The Good:

The design is slick and well thought out. The app for the Meater works well and the accuracy is spot on. A green light flashes on the base if the thermoprobe is within range and connected. It flashes red if not. The app will tell you as well if you are connected. The base station will give you considerable more range than advertised, but see the next section for the caveats. The app also has settings to change the different alerts. You can only choose from their list of sounds which is considerably less than the full array you have on the iPhone, but still, there are four alarms and maybe 12 or so sounds to choose from. No need for too many. The initial settings were just fine for me. They have just updated the app to add all sorts of carnivorous delights you can cook with the probe. From venison to kangaroo. This is a nice addition as I often go in for antelope and other less common meats.

The Bad:

The instructions leave a little to be desired, but it is not hard to figure out unless you are the easily frustrated type. There is a card in the box for support and the website has support as well. The Meater + comes with a bamboo magnetic base for charging and storage and in the back it has a repeater to get to the 165' range it touts. The base (and I assume the basic Meater) must be within 33' of the base for ovens and some types of grills. For smokers it is much closer. That number is in the fine print. In the case of the Orion Cooker I have, I can get the base station to recognize the thermoprobe about 12' away, through the smoker and the window to the breakfast nook. The base station has to stay there so it can connect to the probe. Once connected the app can pick up the base station, and thus the probe) all over my house and considerably farther away than 165'. But if someone moves the base it might disconnect and then you won't get updates or alarms and you might overcook your meat.

The Ugly

There isn't much wrong with this unit and I do recommend it to others. That said, it is a bit misleading (or just obtuse writing) which will lead you to believe that you can just plop the probe in some meat and your phone will pick it up all over the house. I read several reviews (and one YouTube video) that slammed the Meater for the short range despite the fact it is in the literature and on their site. It is probably not as prominent as it should be, but think about it, how can a little probe hold a battery, two thermoresitors, and an antennae and get 165' range? Not with today's tech I fear. Maybe when the Federation is founded. Either way, if they were a bit clearer about that for the Meater and instructions to first remove the probe before using the app. My guess is those who had issues already had the app open and so the probe paired with the phone and they didn't get the range they desired.

Some Pointers

If you turn on the app then remove the probe, the probe will connect to the app/phone and your range is now 33' (10' for a smoker). What is not said is that you have to fully exit and quit the app (swipe up on Apple), then remove the probe which causes it to pair with the base. Then open the app and your phone will pair with the base. Place the base where it is still flashing green when the probe is in the meat and the lid shut. Now you can use it all over the place. The app will show if it is connected properly and if it is not. I didn't notice where an alarm would sound if the base and probe stop syncing. If it doesn't have one that would be a nice addition. A nice loud one that vibrates as well.

Wish list

They make a basic Meater with four probes, which is a great idea if you are smoking different meats at the same time, or maybe just using the smoker, the grill, and the oven at the same time. I wish they had something like that for the Meater +. I assume it will come out at some point. Then again, I rarely would need more than one as I'm not running a restaurant. Also, I wish the magnets on the back were a bit stronger. For some reason my fridge it will slip down a few inches before attracting to some metal large enough for it to grab onto. Other kitchen items like the pot rack and microwave side have the same issues. I just think the weight of the base, battery, and probe are too much for the magnets to support.

Bottom line, great unit, does what it says (even if you didn't read all it says). Just remember to remove the probe from the base first before opening the app or your range will be that of the basic Meater.

I have owned The Meater for about 5 years. I like it simply because it works. The app is fairly easy and is accurate. The thermometer itself is easy to clean. It is a somewhat big which makes it durable, but a little trickier to use on smaller cuts of meat. When you wrap your meat in foil you have to be sure to let the Meater stick out to pickup a signal from the base. There were a couple of times over the years that the batteries ran low and the thermometer didn't charge. I had to replace the batteries and allow time for the thermometer to recharge. I would recommend The Meater.

this is the best meat probe and app ever. Works so much better than the others the case is magnetic and also a booster for the signal. It is very easy to use and understand with the timers on the app. It is waterproof and also versatile with a high temperature range so it can be used on almost everything but direct coals or flames.

This thing is GREAT once it’s set up. The app is outstanding, super helpful, love that it estimates cooking time and is really helpful with knowing whether your cooking equipment temps are accurate (via “ambient temperature” feature). The app has lots of great features and the device and charging dock design is sleek, compact, and very easy to use once it is set up….

I am not giving it 5 stars because: setup was dramatic (and I live with a computer engineer…who was also annoyed by it) AND why are we using a regular AA battery to “recharge” the device vs just making the charging dock USB-C or something. Also, there is no indicator on the charging dock or device that lets you know when it’s fully charged (or charging) - gotta have the app. I need to mess with the notifications and sounds more because the default is SUPER annoying (like literally every 30 seconds).

Make sure you open the package and charge it BEFORE you need to use it for the first time (not at the exact time your Christmas roast needs to go into the oven…).

I've been using this for quite a while now. A year or two. It is an essential part of my grilling and even chicken in the oven experience. No guess work, just great results! Quick setup and quick cleanup.

I’ve used this probe to cook a couple of briskets and it’s performed well. The battery holds up well even with cold e.g. 20°F temperatures. Being able to monitor the internal temperature remotely enables the ability to identify when the cooking has stalled, and it is time to wrap the meat. Your phone has to be on the same wireless network to be connected to the probe and for this reason may have limited range. It works in some rooms of my house and not others. The probe also seems to disconnect intermittently for reasons Ido not understand, but seems to reconnect fairly quickly so it hasn’t been an issue The app is very helpful. It it not only monitors internal meat and ambient smoker temperatures, it also graphs both of these out and predict how much time remaining to complete cook. The app records and saves each cook and you can add notes during each cook. It’s helpful to look back and to learn from prior experience.

I have purchased several meat thermometers. Meater is by far the best! I have had it a few years now, works perfectly every time...no more botched dinners , no more over or under cooking! App is super user friendly and walks you through cooking, complete with reminders so you never...ooops...get busy and forget and burn your meat!

Update (2/3/2020). I've had this for a while and still really like it. I had problems with not being able to charge it, but it was the back end of probe getting covered in "stuff". I used a sharpening stone and rubbed it a few times and it's back to new. I try to keep it flat on the stone so that it stays even. (btw, if you don't have a good real stone, you should get one. I'm using one that's been in the family for at least 50 years.)

old review stuff:

Just to give a little background. I barbecue at least once per week. I prep meals for my large family using both a offset smoker and a Weber Kettle Grill (22"). My primary cook is the Kettle. I will general cook tritip, chicken, or fish. I purchased the meater+ to replace my old dual probe Maverick (a great thermometer btw but hard to set up right).

The first thing I noticed is that the probe range is greatly reduced by placing it into the kettle. That bit of info is pretty clearly stated and is the reason I purchased the Meater+. The Meater+ charging block serves as a Bluetooth repeater. I placed the charging box (which has magnets) near my kettle and this greatly extended the range. For me, the charging block/repeater needed to be within 3-4 feet of the kettle to get a stable connection. To connect to the WiFi, you need a second device connected to your Meater probe. Once you do that, the range is basically unlimited. I hope this little chart makes sense.

Probe--3ft--> Block --10to20ft-->Device1-->WiFi-Internet-->Device2

The main limitation of the probe is its low temperature range. I think my Maverick goes up to 700F for both probes. The meater can only handle about 212F (boiling) for the internal probe. That's a little low. I think given time, I will screw up on a longer cook and end up exceeding that limit. The external temperature is a fairly respectable 527 F. However, this means you should not put it directly over charcoal. If you are going to seer your meat over a high flame, I would recommend that you stick the probe in after you do that.

Because all of the electronics are in the probe, the probe must be inserted 2.5" into the meat. For roasts, large pieces of fish (salmon fillets for example), or large chicken breasts, this is pretty easy to do. I would not recommend this for small stuff. This is the primary advantage of wired probes. As long as the tip of the probe is in the meat, it doens't really matter where the rest is.

There are very strong positive and negatives for this product.

Positive - Great software interface, convenient, works great within its limitations

Negative - Poor connection range, low internal temperature limit. Thermometer not suited for smaller pieces of meat (less than 5").

I use my BBQ on a daily basis and have tested a lot of BBQ thermometers, and NONE delivers the quality that Meater does or the ease of use in the app.

Is it expensive? Yes.

Is it worth the price? Without a doubt.

It's not the most intuitive thing to use. Just so you know, the base needs to be pretty close to the probe at all times and the phone needs to be connected to the base. My Meater is very prone to losing connection. It's mostly just annoying as the app saves all progress even after losing connection, so a quick reset fixes it.

But the recipes and the system it gives you to cook virtually any meat, be it turkey or chicken or any cut of steak / roast, is almost perfect. I've made multiple ribeye steaks, striploin, and yesterday did a full 4kg prime rib over 6 hours of cook time. I've never once before made perfect medium rare prime rib that's fully cooked throughout. Sure, I'm not professional chef, but it's nice not wasting $100 worth of meat and having a meal that everybody is raving about.

The recipes provided by Meater in the app are great with awesome videos and step by step instructions, as well as reasoning for each step. But you don't have to use it if you know the temps you need to reach and the proper techniques to cooking meat. I've used it to learn how to roast meat low and slow and the results are just divine every time.

The temps are completely accurate. The done-ness every time I've used it has always been perfect too, right down to the resting time. There's even graphs inside the app so you can track the oven air temperature (which fluctuates quite a lot surprisingly), and internal meat temperature. Estimated cooking times are the best too.

It's given me some really good insights on how much to adjust cook time for when you're opening the oven every 30 minutes to baste the meat. No more guessing, so it's always consistently perfect. No need to rely on any archaic methods like pushing in the meat or stabbing with a knife then using your gut feeling.

I really think if you spend a lot of time cooking expensive meats or roasting birds / meats for half a day, you need to get one of these.

The only downsides are this doesn't work on thin cuts of meat (the instructions say not to use this if the probe cannot be completely inside the meat) and the app has a lot of disconnects. But other than that it's a very solid recommendation!

Great thermometer and like the wireless function which is useful. Use this often for bbq and cooking meats and styles.

Les cuisiniers professionnels utilisent des sondes de température depuis de nombreuses années en tant que maître grill et partageant mes connaissances et mes recettes toute l’année au barbecue j’aime profiter de mes invités sans surveiller la cuisson grâce à cette sonde de température sans fil en Bluetooth et wifi et son application évolutive et intuitive sur votre smartphone et les conseils de cuisson sur l’application même un débutant maîtrisera à la perfection toutes les cuissons , pour mon déjeuner un filet-mignon de porc cuit à la perfection, vous régler facilement la température de fin de cuisson de votre viande , par rapport à la température interne de la viande et la température de votre barbecue un calcul est réalisé, l’application vous calcule le temps de cuisson et vous prévient avant la fin de cuisson, au moment où il faut retirer votre viande en tenant compte du temps de repos , vous pouvez également l’utiliser au four, et pour un poulet à la broche, pratique, pas de fil , c’est un incontournable d’une marque réputée

It works perfect, great range and its app gives all the details needed.