# Meater Block



## sdewitt (Feb 26, 2022)

Hi All,

Newbie griller/smoker in suburban Philly with an Oklahoma Joe Longhorne combo grill.
Recently got an Amazon Bluetooth 4 probed meat thermometer that had shaky wifi service in the back.

I’m told the Meater Block was the best thermometer, and offered the best bang for its buck. I was also debating the meat stick prior to ordering the Meater and was wondering if anyone had options/reviews of rhe 2 head to head.


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## bigfurmn (Feb 27, 2022)

Might want to take a look at Inkbird also. Site sponsor and great customer service. They have a rep that checks out the site on a regular basis. Usually they have a discount code you can use too.


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## schlotz (Feb 27, 2022)

There were mixed reviews on the Meater when it came on the scene, don't know if their problems got resolved with later versions.  

 bigfurmn
 suggestion of inkbird is a good one. Believe there are a number here that use them.  Personally, I use something similar from Thermoworks.


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## bigfurmn (Feb 27, 2022)

I also have some Thermoworks devices. They are excellent products. I’m just um… thrify (cheap) and like the value of 

 Inkbirdbbq
.


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## cmayna (Feb 27, 2022)

Thermoworks are my go to thermometers.   Very accurate and have large readouts.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 27, 2022)

The reviews for both of these wireless probes are mixed in that either they work great during the first few cooks then performance degrades or there are connection issues right from the start.
If you don't need  true wireless probes for something like a rotisserie set up, then I'd stick with a good quality wired set up as mentioned above.


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## bigfurmn (Feb 27, 2022)

Thermometers (opinions) are like a-holes. Everyone has one and most of them stink if you dont agree with them. . Find something that works for you thats in your budget and enjoy the cook!


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 27, 2022)

bigfurmn said:


> Thermometers (opinions) are like a-holes. Everyone has one and most of them stink if you dont agree with them. . Find something that works for you thats in your budget and enjoy the cook!



LOL!  YEP!

The funny thing is that I have actually been considering a Meater+ for the rotisserie ring on the kettle.  
Mrs. SHS, on the other hand, tells me to just use my cooking skills instead of spending $100 bucks on another thermometer. 
I think she's gonna win this one.


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## sdewitt (Feb 27, 2022)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> LOL!  YEP!
> 
> The funny thing is that I have actually been considering a Meater+ for the rotisserie ring on the kettle.
> Mrs. SHS, on the other hand, tells me to just use my cooking skills instead of spending $100 bucks on another thermometer.
> I think she's gonna win this one.


Ha! My old lady is a buzz-kill too.


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## SecondHandSmoker (Feb 27, 2022)

sdewitt said:


> Ha! My old lady is a buzz-kill too.



LOL!  I think they're just being logical and trying to get us to realize want versus need. 

Don't get me wrong about the Meater or the Meat Stick.  The concept is great, but longevity concerns me.


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## rc4u (Feb 28, 2022)

i bought mine a few yrs ago when i had to wait till produced. mine works great. the updates made program easier. i dont have cable internet i just use my phones wifi n hotspot.


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## gbobucsfan (Mar 4, 2022)

Bought the Meater Block a little over a year ago.  The external temperature is very slow to calculate and only 1 of the 4 probes reads external accurately.  Internal temp is pretty spot on and I've cooked some dang good meat.  Wifi lost connectivity about 8 months in and I haven't been able to use the App since then either.  I wouldn't buy again but on the other hand, a coworker has one and he swears by it.  
I believe they are being made by Traeger now, for better or worse.


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## Bigheaded (Jun 27, 2022)

I have a Meater Block question for anyone who owns one. If you buy the 2 probe block, you can buy 1 or 2 more. But Meater doesn't list them for sale on their website.  All they mention is the instructions that come with the block tell you how to order more, but they don't mention a price.  Does anyone know how much the extra probes are? I don't need 4 probes, 3 would be great but I'm wondering if adding 1 would wind up costing me basically as much as buying the 4 block.   If I could save $50 though 3 would be perfect.


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## sandyut (Jun 27, 2022)

I am very mixed on the Meater...  Got one as a gift - might have used it twice in as many years - only inside the oven.  The Oven temp part  is crap  its only accurate with the convection oven running.  On regular oven is off by a mile - cooled by the meat.  I would never buy one.

I think you can do much better with many other options.  Thermoworks, Inkbird, etc.


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## bill1 (Jul 1, 2022)

The original Meater had all the rf electronics in the probe.  (The wood block only charged the unit via replaceable battery power when you were storing it.)  So your phone or other Bluetooth receiver needed to be in range of the probe itself.  Unfortunately if your probe was in an all-metal grill/cooker (think Faraday cage) your usable distance was only a few feet.  I suppose you could try to use a separate commercial BT repeater to increase this but (based on Amazon reviews) I know of no one who tried.  

But the makers of Meater understood that this was a huge downside to their product and came out with the Meater+ or Meater Plus which included a BT repeater in the wood base.  They now advertise a 50m (165') range that is common for temperature probes with a base unit placed in the open air.  Reviews are all good now.  You can get both, the original Meater for $70 or the Plus for $100, but I'd sure not recommend getting anything except the Plus.  

Also, there are now a lot of Meater knockoffs in the $40-$70 price range.  Many advertise 165' range but reading the reviews, it's pretty clear they do NOT have a repeater so if you intend to use them in a metal cooker, you WILL be disappointed beyond a few feet.  The exception is MeatStick, whose literature clearly spells out which models do and don't have the repeater and gives realistic ranges for them under various environments, e.g. open-air grilling vs metal-smoker. I'm only guessing, but when Apption Labs (Meater's original maker) was bought by Traeger, there was probably an arrangement to continue a somewhat independent MeatStick line.  I'm also assuming that after all the original $40 knock-offs, Meater's makers (and certainly Traeger would have insisted on this) got the repeater feature under intellectual property protection, ie a defendable patent, so it will be a few more years before <$50 MeaterPlus knockoffs are a Thing.  

If I thought the $100 MeatstickX (X for extended) or MeaterPlus would truly last a decade under daily use, I'd probably find the money for one, but for now it's beyond my reach.  My $10 probes-wired-to-base station transmitter work fine for 95% of my cooks.  I do an occasional rotisserie cook but presently only my pellet grill can be easily used with rotisserie.  And there the free end of the rotisserie shaft butts up to my pellet hopper so there's no room to attach probe wires and base station on the shaft so it all can rotate with the meat.  So I'm stuck with analog thermometers and frequent opening of the lid when I'm getting close to desired internal temp.


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## JIMSMOKES (Jul 1, 2022)

I had grand illusions of the meater block with 4 probes. Glad I didn't spend cash on it and wish I'd spent gift cards else where. It temps still read ok on 3 none of the end/outside temps read true. Just hit a year ownership


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## sandyut (Jul 2, 2022)

JIMSMOKES said:


> end/outside temps read true


Same issue with me.  Very irritating


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## bill1 (Jul 9, 2022)

Amazon has the Meater Plus on sale for 20% off.  This is single probe/single block for $80.  

But it's the Plus, so it's the one (normally $100) with a Bluetooth repeater in the storage block so just keep the block close to your grill and your BT rcvr in phone/tablet will work at 10's of feet.


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