There's not a lot that can make your barbecue experience better than a well-made instant-read thermometer. Beyond the basics, like a good smoker, wood, and meat to cook, a high-quality thermometer is the easiest way to improve the quality of your "q".
The IHT-1P is one of the most recent thermometer releases by Inkbird and it's definitely meant to go up against offerings by Thermapen and Thermopro. Inkbird has been making high-quality temperature sensors, thermometers, and thermo-controllers for a very long time and they definitely know their business.
The IHT-1P was really fun to use, and overall, it does a great job as a go-to instant-read barbecue thermometer. Though there are a few downfalls to the battery design, if you like a rechargeable thermometer the 1HT-1p is a great choice.
Inkbird IHT-1p Digital Pen Thermometer
The Inkbirt IHT-1P is a well-made folding instant-read meat thermometer. With a large temperature range, quick reading time, and auto-rotating display, the 1HT-1P does a great job of quickly taking temperatures of whatever you happen to be cooking.
What We Liked:
- quick and accurate readings
- strong backlight
- auto-off to save battery
- screen auto-rotates when flipped
- waterproof
What We Didn't Like:
- Non-removable battery
Look and Feel:
The Inkbird IHT-1P has a very similar design to most instant-read thermometers these days. With a folding probe and a large digital display in the center of a bright orange face, the IHT-1p looks a lot like very familiar.
With a 250 mah rechargeable battery there is no removable battery section and as a result, the IHT-1p feels really sturdy. The tight, solid construction has the added benefit of allowing this thermometer to be almost entirely waterproof. While I don't recommend going swimming with the thing, it should hold up to a splash here and there.
The back of the thermometer is completely flat without any buttons. The internal magnet is hidden inside the body of the thermometer and you can attach it to your refrigerator securely or any magnetic surface like a cabinet or microwave. I don't recommend attaching it to the side of your smoker, because the surface may get too hot for the plastic case to handle, while the probe is built for high heat situations the case is not.
The display is large and centered in the middle of the thermometer body and automatically activates when the probe is opened. There is only one button that acts as a hold feature as well as the temperature format selector allowing you to switch between centigrade and Fahrenheit. With no power button, the thermometer automatically turns off when closed, which is great because you can't swap out the battery if you run out of power.
The display itself is large and bright, with a strong orange backlight that's perfect for low light or taking readings in the dark, which with barbecue isn't an uncommon occurrence.
Features:
- 3-5s readings
- 250mAH rechargeable lithium battery
- -58℉ ~ 572℉ temp range
- Hold/Calibration function
- Auto rotating screen
- Waterproof
- Magnetic Backing
Using the IHT-1p
Over the course of an afternoon spent smoking a pork shoulder, I broke out the IHT-1p kitchen meat thermometer to use in addition to my regular in pit thermometer set up.
I like to run two thermometer probes when smoking, 1 to measure the pit temp and 1 to keep track of the meat itself, but I've found over the years that an instant-read thermometer can help dial in my barbecue process to a much finer degree.
Keeping the pit closed as much as possible during a cook helps build a better barbecue. The ability to monitor pit and protein temps without opening the pit is an awesome starting point, but it only gives you a piece of the picture. Using an instant-read thermometer allows me to check different parts of the protein quickly, this allows me to see how different parts of the meat are cooking and helps me make better decisions about mopping, spraying, or rotating.
I used the IHT-1p as my go-to instant-read meat thermometer over the course of the 8-hour cook and I really got to see how it operated.
Out of the package, the thermometer was fully charged, but I decided to top it off and plugged it in using the included USB charging cable and a charging block I had lying around while the pit got up to temperature.
Once, the thermometer was fully charged and the pit was ready I loaded in my pork butt and got down to some yard work while my smoker did its thing.
I try to open the pit once an hour or so, to check the progress of my proteins. During the cook, I used the IHT-1p when the pit was open to take quick readings from different parts of my pork shoulder to track the cooking progress and decide when to flip or rotate.
The hold button on the back of the left side of the thermometer sounds an alarm when the temperature stabilizes. As long as the button is depressed the final stable temp reading will remain displayed when you remove the thermometer from the product.
This is super convenient because I was able to take readings quickly, without having to peer too closely into the smokey pit. Quicker readings mean I keep the pit open for less time, resulting in shorter temperature deviations which can slow down the cooking process.
One really nice feature is the auto-rotating display. Sometimes, especially with larger proteins like pork shoulder or brisket you need to insert the thermometer at odd angles to get the reading your looking for. The IHT-1P automatically rotates to keep the display facing towards the user, which is great for lefties or for taking readings at odd angles.
The long folding probe was more than large enough to reach the center of the pork shoulder and the readings I took were really snappy. I timed a few different readings over the course of the cook and overall it took an average of 5.5s for final readings to stabilize. While 5.5s is on the upper end of the 3-5s reading range advertised by Inkbird, the initial readings were incredibly close to the final temperature number, it just took a few seconds to dial in on the final number and the variance was rarely more than a degree.
With a huge temperature range from -58°f to ~570°f, the IHT-1p is great for a lot more than bbq. Barbecue proteins rarely exceed 210°f, but if you are interested in homebrewing, or like candy making or deep-frying at home, the IHT-1p will work perfectly in those tasks as well. Just make sure to clean the probe thoroughly between projects to prevent flavors from cross-contaminating.
Should you buy the Inkbird IHT-1P?
Check Latest Inkbird IHT-1P Price
The Inkbird-1htp thermometer is a really well-made instant-read thermometer. Though I don't love the fact that you cant remove the battery to replace it down the line, the tradeoff for waterproof construction isn't that bad of a deal.
Overall, this thermometer charges quickly looks good, and takes really fast readings. While there are better thermometers on the market, at this price point, the IHT-1p is a really good value. If you're in the market for a new instant-read thermometer and you're looking for one from a brand. you can trust, the Inkbird IHT-1p should definitely be on your list.
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