The 7 Best Wireless Grill Thermometers for 2023, According to a Pitmaster
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For versatility and value, go with the ThermoPro TP20B, our top pick.
Food & Wine / Alli Waataja
When I first started cooking, one of my daily tasks was cooking eight to 10 beef roasts for prime rib service each night. Get it wrong, and you’ll pay dearly for your mistake for at least a week. But the only monitoring tool at my disposal was an ancient, hazed-over, out-of-calibration meat thermometer probably designed using a slide rule. It taught me several lessons, like how to not lose track of time, how to read a temperature through a haze of baked-on grease, and how to add seven degrees to the displayed temperature on the fly.
Thermometer technology has changed just slightly since the 1980s, moving on from the original probe or instant-read designs. The newest digital wireless offerings can help anyone get their cooking right with threshold settings, timers, and other alerts. With many wireless thermometers on the market today, it takes someone familiar with the subject to know what sets the best models apart. According to Carey Bringle, owner and pitmaster of Peg Leg Porker Brands in Nashville, it’s “braided metal cables on the probes, a clip for the ambient probe, and definitely WiFi connectivity.”
On this list, you’ll find thermometers that meet these criteria as well as other user needs, such as reliability and efficiency. Read on to learn what makes the ThermoPro TP20B the best overall option, plus our picks for the best long-range wireless grill thermometer, best infrared, best waterproof, and more.
ThermoPro TP20B Wireless Meat Thermometer
Best Overall
Pros: It has a great range of 500 feet, and it’s extremely easy to set up, use, and clean.
Cons: There’s no app connectivity, and the wires tangle easily.
Our top pick isn’t necessarily the thermometer with the most connectivity, app features, or probes, and it isn’t even genuinely wireless. We judged it on what it delivers for the price, and the TP20B does bring quite a bit to the table at an approachable price point. It has two probes, so one can monitor two pieces of food, or you can put one in the food and use the other to measure ambient temperature. Instead of Bluetooth or wireless connectivity, the probes connect to a transmitter, which links to a receiver with a range of 500 feet. The large, backlit controls are easy to read, and the unit comes pre-programmed with USDA-recommended temperatures for various types of meat that you can customize to your liking. It’s reliable, steady, easy to use, and won’t break the bank.
Price at time of publish: $61
Number of Probes: 2
Accuracy: +/- 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 716 degrees Fahrenheit
Wireless Range: 500 feet
NutriChef Smart Wireless Grill Thermometer
Best Value
Pros: It’s compact, affordable, and has a reasonable connection range.
Cons: The color-coded identification beads slide around, and some find the notification sounds to be a bit much.
The NutriChef is compact, has a reasonable range, and costs about $20. It’s not going to win any awards for its complexity and richness of features, but it is a reliable thermometer for grilling or baking at a price that few would argue with. The unit’s size adds difficulty to reading the display, but the Bluetooth app eliminates that problem. With two probes, you can monitor multiple food items or use one to monitor the ambient temperature of your grill or oven. Each probe has a color-coated bead at each end of the wire to keep track of which probe is monitoring what, and the app has customizable presets for target temperatures.
Price at time of publish: $20
Number of Probes: 2
Accuracy: +/- 2 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 482 degrees Fahrenheit
Wireless Range: 328 feet outside, 100 feet inside
MEATER Block
Best Splurge
Pros: It’s stylish and provides tremendous versatility in monitoring your cook.
Cons: It’s a pretty hefty price tag for a set of thermometers, and the probe size can present challenges in thinner pieces of food.
If you’re going to treat yourself, the MEATER Block combines tech with aesthetics. The bamboo block is a stylish kitchen addition and the basis for the system to operate, functioning as a controller, charger, wireless bridge, and Bluetooth connection. The block holds four probes, each with dual sensors, one for the food and the other for ambient temperature. Each probe has its own channel in the app, allowing for individual control and monitoring for different ingredients or different temperatures of doneness. As the probes have unique connectivity, no wires are involved, making this set an excellent option for rotisserie cooking. For wireless range, the Block supports 165 feet in wireless mode and 10 feet in standalone mode. The app can be set up for alerts and gives you greater control over your recipes.
Price at time of publish: $350
Number of Probes: 4
Accuracy: +/- 1 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 212 degrees Fahrenheit probe, 527 degrees Fahrenheit ambient
Wireless Range: 165 feet
Inkbird IRF-4S Remote Wireless Thermometer
Best Waterproof
Pros: It’s rechargeable with long battery life, and the display is easy to read, even in extremely bright or low-light conditions.
Cons: Both the wires and the case are a bit fragile for the price.
The Inkbird is a four-probe system that’s not afraid of being caught in the rain. Each probe wire has a braided sheath for extra protection, which link to the transmitting unit and, in turn, the wireless remote. There’s no Bluetooth or WiFi necessary; instead, it uses RF technology for communication. The backlit display allows you to easily read the temperatures, even in direct sunlight or low-light conditions. The unit comes with customizable presets that store changes when powering off. For those who like to do something besides stay near the grill when cooking, the Inkbird has a range of 1500 feet, allowing you to move around without losing connection with the probes.
Price at time of publish: $76
Number of Probes: 4
Accuracy: +/- 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 250 degrees Fahrenheit continuous, 482 degrees Fahrenheit short term
Wireless Range: 1,500 feet
Thermoworks Signals BBQ Alarm Thermometer
Best with Multiple Probes
Pros: It works in stand-alone mode or with an app that allows you to view your cooking history.
Cons: It’s expensive and somewhat complicated to set up.
ThermoWorks makes practical, reliable tools for people who depend on them. The same company that produces the popular Thermapen ONE probe thermometers brings this four-probe wireless system to the party. One probe is dedicated to monitoring ambient temperature, while the other three can monitor individual temperatures of food items or something as complex as monitoring a whole hog barbecue. With Bluetooth, WiFi, and cloud technology, the app stores your cooking data so you can review everything from minimum and maximum temperatures to the cooking alerts you’ve set. For cooking without WiFi or Bluetooth, the unit is also fully functional as a stand-alone device.
Price at time of publish: $191
Number of Probes: 4
Accuracy: +/- 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 572 degrees Fahrenheit
Wireless Range: 95 feet
ThermoPro TP30 Digital Infrared Thermometer Gun
Best Infrared
Pros: It’s very user-friendly with an easy-to-read display.
Cons: Some reports show it doesn’t operate well at ambient temperatures below freezing, and the housing is brittle.
The TP30 is a different animal than the others reviewed here in that it measures the surface temperature of an object or substance using an infrared laser. This reading can be particularly useful in testing hot liquids, fryer oil, the temperature of your grill grates, and even whether a pan is hot before you pick it up. The TP30 has a fast response time, approximately 500 ms, and an accuracy of 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit variation. Multiple modes are available for those who need to track their readings, including one that will give you the minimum, maximum, and average between the current test and the last. The 12:1 distance spot ratio takes a larger sample area the farther from the target you are, providing a larger sample for reading.
Price at time of publish: $23
Number of Probes: 1
Accuracy: +/- 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 1,022 degrees Fahrenheit
Wireless Range: Best measured at a distance of 7.87 inches (20 centimeters)
ThermoWorks Smoke X4 Long-Range Remote BBQ Alarm Thermometer
Best Long-Range
Pros: No apps or connectivity are required, and the connection to the remote remains stable even at a distance.
Cons: There are many wires to get tangled in storage, and the clip for the ambient probe could be snugger.
For those who need a long-range thermometer that doesn’t require a WiFi or Bluetooth connection, say for barbecuing in an open field, the Smoke X4 is a strong choice. The X4 comes with three food probes and one to monitor your grill or smoker temperature, each with its dedicated channel to track your cook. The base unit is fully operational in stand-alone mode, but the remote connects via RF technology, providing an effective monitoring range of 1.24 miles. The effectiveness of the range is subject to line-of-sight but is substantial enough to keep you from being tethered to the immediate area of your grill.
Price at time of publish: $135 to $159
Number of Probes: 4
Accuracy: +/- 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum Temperature: 572 degrees Fahrenheit
Wireless Range: 1.24 miles
Our Favorite
You can find a wide range of wireless thermometers on the market, which vary in complexity and design. For a simple, reliable, “get the job done” thermometer, we like the ThermoPro TP20B Wireless Meat Thermometer. Its reasonable price is another selling point for us.
Factors to Consider
Number of Probes
Four probes (or more) will equip you for a number of tasks, according to Bringle. With his penchant for whole hog barbecue, he uses one to monitor his pit temperature and the other three in the pig's shoulder, loin, and ham, respectively. This amount of probes may appear to be more than you need on the surface, but consider cooking steaks to three different temperatures of doneness, and you may see a need for more probes. Whatever your requirements, a minimum of one probe for your food and one for the grill is a reasonable point of entry, as the external thermometer on the lid of your grill loses accuracy, and few people take the time to recalibrate them. You can also look for a clip on your grill probe that keeps the probe elevated off the grate for a more accurate reading, according to Bringle.
Accuracy
Most of the thermometers we reviewed here have an accuracy of +/-1.8 degrees Fahrenheit (1 degree Celcius) at average cooking temperatures, which is an acceptable level of variation. These start to skew to more significant variation at extreme temperatures, but these are outside the normal range of cooking. Five degrees isn’t a giant swing when deep frying, but it presents a more significant issue when cooking steaks or burgers. So, do look for the highest degree of accuracy you can find.
Temperature
Monitoring your ambient temperature and food temperature is critical for long cooking. When using coals or charcoal for your cooking, temperature drops and spikes are common, and having an alert set to tell you if the grill is outside your temperature range can save dinner from low temperatures or sudden fires. Likewise, monitoring the temperature of your food and any spikes or drops will be vital in getting a reliable finished product.
Wireless Range
Bringle urges people to understand their cooking environment and buy with that in mind. If you’re cooking at home, have little interference, or don’t plan on leaving the grill’s side, signal strength and wireless range aren’t as much of a consideration. If, however, you need to move around your home and do other things while your food spends hours on the grill, you’ll need something with a better range.
Connectivity
Thermometers with WiFi connectivity provide a more stable connection than Bluetooth, and you won’t have to fear going so far from the probe that your connection drops, according to Bringle. “Bluetooth can be a pain to reconnect when you lose signal,” he says. WiFi also gives greater versatility in app monitoring options, some storing cooking data in addition to the standard high/low thresholds and alerts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do wireless grill thermometers work?
<p>There are a variety of ways wireless thermometers work. This simplest is a wired probe connected to a base that shows the current temperature. Complexity increases with Bluetooth probes, but the same process follows. The base communicates with a remote or app, and that piece is where the wireless designation comes into play. Some of these models are strictly Bluetooth; others use RF technology, and others bridge from Bluetooth to WiFi for multiple connection points.</p>
Can you use a wireless grilling thermometer in the oven?
<p>Absolutely. Whether used in an oven or outdoors, look for braided metal cables that will withstand grill lids or oven doors closing on them, according to Bringle. Beyond roasting, you can use your probes to monitor bread batter to find the perfect level of doneness and take suggested bake times out of the equation.</p>
Can you leave a thermometer in the meat while it cooks?
<p>Yes. Unlike probe thermometers, which spot-check food temperatures, these wireless thermometers remain in your food while it cooks so that you can track its progress.</p>
Our Expertise
Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Food Republic, and other publications.
