Last year for Christmas I put something on my list that I didn't even think existed - a wireless thermometer with dual probes, one to display the temperature of meat and the other to display the temperature of the smoker. To take it a step further, I wanted it to have an alarm that alerted me not only when the smoker reached a certain temperature, but also if it dropped below a certain temperature. My awesome sister and brother in-law found the only one that exists that I am aware of, the Maverick RediChek Remote Wireless Smoker Thermometer, available for $40.77 on Amazon.
As you can see in the picture above, there are two probes. The shorter probe gets fixed in the metal bracket on the grill grate and provides you with the air temperature inside your smoker. The other probe gets inserted into the pork butt, beef brisket, turkey, or whatever cut of meat you are smoking. The device in the picture that displays 225 stays with the smoker and transmits both temperatures to the remote device that can receive the signal up to 100 feet away. The remote also allows you to set alarms for both the food and air temperature.
There are a couple of design flaws, in my opinion. The on/off switch on the Transmitter is located behind the battery door which means you have to take off the battery door to access it. It's quick and easy to do but still a poor design. You also have to turn on the remote before turning on the transmitter (or is it the other way around), otherwise it won't receive the signal. Setting the alarms is also annoying. The device only has one "adjust" button that scrolls up one degree at a time so if it's set to 180 degrees and you want to change it to 140 degrees you have to scroll past the max setting 370 degrees around to the minimum setting, and if you miss it or forget to push enter you have to go all the way around again. It's pretty annoying so if I can pay close attention to the remote I often will skip the alarms and monitor it manually. But it's really nice for those times when I'm doing a million other things getting ready for a party or even more often when I start the smoker and go back to bed.
Despite these design flaws it's a great addition to your arsenal if you are serious about smoking and BBQ but haven't invested in an expensive smoker that is easier to maintain the temperature. I use a Weber Kettle grill for my smoking and it's gotten much easier since I got the Maverick RediChek Remote Wireless Smoker Thermometer.
I have a major love/hate relationship with this thermometer. I love being able to read my chamber and meat temps in the house while smoking. But you nailed it with the design flaws. I hate turning the min unit on -- with that hidden switch. And at least half the time I forget which I have to turn on first to sync them up. still, I'm glad I have it as it really is helpful -- especially with a long smoke.
ReplyDeleteGreat post!