The Secret Weapon for Roasting, Grilling, and Cooking Meat Perfectly (2025)

Hot tip: This Amazon-exclusive product is the exact same thing as the Meater Plus—only it's 20 bucks cheaper and the USB charging case is made of not wood-grain bamboo but black plastic. For most of you out there, it's going to be the perfect entry-level smart meat thermometer.

I've tried and loved Meater's thermometers. The app is reliable and gives you all the information on how to cook every protein and cut of meat you could get your hands on. Using it is pretty straightforward. Once you've dialed in what you're cooking, insert the Meater into your roast, poultry, or otherwise delicious meal and start cooking. As your meat cooks, you can track its temperature in real time.

Personally, I love that Meater puts a timer on my lock screen so that every time I check my phone I see exactly how long it's going to be until my meat comes to temp. It's a handy kitchen tool, but if you are moving outdoors—into barbecue territory—you can opt for something more heavy-duty.

If you don't want a "smart" thermometer, that's totally cool. Your call. There is a beauty in simplicity, and the ThermoWorks DOT—short for "Does One Thing"—is as simple as it gets. It's universally beloved by pitmasters and bakers ... but it's not wireless.

For that, you need to pay an extra $25 for the BluDOT. That's "Bluetooth, Does One Thing," for those following along at home. It's just as reliable, just as bulletproof, and stupid easy to use once it's connected.

The BluDOT thermometer has two buttons but one basic function. You set the temp to where you want it to get. Then you plug in the probe, insert, and wait for the alarm to go off or to get an alert on your phone. If you're cooking with an oven, just use the magnets on the back to attach the thermometer to the range's front and the probe cable will easily slide in the oven door. Same with any other method like a grill, or even a sous-vide machine. It's got a kickstand, too. All around, it's a super-easy-to-use and versatile little device.

This is the one I've spent the most time with. No regrets so far. If you want a Meater that can withstand temps of up to 1,000 °F, you gotta go Pro.

Sure, the wood charging case is an upgrade, but it's purely an aesthetic one. What lets the Pro outclass every other Meater—and pretty much every other thermometer here—is that it can withstand nearly twice as much heat. That's required for your charcoal grills and super-high-heat steak-cooking methods.

If you want a multi-probe setup (which makes sense if you're grilling a few proteins at once), you can expand to the Pro Duo. Or go whole hog on that suckling pig with the four-probe Pro XL. That one has WiFi and comes with a whole built-in screen.

The Meater Pro is great for grilling, but if you are serious about barbecue (you know, your smoked meats and whatnot) this might be more up your alley. If you have a large pit or multiple different meats going in the grill and smoker, the TempSpike Pro is a more reliable and durable smart thermometer. It comes with a central thermo unit and two probes by default—you can pay for an upgraded version with four—that help with multitasking and big meal prep.

Both probes are heat resistant over 1,000 degrees, and they have an extended battery life of over 36 hours. It makes it perfect for getting an exact flash fry but will also last for an overnight smoke and an 18-hour brisket.

The other benefit of the TempSpike Pro is that it is WiFi enabled. In my experience, Bluetooth can be spotty. Connecting to WiFi gives you a steadier connection and a larger range, meaning you can take the thermometer or your smartphone indoors and still read the internal temp of whatever's smoking on the barbie.

Accuracy: First things first, you want a thermometer that will accurately read the temperature of whatever you're cooking. Every single time.

Usability: How easy is a wireless thermometer to set up for an average person? A good one should be easy to learn and second nature after a few uses.

A Good App: I can't tell you how many good products I've tried that have awful companion apps. If "smart" is your selling point, the app has to be good. Meater and ThermoPro have highly rated apps on the Google Play and Apple App stores. Even ThermoWorks has a great app. It's important.

How do wireless meat thermometers work?

A wireless meat thermometer isn't just there to tell you the temperature of meat. It's a timer, too. In order to get an accurate reading, you insert the metal probe into your meat before you cook it. While inside, the probe reads the real-time internal temperature of the meat. That information is either sent to the thermometer transceiver itself or your phone if you have the proper app installed.

So I leave the thermometer in while the meat cooks?

Yes, that's the unintuitive part at first. But you get used to it. It's so you can get an accurate real-time reading the entire time your meat is cooking. Smart thermometers will even give you an ETA on when to expect it to be ready.