Practical experience with Meater+?

[Jim6820]

My son-in-law has an unused Meater+ unit that he has offered to let me try. I am planning a rotisserie cook of a 6# boneless leg of lamb for Easter and a wireless probe would sure be convenient. Does anyone have practical experience with this unit?

I do have my TW Thermapen One as a fall-back, but am wondering how the Meater+ would work surrounded by stainless steel inside a closed grill. Thoughts, anyone?

 

[AlphaPapa]

Mine works fine on my 590. I place the charging block out on top of the pellet hopper and it talks to the probes just fine.

 

[Greg Jones]

The Wyldside rotisserie is is why i own a MEATER + (past Christmas present from my wife). The new Combustion unit is a better wireless unit, but MEATER + is not a bad probe. The limitation is that, depending on where your grill is placed, you might need TWO remote electronic devices-one next to the grill (I used an old iPad) to communicate with the WiFi server and then your primary device (phone/tablet).

 

[Greg Jones]

Another limitation of both the MEATER + or the Combustion is they, in my experience, don’t have the battery life for longer cooks like pork butts or briskets.

 

[Jim6820]

Thanks, folks. My SIL just dropped off the Meater+, so I’ll have an opportunity to try if before next weekend. A free trial is a good thing, right?

Has anyone had an issue with the size of the probe? It is a lot thicker than the TW wired probes and looks like is will leave a substantial hole when removed.

 

[Greg Jones]

Has anyone had an issue with the size of the probe? It is a lot thicker than the TW wired probes and looks like is will leave a substantial hole when removed.

Yes, it’s ugly. My suggestion is that you insert the probe in the cross direction of the grain, so that when you slice the meat the probe hole will, at best, only appear in one slice of meat.

 

[llbts1]

I love my Meater. I use it a lot. No complaints on the 700 or on the Kamado Joe. Works great for rotisserie. I have never had an issue with battery life either. I ran it the other day with a pork shoulder for 18 hours.

 

[Greg Jones]

I love my Meater. I use it a lot. No complaints on the 700 or on the Kamado Joe. Works great for rotisserie. I have never had an issue with battery life either. I ran it the other day with a pork shoulder for 18 hours.

You might want to post the graph of the cook from the MEATER app, because that hasn’t been my experience.

 

[Mike]

Thanks, folks. My SIL just dropped off the Meater+, so I’ll have an opportunity to try if before next weekend. A free trial is a good thing, right?

Has anyone had an issue with the size of the probe? It is a lot thicker than the TW wired probes and looks like is will leave a substantial hole when removed.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Meater+ once you've had a few cooks under your belt with it.

Battery life was my first concern and @Greg Jones mentioned the same thought.

 

[Greg Jones]

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Meater+ once you've had a few cooks under your belt with it.

Battery life was my first concern and @Greg Jones mentioned the same thought.

I just checked the MEATER site and they claim 24-48 hours battery life. I probably should contact them about a possible warranty issue with mine.

 

[BNeal]

I don't have any direct experience with the probe and a rotisserie, but the directions warn against using the probe over and open flame. From the owners manual:
DO NOT use the probe when cooking at temperatures above 527°F / 275°C, or when cooking directly above hot coals or flame.
This may not apply to your cook, but thought I'd toss it out there nonetheless...

Let us know how it goes.

 

[Threadcutter]

I like mine for the most part.The one aspect that I don't care for is that you can't USB charge it and have to use a battery in the base unit.

My base unit sits on the Bull's shelf. No issues with comms to the probe inside the barrel. The cooking time estimator is handy too.

 

[Greg Jones]

The cooking time estimator is handy too…

That/s actually my biggest complaint about the MEATER, more so than the battery life (of my unit) or the size of the probe hole. It isn’t remotely accurate for long cooks, and why would one need an estimator for shorter cooks like a chicken?

 

[Threadcutter]

That/s actually my biggest complaint about the MEATER, more so than the battery life (of my unit) or the size of the probe hole. It isn’t remotely accurate for long cooks, and why would one need an estimator for shorter cooks like a chicken?

Hmmm, haven't had that problem. I can tell you that it doesn't start registering for quite some time at the beginning of a cook. I chock that up to it needing to see some temperature change/rate of change before it can start calculating. I think that makes sense.

No, on short cooks it stays in the cradle and I just use one of the Thermoworks Signals probes.

 

[Greg Jones]

Hmmm, haven't had that problem. I can tell you that it doesn't start registering for quite some time at the beginning of a cook. I chock that up to it needing to see some temperature change/rate of change before it can start calculating. I think that makes sense.

Well, what I have found is that fairly early into the cook (say a pork butt) it starts making predictions. Two hours in, the IT has risen 30-40 degrees and MEATER thinks the cook will be done in 3-4 hours. But in 3-4 hours, it’s just hitting the stall-which completely fools the prediction algorithm. Now it tells me the cook will be done 3-4 days! Then the cook eventually moves past the stall, and I get a time prediction that is not at all helpful, because we are now far enough into the cook that experience tells me when to expect it to be probe tender. The Combustion probe supposedly has multiple sensors to overcome that limitation. I used them in a 14# brisket recently and the cook took 22 hours! Sadly, the battery on the Combustion expired before it could predict when it might be done.

 

[Threadcutter]

Well, what I have found is that fairly early into the cook (say a pork butt) it starts making predictions. Two hours in, the IT has risen 30-40 degrees and MEATER thinks the cook will be done in 3-4 hours. But in 3-4 hours, it’s just hitting the stall-which completely fools the prediction algorithm. Now it tells me the cook will be done 3-4 days! Then the cook eventually moves past the stall, and I get a time prediction that is not at all helpful, because we are now far enough into the cook that experience tells me when to expect it to be probe tender. The Combustion probe supposedly has multiple sensors to overcome that limitation. I used them in a 14# brisket recently and the cook took 22 hours! Sadly, the battery on the Combustion expired before it could predict when it might be done.

I think you may have a bum unit. I haven't seen any of those issues that you describe. Call 'em, see if they'll replace it.

 

[kstone113]

Well, what I have found is that fairly early into the cook (say a pork butt) it starts making predictions. Two hours in, the IT has risen 30-40 degrees and MEATER thinks the cook will be done in 3-4 hours. But in 3-4 hours, it’s just hitting the stall-which completely fools the prediction algorithm. Now it tells me the cook will be done 3-4 days! Then the cook eventually moves past the stall, and I get a time prediction that is not at all helpful, because we are now far enough into the cook that experience tells me when to expect it to be probe tender. The Combustion probe supposedly has multiple sensors to overcome that limitation. I used them in a 14# brisket recently and the cook took 22 hours! Sadly, the battery on the Combustion expired before it could predict when it might be done.

Hey Greg, how is the prediction with the combustion probe? And overall thoughts of using it...

 

[kwalker201]

I used the MEATER plus for the first time Sunday. I did a spatchcock chicken and placed it in the breast and set the temp and watched it cook. I did the iPad option and my phone so I could run errands and watch it. PERFECT. When it was done I checked the temp with my thermapen ONE and it was the exact temp. I could not have been more pleased with how that worked for my first time using the MEATER plus

 

[Greg Jones]

I used the MEATER plus for the first time Sunday. I did a spatchcock chicken and placed it in the breast and set the temp and watched it cook. I did the iPad option and my phone so I could run errands and watch it. PERFECT. When it was done I checked the temp with my thermapen ONE and it was the exact temp. I could not have been more pleased with how that worked for my first time using the MEATER plus

My experience with the MEATER with chicken is exactly the same as yours. When used with a second device to connect with the internet (MEATER probe>iPad near the grill.>WiiFi>MEATER server>phone), it is outstanding With short-term cooks like a chicken, it works as advertised. Really works well with rotisserie chicken on the Wyldside, which is why my wife bought me a MEATER as a gift in the first place.But if you need long range connectivity without a second mobile device, or in my case, the predictive functions on long cooks leves much to be desired, the MEATER falls short.

However, when using thermometers in a pellet grill like the recteq (assuming the recteq servers are working), the tailed thermometers from recteq (Yoder, ThermoWorks, others), are still the best, and less fussy, choice today.

 

[Greg Jones]

Hey Greg, how is the prediction with the combustion probe? And overall thoughts of using it...

I pre-ordered the Combustion early on because I’m a fan of its creator, Chris Young. I have his Joule sous-vide device, love the work he did with with authoring Modernist Cuisine, I’m a member of ChefSteps which he co-founded. and I think the Combustion unit has a LOT of potential! I’m also beta testing the Combustion app, and since I don’t recall there being a NDA to prevent me from talking about it, I’ll add that at last count I’m one of 12 people testing it.

The Combustion is not fully not prime time yet, but it’s getting there. Prediction time is very good, and gets better all the time. I’m struggling with battery life on really long cooks, but updates have improved that as well. Since getting mine (two probes), I can’t remember the last time I used the MEATER. Fingers crossed that the Combustion probes eventually integrate with the software of the Breville Joule countertop oven/air fryer.