Should You Upgrade To A Digital Grill Gauge?

Should You Upgrade To A Digital Grill Gauge? | Meat Minder Review

Рет қаралды 35,826

Күн бұрын

Everyone seems to be on a push towards the digital grill concept, but just because its digital does that make the grill experience better? I am unboxing and sharing first impressions of the Meat Minder Digital Grill accessory. Meat minder provided this unit at no cost.
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Пікірлер: 116

@zirbengeist5317 9 ай бұрын

One of the things that I think people miss about the MEATER is that it used an app. As a fellow Canadian I bbq with my Kamado in the winter. I have used weird probes that go to a display. In the cold I used to use a heated bag in a lunch bag to keep the lcd from freezing. Nothing digital can live in the cold winter. The MEATER wins because it’s kept heated inside of the grill

@SuperShawn2020 8 ай бұрын

We are currently worshipping at the alter of your pork shoulder 101 video on our Kamado Joe (generation 3) while we use our MEATER 1 probe. My wife looked at your review of the Meat Minder thermometer last evening. In a most rare situation - she disagreed with your assessment! She believes it to be a great idea. Thanks again for all of the great work you do. You have certainly made our cooking ventures more enjoyable and informative.

@AnchorRoom1 9 ай бұрын

When I noticed the probes (not being wireless) I was already done! Thanks for another honest review!

@ozman528 9 ай бұрын

Another excellent and honest review. I've had a Big Joe for about 18 months and use a meater probe to help but really I like the 'analogue' experience. It somehow feels better to read a dial and go by feel a bit with these things. I'd hate to see Kamado Joe turn into a charcoal version of a thermomix if you get me.

@martinmartinez3707 9 ай бұрын

I have a MEATER block and it serves its purpose well. I think this is something that I’ve been looking for just to keep an eye on temperature without constantly having to go in and out of the house to check it. Especially for cooks where you have thinner pieces of meat or non meat items. Also for larger offset smoker cooks where you don’t want to necessarily put a MEATER probe in 10+ briskets. I wouldn’t use it for the wired probes i like always knowing my ambient temp and doing other things while I’m smoking instead of sitting next to the grill all day.

@bambisco4852 7 ай бұрын

What I like about the meater probe is seeing the slope of the temperature curve and to see if the temperature is going up, holding steady or going down. This temperature gauge seems like it would give this information for the dome temperature especially before the meat goes into the Kamado.

@LARRYGBBQGUY 9 ай бұрын

Ive been using one of these for a while, not bad piece of kit, got a review video too, great video

@mcorsentino 9 ай бұрын

Excellent points as always James. I looked at this but it just wouldn’t work for me as much as I love digital tools. The main advantage with an analog gauge is the ability to visually monitor how quickly the needle is moving as temps are rising and falling. It’s this visual feedback that provides the essential info needed for proper fire management, IMHO.

@Keith80027 9 ай бұрын

Interesting upgrade for the dome. I don't use my dome gauge very much as I put a probe on the cooking grate for the real temp at the cooking surface.

@jharlowrose1 3 ай бұрын

The “well that was bound to happen” comment. Was the calmest I have ever witnessed another man call a rouge bolt a s.o.b. I was dying laughing because we understood that moment. Anyway I know it’s an older video but keep up the good content and can’t wait to see the data the college collected from the bj3.

@SmokingDadBBQ 3 ай бұрын

😆

@samacc2536 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for reviewing this James! I agree. This is “cool”. But why should I buy it as is. Especially when I have a fan controlled unit. Looking forward to the controller face-off video!

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Thanks

@brucerudd69 9 ай бұрын

Great video, James. I never realized that the big difference between grid and dome temps was normal. Which one should be more focused on, especially for long slow cooks? FYI I use a MEATER probe for those. Nice cut to the iKommand. I got burned on that one with everyone else. But with the credit they gave me I did get. SloRoller.

@TheBigLoftbowski 9 ай бұрын

Great to see a Fireboard on the list of gear your trying out. The only time I use my Meater these days is for the Joetisserie. Will we be seeing a video of the Fireboard + blower vs. the Konnected Joe in the future?

@emmgeevideo 9 ай бұрын

I think the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is a wireless probe and controller combo that has a good app and a long reach around the yard and into the house. I tried both models of Meater and just never had the success you have. I tried "The" MeatStick and it was horrible. Based on your recent video, I purchased (after saying my prayers) the Combustion, Inc. product. It's early days but I think I'm going to like it.

@d1ppaz 9 ай бұрын

Brill vid. Thank you! What size kick ash basket is this one for you Big Joe please ?

@MARKSLAPPER 9 ай бұрын

your hair is perfect, it's hypnotic 😂

@bassislife-trh 9 ай бұрын

The only use case I could see for this would be the ability to monitor the dome temp as you're bringing the KJ up to temp before the cook. After I get the coals lit, I always have to set a timer on my watch as a reminder to check the dome temp after 10 minutes or so while I'm prepping the food to put on the grill. This would be able to alert me when the dome reaches a certain point (say, 20 over my final destination) so I could move on to the next step of getting the grill ready. Beyond that, I don't see any advantage over the Meater probe.

@lacyelliottoldmarinedad4388 9 ай бұрын

Thanks again as always. Personally know how to read an analog so I’m good.

@RumandCook 9 ай бұрын

Good stuff James. I suppose one nice thing would be that could see the temp inside on your phone as well. That being said, it looks like an out of place hood ornament hah 🍻

@stevefowble 9 ай бұрын

Interesting concept. It does everything a Temp Controller does except control the temp.

@Kamado_Allsorts 9 ай бұрын

I see this as a decent product for someone who has just started out and has no thermometers. This is mainly due to the price and how you have one unit that can monitor multiple points. However its something else to add to that ever growing 'needs charging' list. Having to charge a dome thermometer that you use every single cook? that's a dealbreaker for me personally since it's something I class as essential for every cook. The Meater+ probes may need charging but I class these as non essential and wouldn't be used for every cook. Great review as always

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Thanks and agree

@ABurghouts Ай бұрын

I am testing this one on my bigjoe at the moment. Monitoring dome temperatures via my phone is a real plus for my 12 hour low and slow sessions. Can even sett temperature alarms for the lows and highs so i can do an overnight cook. Surely meater does that job better. But for a retail price of 80-100 bucks its a nice add-on.

@SmokingDadBBQ Ай бұрын

for sure... i hope generation 2 adds some of the wish list items which would make it better IMO

@andreydik4142 4 ай бұрын

I would say the problem that it solves for me is I have a custom built smoker and I mostly just need the ambient temperature with an app that I can see the temp with. The meat probes are just an upgrade option for me.

@purleybaker 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the video and review I've burned through (literally I think) many dome thermometers over the years and would expect this to be be susceptible to the same problem. I'm sticking with the FireBoard and the current replacement dome thermometer.

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

I’m with you

@fransvandewiel4842 9 ай бұрын

I use my standard KJ dome probe for monitoring heating up and for cooking thin or small parts of meat, like ribs, wings. Or go to searing temperature. It would be nice to be able to monitor the Joe when you are not close to the grill and be warned in time. I asked Meater if they could develop a digital dome sensor, that could be hooked up to channel four of the Meater Block. That way you could get warnings through the perfect Meater App and also include the graph of the dome sensor in your regular probe graph on channel 1, 2 or 3. But they didn't respond :D I thought it was a clever add-on to the Meater Block. Who needs 4 probes anyway? I would even like the possibility to add a standard thin pinned wire probe to the Meater Block to measure wings and ribs, for which you cannot use the standard Meater probes.

@smokingtarheel3003 9 ай бұрын

You're too kind; seriously good review and great honest feedback. I use a Thermoworks Smoke and see no reason to change anytime soon. The Meater is nice though.

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@morvegil 9 ай бұрын

Make it worked with a cloud connected app and wireless probes. Then I'd buy it.

@fransvandewiel4842 9 ай бұрын

Maybe Meater should develop something new instead of adding colour choices

@mefobills279 9 ай бұрын

@fransvandewiel4842 WiFi, Bluetooth, sensing, and computation for cheap. You don't want much!

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

It’s got potential if it could partner up with a probe and a controller

@fransvandewiel4842 9 ай бұрын

@@mefobills279 Hey Mefobills, nobody mentions cheap as a requirement. I prefer Meater to develop something like this. You pay a little bit more, but you know it is quality equipment and the app is flawless.👍

@bduivenbode 3 ай бұрын

An Cable in combination with a rotisserie does not work , I look for an wifi or Bluetooth solution with the probe 👍🤫

@jasonwarren4948 9 ай бұрын

Hello thanks for all the great info My question is. Have you installed it into kamado joe jr? I was wondering if it has a shorter stem to create more room for dutch ovens? Thanks

@higashiz 9 ай бұрын

Good review. I’m a relative newbie to Kamado life and I wasn’t aware of such a gap between ‘dome temp’ and ‘grate temp’. When stabilising and putting food on, which do you focus on before getting ready to start a cook?

@BehindTheFoodTV 9 ай бұрын

Love the honesty, James. Easy product to stay away from.

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Thanks Al

@jcsftwre 9 ай бұрын

Nice video, not only did you evaluate you also gave suggestions. Very professional youtube! :-)

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

I appreciate that!

@thomaswallis8452 9 ай бұрын

Let me see hmmmm! Direct or indirect? Lump charcoal or briquettes? Low and slow or hot and fast? Crispy or juicy? Of course, what am I cooking? Grill setup and where you want to monitor the temp during the cook should be the based on whatever it is you’re going cook. Grate and dome temp always differ but one comes with the other regardless, you just have to choose where you want to monitor for whatever outcome you’re looking for! I only use my kamado dome gauge to monitor and control grill temperature, food temp is checked by handheld thermometer.

@williamwilson2624 9 ай бұрын

I agree, this product doesn't fix anything. Its justcan unnecessary gadget. Thanks for the honest review, James.

@maureengosselin3185 9 ай бұрын

I wonder if the temperature stays accurate as the battery starts to die?

@user-gi6in5tz9d 5 ай бұрын

The only thing I like about this product is the illuminated screen, which is convenient for the evening. Thanks for the review

@SmokingDadBBQ 5 ай бұрын

cheers

@ugursenturk5860 9 ай бұрын

There are cable winders that put an end to tangled cables

@joshpilla7909 9 ай бұрын

I always use a analog probe on any grill if it doesnt have one i install one i dont claim to be a master grill cook or anything but for my cooking purposes which is steak fish and chicken pretty basic stuff a analog gauge works fine it seems like my preferred range is between 450-500 degrees the exact temp doesnt seem to matter for basic grilling as long as u are in the 400-500 degree range i havent had any issues a mistake i see ppl make is cranking the heat or using too much charcoal

@praetorxyn 9 ай бұрын

I think a Fireboard absolutely has a purpose, but not a digital dome thermometer. For instance, if you cook bone-in chicken thighs, you can't use a Meater probe anyway I'm aware - those probes are just way too bulky and have to be inserted in so deep I don't think you could do it, but you can insert the tip of a Fireboard probe into them just fine. It's also useful to monitor grate level temperatures, particularly when smoking things. For the most part, you can get away with the dome thermometer by itself i you know how to compensate. For example, I know that 300 on my dome is about 235-250 grate level when I want to slow cook a steak before reverse searing it, and I know that 400 on my dome is my go to temperature for cooking most things indirectly (chicken thighs, chicken wings, pork loin slices, etc.). But I would NEVER rely on the dome - or the Meater's ambient reading for that matter - for low and slow temperatures, so I always use the Fireboard then.

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Agree I am liking the fireboard

@fodargh 9 ай бұрын

i have been rocking and loving the fire board for 2 years now. Love the product. Really well built, rugged and consistent

@praetorxyn 9 ай бұрын

@@fodargh The customer service is also good. I accidentally yanked a probe wire and pulled mine off onto concrete. It still worked fine, but one port didn't seem to work anymore, and I e-mailed / called them about it and they sent me a refurbished one for free or pretty cheap in exchange for mine, I believe.

@fodargh 9 ай бұрын

@@praetorxyn wow that's great to hear. I don't often advocate for products or companies yet i truly hope they have success and can achieve the things they want to. If they keep this up i'll happily keep supporting them. Quality products and service are hard to come by!

@teslabulls1238 5 ай бұрын

I actually purchased the Meat Minder because it fits how I use my Kamado Joe. I only cook on average 1 time per week and usually just 1 item needs the temperature probe. This gave me a low cost way to be able to see my ambient and probe temperatures on my phone. I got burned on a TempSpike purchase. It would not recharge. Those wireless probes you use on your channel are obviously so much better but for me the price was too high for my purposes.

@SmokingDadBBQ 5 ай бұрын

They are not cheap for sure

@joenasgoldie7222 9 ай бұрын

For me it does it’s job

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

I see the potential for world domination lol but appreciate it does what it says

@jerryfornarotto7498 4 ай бұрын

how does the KamdoJoe preform (or hold up) in the rain?

@SmokingDadBBQ 4 ай бұрын

fine manually... i didn't have this probe installed in rain

@rockynrolling6206 9 ай бұрын

that 2 star google rating hits different when the video in sponsored I bet lol

@MDK-oq5vb 9 ай бұрын

We need a review of the smoke north echo!

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

for sure, doing lots of testing now. in the new year will do speed comparisons, water in the bottom tests etc. heading into my final review

@user-ho1yn6ms7y 5 ай бұрын

@2:26 this has happened to every man assembling anything.😂

@SmokingDadBBQ 5 ай бұрын

Amen 😂

@keithoconnor5763 9 ай бұрын

My biggest question would be does it have a built in battery power display? Don't want to be half way through a cook and have the batteries die - which is never happening with an analogue gauge

@Steve-ci8nw 9 ай бұрын

This. Once my digital thermometer died on me when I was halfway cooking a brisket, didnt had batteries in my house and I perfectly relied on my backup analog Kamado Gauge. Brisket came out great... if that happened with this thing, I would´ve had to run to the store to get some batteries.

@keithoconnor5763 9 ай бұрын

@@Steve-ci8nw well I was thinking that to replace dead batteries means taking the unit off the kamado and that is not easy (as demonstrated albeit in the form of assembly) with gloves on

@fransvandewiel4842 9 ай бұрын

Meater probes can also die on you when you don't charge properly. Maybe it accepts rechargeable AA batteries.

@keithoconnor5763 9 ай бұрын

@@fransvandewiel4842 true but even if it accepted rechargeable AA and they die you have to disassemble to get to them. My feedback to the manufacturer would be to find a way to have the battery access point on the front of the device and not have to disassemble to get to it

@DadsGetDubs 9 ай бұрын

I feel like electric probes might have the benefit of determining the temperature faster than an analog thermometer but other than that I don't think it's worth it. You still have to wait for your dome to become heat soaked to start cooking anyway so the purpose is somewhat null. Not to mention most wireless meat probes now have an ambient temp sensor. Like you said, it's more looking for a problem then solving a problem.

@fransvandewiel4842 9 ай бұрын

Getting a notification while heating up, would prevent overshooting the temp.

@kitchenscience324 9 ай бұрын

I would not put this on my BGE…way too bulky and Egg Genius or Meater do a better job. Agree James, this doesn’t really solve a problem. Maybe a wireless meat thermometer could help???

@milkogeorge2663 9 ай бұрын

Meater is an excellent solution, but has its limitations, namely the max temperature it can handle inside the grill. I've already screwed one Meater probe searing a steak

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

a higher temp rating would be handy for sure

@JDsBBQnBourbon 9 ай бұрын

So much about that digital probe seams so bad. Seems like they should have found some way to have the probs connect inside the Joe and not having to run cables to the outside. I could get much better and cheaper 4 probe thermometer and just sit in on the shelf. I do not see any advantage to having this sit on top of the grill instead of an older style sitting next to it.

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Agreed 👍

@Kamado_Allsorts 9 ай бұрын

I think the probes should have come out of the top, so they go up and over and fed in from the back. No snagging on the handle or hanging in the way while you put food on etc

@ShinyOwl 9 ай бұрын

Fireboard + Blower Video

@scottflowerday7654 9 ай бұрын

My analog had a water issue and needed replaced, I ordered from Kamado Joe an waited for my replacement, I waited some more, I contacted KJ again and waited, then I called and canceled my order. KJ sucks for filling orders and responding to customers. I ordered the Meat Minder and have been very happy. Yes, it cost more but it works well and they sent it to me like they actually cared about me as a customer. It does more than the analog and it complements my other tools. Love it, and am happy.

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Small business are refreshing for sure

@morvegil 9 ай бұрын

Does it fit the Joe Jr?

@fransvandewiel4842 9 ай бұрын

It will tip over LOL

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Haha it might lol

@luketwome 8 ай бұрын

James, I see you have the FireBoard in this video, but I don’t recall ever seeing a review on the FireBoards. Am I missing the video or have you never reviewed them before?

@SmokingDadBBQ 8 ай бұрын

its not out yet

@luketwome 8 ай бұрын

@@SmokingDadBBQ Excellent! I’ve been a happy owner of the FireBoard 2 for a few years now so I was curious what you thought of it. I look forward to seeing your video.

@SmokingDadBBQ 8 ай бұрын

@@luketwome I’m a “fan” 😂

@luketwome 8 ай бұрын

@@SmokingDadBBQ Haha!!

@luketwome 8 ай бұрын

I’ve only utilized the temp controller maybe 10 times but I haven’t had any issues with it. The ambient and meat probes seem to be spot on and the alert system through my iPhone works really well.

@Cbbq 9 ай бұрын

Would need to add fan controller, wifi enabled… then I get interested

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

I agree it’s half way to interesting

@toosas 9 ай бұрын

looks like an oversized garmin fenix watch

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

haha cheers

@Scolk1 9 ай бұрын

Pain in the ash… You’r the smoking DAD bbq after all!

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

come for the bbq...stay for the terrible dad jokes lol

@Fatboypool 9 ай бұрын

Is digital an upgrade?

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Nope lol

@Fatboypool 9 ай бұрын

@@SmokingDadBBQ With Bluetooth then sure it’s cool. But to walk up and check a temp I like gauges

@ViewTalay 9 ай бұрын

I think an analog gauge looks cool. We don’t need digital everything

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Amen

@coachcp 9 ай бұрын

Pfft could solve the problem of people who cant read analog guages!

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

lol hey finally a benefit

@dekale47 4 ай бұрын

The same problems and issus i think is it wort to buy.. i think no. But hey.. other people like it.

@SmokingDadBBQ 4 ай бұрын

To each their w

@kappatvating 9 ай бұрын

Pain in the ash 😂

@mduver1 3 ай бұрын

So you're saying it's a good product but you already have tools to solve the same problems?

@SmokingDadBBQ 3 ай бұрын

I think it’s a solution looking for a problem. If they added some more features like the ideas mentioned I think it would cross into the worth it category quickly

@agpmjm 9 ай бұрын

Don`t see the point of this. Combination of stock Kamado gauge and a meater probe works a treat. It`s a solution looking for a problem

@SmokingDadBBQ 9 ай бұрын

Agreed 👍

@elsuperpollo2273 2 ай бұрын

This is comical, to me and I have a brother with a wifi/bluetooth enabled thermostate hook up to his AI skynet enhanced stupid grill. I perfer my bbq analog. This device is a pos 🤣😂

@SmokingDadBBQ 2 ай бұрын

i like old school too