Remote Monitoring

tbone

New member
Time to add a good thermometer to my arsenal and wonder what y'all use. Since we're big Mac users, I'd like something to tie in with my phone. I like it even more if I don't have to lift the lid in order to probe for temp.

Any suggestions?

Thanks

tbone

"Smoke em if you got em"
 

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
I did get a iGrill for my daughter for Christmas. It is Bluetooth so the range is like most Bluetooth devices. The app has some nice features like setting multiple timers
 

tbone

New member
One thing to note, I'm looking for accuracy over everything else. I want to know my probes are inserted correctly, and giving me the most accurate data for the area I'm probing. Because when BP says "pull at 190" I'm pulling.

The iGrill looks good, and seems to have some fine features. Is it a guality tool? Or just a fun toy??

Thanks again......tbone
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
I am not impressed with Igrills...geeky tech toys....unstable bluetooth and a cheap probe....It was designed by people looking for things to connect to the Ios but not cooks looking to connect to their phone.

Their isnt a perfect one but for the money the Maverick is still the best option...I wish there was a better one.
 

tbone

New member
....It was designed by people looking for things to connect to the Ios but not cooks looking to connect to their phone.

Thanks BP. That's exactly what I wanted to hear (or not hear). :)

It seems to me the probe is the most important part. So are there better probes on the Thermapens (hence the higher price)? Should I stay away from "remote monitoring" if I want the most accurate temps??

Thanks again for your responses.......tbone
 

Big_Jake

New member
I have a Thermapen and love it.I also have 2 Mavericks and love them as well.(the newer and older et models)and love them as well.I use the mavericks if I am cooking a large pice of meat,like a pork butt.And the thermapen for smaller things,like chicken breasts.
 

Big Poppa

Administrator
if you only can have on get a maverick....I could not live without my thermapen 90% of the cooks thats what I use because I have so many cooks under my belt I have an idea of time vs temp vs food
 

RickB

New member
Could not cook without my thermapen. Also have a maverick which I use alot, and my Mak probes with the remote boss tops it off. Pretty much got it covered. Until Mak releases the Wifi app!
 

RickB

New member
if you only can have on get a maverick....I could not live without my thermapen 90% of the cooks thats what I use because I have so many cooks under my belt I have an idea of time vs temp vs food

You have the Mak 4 Star which I believe came with the Wifi chip. How do you like it?
 

RickB

New member
I have a Thermapen and love it.I also have 2 Mavericks and love them as well.(the newer and older et models)and love them as well.I use the mavericks if I am cooking a large pice of meat,like a pork butt.And the thermapen for smaller things,like chicken breasts.

Where the thermapen shines is fish or shell fish! 150-155 fish is perfect every time!
 

jimsbarbecue

Moderator
I mentioned above that I got my daughter a iGrill. In the same package was a thermoworks infared and a thermopen .the infared so she could have a idea on how a pan is heating up and to not get it to hot. The iGrill was to use in the oven for things like meat loaf. I did instruct that leave in thermometers are a guide and the thermopen is the standard . All are tools, would only trust the thermopen when serving poultry.
 

scooter

Moderator
So are there better probes on the Thermapens (hence the higher price)? Should I stay away from "remote monitoring" if I want the most accurate temps??

Thermapen's high price comes from the fact that they are very accurate AND deliver superfast reads (3-4 seconds). You can get accuracy from cheaper digital thermometers but you will not get an accurate read in 3-4 seconds like with the Thermapen. The speed plus accuracy is what you're paying for with Thermapen. Superfast temp reads allow you to close your cooker lid quicker rather than holding it open longer for a slower thermometer. Also means you get your face out of the smoke quicker! :)

I own the following remote thermometers:
Stoker System (Unlimited amount of pit and food probes allowed, WiFi connectable)
2 Maverick ET73's (Dual probes)
Maverick ET72 (Single probe)
Maverick ET7 (Junk! Dual probes)
Oregon Scientific AW131 (Single probe)

In my opinion the Stoker is the best remote thermometer system out there. I can have as many probes going as I need and monitor them all from my iPhone anywhere on the planet I can get a cellular signal. It also delivers temp control through the use of blowers attached to non-pellet pits (although I know one guy who's been able to make his Stoker control his Traeger successfully). If I hadn't switched to the Stoker System I would have purchased the Maverick ET732. I've not had one stitch of problems with the Stoker.
My ET73's (predecessor to the 732) have been rock solid since purchase. I treat them well and they have lasted 3 years now. I calibrated one of them last month and it was still dead on accurate in boiling water. They are a tad slow taking about 29 seconds to get a final read in boiling water from room temp water. The Mavericks also have the added benefit of being able to read temps at the transmitter end as well as the receiver. Admittedly, speed is not a concern with remote thermometers.
The OS AW131 is accurate but much slower than the Mavericks taking up to 50 seconds to get a final read in boiling water from room temp water. The AW131 has the disadvantage of only having one probe. It does have a feature where it talks to you telling you when the meats done. The temp is only delivered to the receiver, the transmitter has no display.

I agree that for the money, the Maverick ET73 and 732 are the best (accurate, reliable) short tethered (100 ft) remote monitoring systems for backyard pitmasters.

For unlimited distance WiFi connectable monitoring (and control), the Stoker is King of the Smokers in my book if you can justify the $300-$500 cost. When I bought the Stoker the Guru did not offer unlimited probes and was not WiFi connectable which is what tipped my decision towards the Stoker. I don't know if the Guru has caught up technologically with the Stoker in the years since my Stoker purchase.

BP please don't sick your legal dept on me for that unlicensed use of KOS! ;)
 
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Big Poppa

Administrator
it is not the king of the smoker...it is very very good and Im in the process of re-outfitting my rig with them I have been talking to them to replace the early system that is just ok....

I have two of the new guru ones with the four probes and they suck....When testing in boiling water they are fine but you cannot take that for gospel....the probes are off by at least 7 degrees in a 275 pit...thats against the maverick and the thermapen.
 

Meat Man

New member
If you have a MAK and a few extra bucks get the pellet boss remote or wait for the wifi. I really love my remote.
 

tbone

New member
Hey Thanks y'all for the great information! Here's what I've learned:

First, I need two good thermometers. One that I leave in (Maverick) and one for spot checking (Thermopen).

The Maverick can also double as a tool for checking the heat inside the box. I never really know what the actual temp is my food is cooking. The coil thermo says one thing (mounted in top right corner of box) while the temp select on my Traeger says another. And if I want to get serious about producing a consistently good product, then I need to know the temp I'm cooking.

The Thermopen can also be used for making sauces, candies, etc. What a versatile tool. Instant accurate temps. Wow, what a concept.

Thanks again for all the great info. BP - you don't seem to carry Thermopens? I will get a Maverick from you though.

tbone

ps - next up......Torches. :)
 

TentHunter

Moderator
I rely on my Maverick ET732 heavily with the charcuterie stuff I do. So far it has worked flawlessly.

If you get one order an extra food probe, because you can use 1 food probe and 1 pit probe, or you can use 2 food probes. It's surprisingly easy on batteries too!
 
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