Why do I grill thermometer reviews? Because a thermometer for your grill temperature and internal temperature in your meat can improve the quality of your cooking.
Besides that, it can prevent foodborne Illnesses by cooking to the right internal temperature.
The right digital meat or probe thermometer can improve your grilling
We all spend most of the time a lot of money on a nice grill, smoker, or BBQ and another big chunk of money on quality meat and then start cooking.
A quality grill thermometer is not an accessory it is almost a necessary
Grilling or smoking without knowing the right temperature is driving your car without a speedometer. You driving, but got no idea how fast.
Cooking without a thermometer is almost the same. You are cooking but got no idea how fast.
- higher temperature means a shorter cooking time or maybe even under-cooked food.
- A lower temperature means that you have to cook longer and the meat might dry out.
I know that many of the better brand grills come with some kind of built-in thermometer either in the hood or in some more upscale grills on the grate level.
Those thermometers are most of the time, not the best quality, and most of the time also not placed in the right place. So, I consider them not to be the best grill thermometer.
Some of the better brand pellet grills come with at least one and in some cases two probes that measure the temperature.
I will review the following digital thermometers and you can click on the links.
Digital Meat Thermometers
Digital probe thermometer reviews help you improve the quality of all the meat you grill or smoke by monitoring the right temperatures in your grill and in your meat.
I have looked at a few of the most sold brands and models here and tried to find the best digital probe thermometer and find out if they are worth the money spent on and do improve the quality of your grilling and smoking or cooking.
Read all my digital probe thermometer reviews
Inkbird IBT-26S
I have started on the Inkbird ibt-26s review and had some great experiences with it.
ThermoWorks ChefAlarm probe thermomter
Amazon Rating: 4.7
This ThermoWorks Chefalrm Probe thermometer comes in 9 colors to choose Black, White, Blue, Red, Green, Yellow, Orange, Pink, and Purple.
This means there is always one in the color you like.
The temperature range for the wire is up to 700 degrees. It can also be used as an instant-read thermometer because it reads in 4 seconds.
“This temperature sensor and timer is working really well. The temperature sensor and probe is very accurate for gilled meats. The timer seems to work well also. As an added bonus, the alarm comes with a semi-rigid case to store everything when not using it. I have gone through many temperature sensors and they all seemed to have issues. Either they were not accurate. the probe broke, the cord melted, etc. I have not had any of those issues with the ChefAlarm. This is a little on the expensive side, but it is well worth the extra cost….”
“My initial impression on its quality, very nice. Everything fits into its zipper style case that come with it so it can be tossed around and not damaged if your cooking at a camp site on a fire, where you have no idea what the meat temp. Is so this thing shines in that outdoor environment. But using it around the gas grill is just as nice, (for me) very easy to set up and use. Decent enough instructions provided. Haven’t used it on any large pieces of meat yet, but I can tell that it won’t be an issue with this ThermoWorks product. Sure there are cheaper ones on the market, but if you enjoy buying a quality product that is well made and will last, then that comes at a cost….(read more : here“)
ThermoWorks ChefAlarm – My Opinion
This ThermoWorks ChefAlarm probe thermometer has some really nice features.
The wire length of 45″ is something I really appreciate because the longer the wire to further it keeps your monitor away from the heat and in my opinion that is a big plus.
Another plus is that the probe reads almost at the tip and you can use it also for thinner cuts of meat this way, although it is advised to buy the optional thinner probe for this.
This product is engineered for users of all types of grills and smokers because it comes with a braided cable that can be fed under the hood of a grill without getting damaged.
The clip that comes with it makes it easy to measure the temperature at the grate level.
With an average of 4.7 out of over 200 ratings and 97% of the ratings are 5,4 or 3 stars this ThermoWorks Chefalarm probe thermometer can be called a good buy.
Not too cheap, but like anything else it is that you get what you pay for.
Some remarks about the connection between the wire and the probe not being too sturdy, but others mentioned that they are happy with the way it is constructed. This means in my opinion that it depends on how you use it.
It is splash-proof for use in the kitchen but I still suggest being very careful with water.
Maverick ET-732 Remote BBQ Smoker thermometer
Amazon Rating: 3.9
The Maverick ET-732 can monitor two temperatures at the same time. The temperature in the grill and the other is the internal temperature of the meat you are cooking.
Maverick is a very well-known and appreciated brand in the world of BBQ and smoking.
This product can be shipped internationally so makes a great present.
“This is the perfect compliment for my Smoker. The first time I did a pork shoulder I relied on the thermometer on the grill itself which as it turned out was very inaccurate. It took about 4 hours longer than I expected. Rookie mistake as that may have been I did feel I needed a better way to control and monitor the temperature. I read several reviews and there were some that were cheaper but I decided to go with this one. Good choice. The next shoulder came out perfect. Just the right amount of burnt ends and real juicy meat. Exactly the way I thought the first one should have gone. The only thing different from the first time was the thermometer. The remote is great. I have the receiver near me so I don’t have to run out and check anything and I can also see the progress of the meat’s internal temp. I had friends tell me to get a thermometer as I did. Since I have gotten this one they may also be hopping on board with it too as it works better than I thought. If you are thinking about it, just buy it you won’t be disappointed. You will just wonder why you waited so long to get it….”
“I got this at a great price here and it would still be worth paying regular price. I use this in my masterbuilt smoker, I have the oven probe set up to mainly keep an eye on preheat temps so I don’t have to run in and out to check, and the food probe and alarm is great as I can do other stuff and not worry about keeping an eye on the IT. If the remote is in my pocket and I’m at the far side of the house (~100ft away from the smoker though several walls) it will lose connection, but as long as its out on the table it never has problems. The food probe does measure 2* hotter in the boiling water test, the oven probe is spot on at 212*.
Setting temp alarms could be a bit easier to navigate, there is also no way to go in reverse to set temperatures, that is if you want to set a lower alarm temp you have to go all the way past 500* or whatever the upper alarm temp is to start back at 0. Once you get used to it its not so bad though. Overall I find this a necessary piece of BBQ equipment….
(read more opinions: here)
Maverick ET-732 – My Opinion
With an average of 3.9, I am trying to find out what the most critical remarks are for the product and this is what I found out for the Maverick ET-732.
The highest-rated complaint was the transmitter and receiver losing contact and this did not always depend on the distance, but even happened when sitting almost next to each other.
The second one is that the reading was not accurate, but I think we are getting obsessed with temperature lately.
Here are the numbers after reading over 1200 reviews.
About 930 give a very positive rating with 3,4 or 5 stars.
About 340 gave a critical rating that was lower.
Altogether I think this is a pretty good product that I can recommend.
The dual probe is the option I like most. It is so easy to keep your eyes on the temperature in the grill and the internal temperature of the meat at the same time.
The thing I think can be approved is the length of the cable between the probe and the transmitter.
Maverick ET-733 dual probe thermometer
Amazon Rating: 4.1
The big advantage of this Maverick is the fact that it has 2 probes to control your temperature in the cooker and in the meat.
The remote options make it possible to take the receiver with you inside and still be able to check on your grill. The transmitter has a range of 300 feet according to the manufacturer.
The alarm settings make it possible not to look at the receiver all the time, but just when the temperature is out of range.
“Great wireless meat thermometer! Makes grilling and smoking meats a breeze. I was concerned when reading reviews that it may be too complicated for a 65 year old to use…NOT! Finally, a thermometer that takes the guess work (and worry) out of cooking meats on the grill or smoker. I used it the first time cooking a Boston Butt in my Smoker, using one probe for the pork and one on the rack to make sure the temp was correct in the smoker for slow smoking. It worked perfectly, notifying me by alarm when the smoker was getting too warm or too cool. I love this thermometer!
One small complaint…would be nice to have longer wires on the probes so the transmitter could be positioned further away from the smoker (or grill) but that can be easily remedied by purchasing probes with six foot wiring rather than the three foot ones that came with the thermometer. Will be ordering those soon. Did I say I love this thermometer?!…”
“One of the things I love about low and slow cooking is that, once set up, it requires. Inimal attention. This thermometer makes it even more “hands off”. I can keep an eye on temps wherever I am and it’s a helluva lot more accurate than t smoker thermometer. The probes look like they will last at least a bit longer than my previous grill thermometer. Let’s hope so.
My only beef (heh) with this thing is the inuntuitive user interface. I initially struggled with getting it to do what I wanted and after having used it a few times, i STILL have to re-read the directions every time I use it. It’s also rather annoying to “pair” the two units. I usually end up having to turn them on and off a couple of times to get the sending unit to “talk” to the remote….(read more : here)”
Maverick ET-733 – My Opinion
This is a great product after you have figured out all the settings.
Read a few complaints that it is not easy to program and some people do not even use all the features.
If you like all kinds of features this is a great choice, but if all you want is a simple way to keep your eyes on the temperature in the grill and meat at the same time there are other ones with fewer options.
I think however that by buying this digital probe thermometer even if you do not use all options now you might like them in the future.
The length of the cable with its 3 feet is mentioned again as a con.
Don’t understand why the Maverick company does not listen to this complaint and makes the cable at least one foot longer.
There is however a longer 6-foot cable available and I read that this is also a little bit better quality than the original one that comes with the meter. But I have no proof of that statement.
There are not too many differences between the ET732 and the ET733 in my opinion.
The screen is bigger and there are more options on the menu to choose from.
With the temperature being updated every 2 to 3 seconds you can keep your eyes on your temperatures and know that they are accurate.
Tips from real digital probe thermometer users
Tips we found from real users
- Keep them dry
- Don’t submerge them in water.
- Remember that it is all electronics and easy to break
Where do we need a thermometer on the grill
When we are grilling or smoking there are two temperatures we should monitor.
- Temperature on the grate level
- Temperature internal in your meat
To check the internal temperature in your meat you can also use a digital pocket thermometer I reviewed.
To be honest, if I had to choose (and don’t we all?) I would go for the temperature on the grate level first and buy a quality thermometer for that. Some people are too obsessed with the temperature of their grill.
I probably have a lot of people who don’t agree with me and say that they are both equally important, and I guess they are right, but I am talking about making a choice.
I rather know what temperature I am cooking at and guess the time I have to cook than know the internal temperature and got no idea how the outside of my meat will look.
What are the best grill thermometers?
There are a few qualifications a thermometer should have.
- Accurate reading
This is of course one of the most important things. A bad reading is about just as bad as no reading at all.
- Speed of reading
This is important for any handheld thermometer because you open the lid of your grill to check the internal temperature and your grill will lose its temperature fast.
A reading speed of half a second is great.
With this reading speed, you have time to measure the temperature in several spots.
- Length of the used probe
Very important for larger cuts of meat like a Boston but or big ham.
- Water resistant and easy to clean
This is a no-brainer and I think it does not need any explanation.
What grill thermometer should I buy?
To be honest, if I had to choose (and don’t we all?) I would go for the temperature on the grate level first and buy a quality thermometer for that. Some people are too obsessed with the temperature of their grill.
The Best Choice would be a dual-probe digital thermometer or 2 separate thermometers.
One, like I mentioned 1″ above the grill grate and the other in the meat you are cooking to check the internal temperature.
After doing the grill thermometer reviews I advise you to have a look at the Maverick Thermometers here is a link to Amazon, because I think they have the best prices and customer service.
Click here for all Maverick Thermometers
How do you know if a thermometer is accurate?
What is a grill thermometer review without telling you how to calibrate it?
The easiest way to test this is to calibrate it in ice water and let it sit in there for a minute. After this, the reading should be 32 degrees or at least very close to that.
The next step is to take boiling water and submerged it for a minute again. The reading should be 212 degrees or at least very close.
I will be writing more grill thermometer reviews and be more specific about brands and features as soon as I am done with our research.
Eddie van Aken
Eddie van Aken brings years of experience from running a full-service restaurant, where he honed his skills with all types of kitchen equipment. His expertise extends to mastering the art of outdoor cooking, utilizing the right recipes to enhance flavors on grills and smokers. Eddie’s in-depth knowledge allows him to provide comprehensive grill reviews and valuable outdoor cooking tips, helping enthusiasts make the most of their grilling adventures. You can read more on theĀ About page for Eddie van Aken