor in the probe’s head measures the ambient temperature, that of the grill cooking chamber or smoker. A wood pellet grill normally displays the cooking chamber’s temperature, but with the meater plus, you can have an extra eye inside the grill or for
For those with grills that do not display internal or cooking temperatures, the Meater can deliver that information.
The meat thermometer looks more like a writing pen, and its wooden base doubles as a wireless transmitter and charging base. The base is made out of real wood, which adds a touch of elegance and a high-end look to this device.
Meater + Specifications and Performance
The Mater uses Bluetooth LE technology, which stands for Low Energy and allows the Meater Plus to reach a maximum range of 165 feet, which is 5 feet more than the width of a football field ( not the length). There are other wireless thermometers out there with a longer range, including the MeatStick, Meater’s closest competitor.
The sensor and probes can read temperatures up to 212 degrees Fahrenheit, and the ambient temperature sensor can read and withstand temperatures up to 572 degrees Fahrenheit. It is important to keep these temperature limits in mind because exceeding them will damage the probe. in part because some of the components inside these probes will simply “cook” above these tensiles. Remember, there is a rechargeable battery inside these probes.
All the information gathered by the Meater Plus is translated into numbers and very informative graphs by software, which are all colorfully displayed on your phone via the mobile app. The Meater App is another noteworthy feature of this product. I have tested many thermometers and probes, and the app is often their pitfall.
The product can be amazing, accurate, and of good quality, but if the app is not user-friendly, reliable, and easy to configure, it will deter many users, and often those brands end up inadvertently getting bad reviews online.
I have to say the Meter app is crisp, responsive, and very colorful; everything is color-coded, which helps direct your eyes to the information you are looking for quickly.
The app is also very easy to use. Everything from cook time to remaining times can be easily seen in the app.
The app also tells you the battery status and how much power the Plus has left. The battery in these probes will last 24 hours. That is plenty of battery to monitor brisket and plenty for monitoring a steak.
This wireless meat probe has a range of 165 feet, and Meater has cloud service that allows you to connect to your home WiFi and access the Meater from the mobile app anywhere your phone has Internet.
The base of the Meater doubles as a charging station, and one AAA battery can charge the Meater about 100 times.
Warranty
Mater offers a one-year warranty on these probes, and quite frankly, I wish the warranty was longer. As these devices are susceptible to failure as they are exposed to fire and heat, one thing that is very important is that the Meater manual suggests that the Meater be used on indirect fire and not over hot coals or fire.
This could be to protect the thermometer from direct fire, extreme heat, and flare-ups, but it would be nice if they were a bit more upfront about it. I can see many people just throwing the probe into a cut steak and going for a hot sear.
This is not recommended by Meater. [1]
Meater instructions are to reverse sear the steak first; once the desired doneness level and temperature are reached, remove the probe and then sear the steak.
It is very important that customers are aware of these, because by simply reading Meater’s website, you might believe that because the probe can withstand temperatures of over 200 degrees and the head over 500 degrees, direct coal cooking is feasible, but you could actually damage the device.
Also important is the fact that the Meater Plus is water resistant, not waterproof. Meater states that the probe should not be submerged in water for prolonged periods of time.
The Meater Plus wireless meat thermometer Review: in detail
Ok, now that you are familiar with the Meater Plus, what it does, and all its features. Let’s go over our review of the Meater and what makes it a Plus!
We received the Meater Plus with much anticipation and excitement. Our first impressions were how cool the thing looks and how light it is. Pictures don’t do it justice. The wooden base looks very elegant, and I can see many just leaving their Meater right on top of the modern kitchen counter or fancy kitchen tops.
Setting up the Meater Plus is easy. Simply install a AAA battery in the charger, insert the probe in the base, and it will passively charge. This was confusing to me because when I tested the MeatStick, you actually had to press the power button to start charging the probe, and the LED blinked to let you know it was charging.
Read more: The MeatStick Full Review
That’s not the case with the Meater. It charges passively, and you have to trust that the battery in the probe is charged. The Meater charging block/extender LED does show different colors to let you know the state of charge of the AAA battery.
During our tests, we noticed we needed to charge the Meater for about 2 hours.
Another thing that is worth mentioning is that the Meater Plus cannot be fully submerged in water or other liquids for long periods of time, which is something its bigger competitor, the Meatstick, can do.
To pair the Meater, simply download the Meater app, hold the black button on the base, and Bluetooth connect the Meater to your phone.
Using the Meater
To use and set up the Meater Plus for cooking, it’s easy: simply start the app, insert the Meater into the meat, and set the cooking session. Setting the cook is simple: select the type of protein and alerts and start your cook.
There are a few things you should know about using the Meater. First, the probe has to be inserted all the way, or at least to the set safety “notch” on the probe ( you will see a line on the probe ), or you risk damaging the probe. In a way, the meat around the probe protects it from overheating and damaging the internal components, including the battery.
In fact, I took a look at the Meater manual, and it states to not use the Mater over direct heat or over charcoal, and if an overheating alert goes off, use eye protection to remove the Meater from the grill.
It is also important that the Meater thermometer stay inside the meat while the meat is being removed from the grill.
So why do I bring this up? Because Meater states that their probe can withstand temperatures of 572 degrees and the probe is 272 degrees, yet their manual seems to contradict this a bit by stating to only grill in indirect heat. To me, it seems like Meater is really trying to play it safe, but just keep that in mind.
Nevertheless, using the Meater is very easy and does the job. During our tests, we found no issues using the Meater and the temperature readings were accurate. We smoked a pork butt and a brisket and never had issues using this probe or monitoring temperature. Overall, the test went well, and this probe did its job as intended.
This brand has become so popular that Traeger has picked it up and integrated it with their newest pellet grill.
Related more: Traeger Timberline XL Pellet grill review
The Meater App
The Meater app is another area where this product shines. The mobile application is intuitive and easy to use. To setup the probe, simply follow the steps in the app, and in a matter of minutes, your Meater will be ready for use.
One thing that is important when setting up your Meater probe is to ensure you choose the right product. The app supports all three Meater models, including the Meater, the Meater Plus, and the Meater Block. The app will ask which smart meat thermometer you want to configure.
One very nice thing about the app is that it has a “Getting Started List,” which takes you step by step through the process of getting your phone ready to connect to Meater and vice versa. This is a very useful feature, and it is something that I think Meater did right.
What we like
- Smart, easy to use.
- Good support from Meater. Email, phone and a helpful knowledge base page.
- Easy to clean.
- No wires anywhere.
- Long Battery life.
What could be improved
- It isn’t waterproof so it cannot be used in certain cooking appliances.
- Would be nice to see a blinking led or something showing when the battery is charging
The Meater Block
One cool bundle is the Meater Block. Basically, it is a set with multiple probes, and the charging block has a built-in temperature display. This is great for those who want multiple probes to monitor multiple meats or simply want extra probes.
The “Block” also acts as a WiFi bridge capable of connecting to your home WiFi for world-wide access to your Meater probes information.
Is it worth the Price
In my opinion, the Meater brand has created a small device that is easy to use, the app interface is friendly, and it works well. This is a device that can be very helpful for some, especially those who are starting to grill and cook and want a watchful eye keeping food temperature in check.
Compared to a simple instant-read thermometer, the Meater can be a bit pricey, but it offers a lot of convenience, and the cooking alerts are very helpful.
I think that for some, the price of 99 dollars might seem like a lot to spend on a temperature probe, but you are paying for convenience and technology. The Meater Plus performs as intended, although I feel one must be careful or run the risk of damaging this gadget.
Also, more traditional wireless meat thermometers with a cable attached to the probe can withstand higher temperatures.
The Meater plus vs the Meater
As you have likely noticed, Meater has two probe models. The Meater and the Meater Plus The difference between these two thermometers is their wireless range.
The “original” Meater has a Bluetooth range of 33 feet. This is because it doesn’t use a repeater, and also because things like your grill’s wall reduce range.
The Meater Plus, on the other hand, has a range of 165 feet because it connects to the block, which acts as a repeater, and the block connects to the app on your phone.
Also, the Meater Plus works with Alexa. If you purchase the Meater block, it connects to your home WiFi and uses the cloud to give you access to the probe information and temperatures from anywhere in the world as long as your phone and the block have Internet access.
Why is the Meater smart meat thermometer the new way of cooking?
Meater automates cooking and gives people a lot of information right at their fingertips. These levels of automation can be very helpful and convenient. The old probes with wires are still effective and work well, but as we move more towards a connected world, these newer wireless thermometers are taking the lead.
Also, those metal wires can get in the way, are harder to clean, and make it hard to move food around after you set up the cook.
Conclusion
The Meater Plus is an amazing wireless meat thermometer. I truly enjoyed using this probe and found myself sometimes playing more with the app than checking the grill, but I think that’s the point of this gadget. It gives you a bit of freedom when cooking on your grill or smoker.
I think many will enjoy the Meater Plus and all its features. It is a replacement for a good ol’ instant read thermometer? No, it is not. Is it a replacement for traditional probes with wires, even the Bluetooth ones? Oh yes!
Using an instant read is still the fastest way to walk up to something cooking and check its temperature, but the Meater products are not that far behind and give you much more features and convenience.
References:
https://support.meater.com/overcooking-help
