The Meater line of wireless meat thermometers are some of the coolest cooking thermometers we've ever had a chance to look at.
With a super sleek form factor, high-end packaging, and completely wireless operation, the Meater Plus represents a sea change in thermometer design/functionality. Combine all of this with a well-designed smartphone application, and you've got the recipe for a game-changer of a thermometer.
Thanks to features like the Meater Link, and Meater Cloud, this thermometer makes it simple to monitor your cook from anywhere and with no wires involved at all. Overall, this thermometer has to be seen to be believed, so we've taken the liberty of testing and evaluating all of this thermometer's features for you below!
Meater Plus Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer
What we liked:
- Easy to use Smart Phone App
- Completely Wireless Operation
- Great battery life
- Dual sensors allow you to monitor internal temperature and ambient temperature.
What needs improvement:
- Maximum internal temperature only reaches 212°f
- Charging time can be long
- Range only 165 ft
Look and Feel.
When we unpacked the Meater Plus, it became clear to the entire SMS staff that this wasn't your run-of-the-mill meat thermometer probe.
The box containing the Meater Plus was non-descript with relatively little branding or marketing material. Inside the plain brown box, we found the small, bamboo protective case that stores the Meater Plus when not in use.
Charging Base.
The bamboo storage container is about the size of small remote control. The thermometer is housed vertically in the bamboo storage case with the top of the probe at the bottom and the probe itself secured in a metal clip that also charges the thermometer.
To the left of the thermometer probe is a power/connection button along with a single LED light bulb. On the back of the thermometer case, we found the battery compartment, which houses the single aaa battery used to power/charge the Meater Plus.
The battery compartment is easy to remove with your fingernail and is secured using a novel magnetic backing that keeps the back in place without screws or clips.
In addition to the magnetic battery lid, the Meater Plus charging base has two convenient magnets that can attach the base to any magnetic surface. This is great for storing your thermometer in your kitchen on the refrigerator or in a cabinet, but make sure not to clip the charging base to your smoker or an oven as the wood will burn when exposed to high temperatures.
Probe Design.
The probe itself is 133 mm long, which is a little less than 5.25". With a shape reminiscent of a silver golf tee, the probe tapers in towards the tip, and the end of the probe fans out at the top.
The wider top is a result of the ambient temperature sensor that allows the meater to simultaneously track the internal meat temperature and the temperature of your oven or smoker.
At 6mm in width, the Meater Plus Probe is certainly thick than many instant-read or in-oven meat thermometer probes you may have seen. Considering just how much tech is packed into this relatively small package, it's understandable that the probe would be a bit thicker.
Compared to other completely wireless meat thermometers, we've seen the Meater Plus probe was comparatively skinny.
Using the Meater Plus Wireless Meat Thermometer.
We take thermometer testing pretty seriously here at SMS. Every single model we take is put through its paces in real-life cooking situations to fully understand what it's like to use a particular model in the real world.
To test out the functionality and capabilities of the meater plus, we used it to help keep track of a smoked Picanha recipe we were developing.
Picanha or Culotte is a part of beef hindquarter called the sirloin cap. Situated between the loin and the round, the Picanha has a fantastic flavor. You can prepare it in many different ways, but we wanted to see if it could work as a "mini brisket."
With a nice thick fat cap and a really attractive size, only 5-6 lbs, our hope was a brisket style Culotte would equal a perfect, super quick, miniature brisket.
Smoking Meat with the Meater Plus.
To begin, we lit our barrel smoker, then rubbed down the Picahna with a mustard slather and a classic Texas Salt and Pepper rub.
Once the smoker was up to temp, we dropped the picanha into the cooking chamber.
With the picanha safely on its way to barbecue perfection, it was time to dive into the thermometer set up.
Setting up the Meater Plus.
Before you can use the meater plus you need to charge it for 6 hours. To begin charging the thermometer, simply remove the plastic pull tab from the battery compartment and allow the thermometer to charge.
Once fully charged, the led light on the front of the thermometer charging base will turn green, and you are ready to go!
With a full charge in the Meater Plus and our culotte in the smoker, it was time to connect to the Meater app and start tracking our barbecue.
Connecting to the Meater App.
Connecting to the Meater Smart Phone App is relatively seamless. Built to work in iOS and Android devices, the Meater app is available in both app stores.
To connect the Meater Plus, make sure your phone's Bluetooth connection is turned on and open the Meater application.
Next, remove the meater plus from the charging base/repeater and press the button on the front of the base. The app will recognize any meater devices in the vicinity and give you the option to pair and set up the thermometer.
For a step-by-step guide, head over to the meater blog and check out the detailed description of the pairing process for yourself!
Using the Meater App to Monitor Internal Meat Temperature.
Once the Meater Plus was fully connected to our Meater app, it was time to take some temperatures.
We opened the pit door and inserted the meater plus to the safety notch on the side of the probe. This ensures enough of the Meater probe is inserted into the protein or product to protect the probe from the high heat temperatures of the smoker chamber.
With the probe inserted correctly into the heart of our Culotte, we closed the lid to the smoker and started to track the smartphone app for updates.
Tracking the progress of our Culotte on the Meater app was incredibly easy. The application is well made and easy to use, which is definitely appreciated because not all thermometer manufacturers put the same time into the design of their app that Meater has.
The temperature read-out provides dual readings, both for the internal temperature of your product as well as the ambient temperature of your cooking chamber.
Using the custom preset function, you can set temperature alarms or ranges. The guided cook system can provide estimated cooking time and projected finishing times thanks to the advanced estimator algorithm.
We all know how frustrating it can be to try to perfectly time your barbecue to match up with a meal or event; thanks to this app, you'll always be able to give a relatively accurate estimate when you get the question, "How long till the barbecue is ready?"
Bluetooth/Wifi Range
The Bluetooth range listed for the Meater Plus is 165ft, and in all of our tests, we found that to be right on the money. We were able to receive readings from almost anywhere in the backyard during our tests, and indeed, as long as we were within the line of sight of the smoker itself.
Our resident pitmaster could get additional readings from inside their home and up to the second floor.
You can extend your range is to turn on the "Meater Link" function within the Meater app. This allows you to connect the thermometer to your local wifi network via the Bluetooth repeater. Using this method, you can monitor your cook from a second smart device running the Meater App.
Furthermore, thanks to the Meater Cloud, you can monitor your cook from almost anywhere. Simply leave your meater connected to a smart device in your home or cooking space, and then use a second smart device to monitor your cook's progress from anywhere you want to be!
Is the Meater Plus Wireless Smart Meat Thermometer right for you?
While the Meater Plus represents a giant step forward in wireless meat thermometer technology, it's clear after testing that this thermometer is not for everyone.
If you're looking for a single probe solution that's completely wireless to help track your cooking process, then the Meater plus makes a great option.
With an ambient air temperature sensor that keeps track of your cooking temp and up to the minute updates on the internal temperature of your protein, the Meater plus makes cooking meat a breeze and helps get you perfect and consistent results.
If you're looking for a reliable and consistent wireless meat thermometer setup, the Meater plus does a great job. Still, if you're looking to track the progress of multiple proteins or want to cook your meat to a higher temperature than 212°f, you might be out of luck.
With the repeater function, the Meater Plus makes it easy to link multiple thermometers to the same base, but it might not be the most economical choice given the price tag.
The Meater Plus makes a great wireless meat thermometer option for anyone who loves to smoke meats or grill out and wants to keep an eye on their cooking process without a ton of wires or setup. There is definitely room for improvement in this thermometer. Still, with a great wireless range, excellent battery life, and quick charging, the Meater Plus truly represents a step forward in wireless meat thermometer technology.
Purchases the Meater plus due to extended range. Used twice and will not stay connected past 50 feet. 100 dollars wasted. I'll stick to my cheap thermometer that have never failed me