AmazingRibs.com is supported by our Pitmaster Club. Also, when you buy with links on our site we may earn a finderโ€™s fee. Click to see how we test and review products.

Meater Pro XL Wireless Meat Thermometer Reviewed and Rated

All of our reviews are done independently by our team of testers and are in no way influenced by advertising or other monetary compensation from manufacturers. Click here to learn more about our unbiased product review process.

Share on:
Meater Pro XL Food Thermometer

The Meater Pro XL is the latest wireless food thermometer from Apption Labs, a company that was acquired by grill make Traeger in 2021.

The Meater Pro XL features four probes, each of which has five separate temperature sensors along the probe’s length to mitigate errors caused by less-than-perfect placement in the food. This permits you to monitor four different foods simultaneously. Each probe has a number – 1 to 4 – stamped on its handle so you can keep track of which probe is in use. There is another sensor in the handle of each probe that measures the ambient temperature in the cooker. The probes communicate with the charger cradle/range booster which, in turn, communicates with your phone. The cradle also uses Wi-Fi connectivity to allow reception anywhere an internet connection is available if you choose that mode.

The charger cradle uses a USB-C connector (cable supplied, but no charger) to charge its own battery and keeps the probes charged while they are inserted. Fully charged, the probe is rated to operate for 24 hours. If the probe were to discharge, 5 minutes in the charger will give about 2 hours of operation. You can use the charger’s display panel instead of your smartphone if you would prefer, making the use of the app optional.

Closed cookers act as electromagnetic shields that block radio signals, so it’s important to place the charger/booster close by. The boosted signal from each probe is relayed to the smartphone via Bluetooth 5.2 or Wi-Fi connectivity. Bluetooth range between the booster and the phone is claimed to be extended by the use of the Coded Phy Bluetooth protocol. Range claims usually rely on ideal conditions that are almost never present, so testing these claims is a dubious proposition. Under ideal conditions, the manufacturer claims 250′ (76m). Should communication between the probe and the phone be lost, the app will make noise and splash a warning on the phone’s screen. The charging cradle can also connect to your router, giving indefinite range via the cloud.

The delicate electronics inside the probe are limited to 221ยฐF (105ยฐC), so the probes rely on the meat to act as a heat sink. The thermometer MUST be inserted to at least the etched ring on the probe, about 2.5″ (6.4cm) from the tip, or damage may result. The handle is rated at 1000ยฐF (538ยฐC), the highest I’ve seen on any competing product. The manufacturer claims that the probe will survive flare-ups, a comforting thought. The probe is smaller in diameter than most of its competitors: 0.20″ (5mm). The probes are waterproof and can be cleaned in a dishwasher.

I tested the food end of the probe at three temperatures: 135ยฐ, 160ยฐ, and 205ยฐF (57ยฐ, 71ยฐ, and 96ยฐC, respectively). These temps correspond to medium-rare beef, safe poultry temp, and brisket/pork butt. The measured values were 134.7, 159.9, and 205ยฐ – excellent results. My test equipment won’t accommodate the size of the probe’s handle, so I tested it at 32ยฐ and 212ยฐF (0ยฐ and 100ยฐC). The measured values were 25ยฐ and 223ยฐF. Each of the six sensors is individually calibratible if needed. A calibration sheet is included with the product.

The app is easy to use. It displays the current food and ambient temperatures as well as a target temperature for each probe. The latter can be entered manually or picked from a menu of meat types and their doneness. It will also display the time remaining before the food is done, factoring in resting and carry-over. This feature will be the subject of a future article and won’t be addressed here.

The warranty is one year. Contact info is found in the printed material and the app, should you need help. The website offers additional product information.

So, we have a four-thermometer set that is very accurate, has multiple sensors, is thinner than most wireless probes, has higher safe temperatures, is waterproof, is quick to charge, and is easy to set up and use. A solid recommendation and Gold Medal.

Haven't found what you want?
Click the buttons below to search our complete database of reviews:

Product Information:

  • Thermometer Function:
    Leave in Food, Leave in Cooker, Wireless Remote
  • Item Price :
    349.95
    *Price Subject To Change
  • Where to buy (buying from this supplier supports this website):
  • Probe:
    Diameter: 0.20" (5mm); probe length: 3.75" (9.5 cm); overall length:5" (12.7 cm)
  • Battery Type:
    Internal
  • Battery Life:
    Probe: 24 hrs.
  • Safe Operating Range:
    <140ยฐF (60ยฐC)
  • Min & Max Temp:
    Ambient Probe: 1000ยฐF (538ยฐC); Food Probe: 221ยฐF (105ยฐC)
  • Display Precision:
    0.1ยฐ
  • Actual Temp at 32 Degrees:
    32.1 (ambient: 25ยฐF)
  • Actual Temp at 130 Degrees:
    See narrative
  • Actual Temp at 225 Degrees:
    See narrative
  • Actual Temp at 325 Degrees:
    See narrative
  • Actual Max Temp:
    1000ยฐF (538ยฐC)
  • Speed from 32 to 212 Degrees:
    n/a
  • Numbers Display Size:
    Determined by Phone App
  • Water Resistance Rating:
    Waterproof-dishwasher safe
  • Weight:
    Charger: 1.14 lb (519g); probe: 0.5 oz. (14g)
  • C/F Switch:
    Built in CF switch
  • Backlight:
    Built in Backlight
  • Adjustable Options:
    Calibratable
  • Auto shutoff:
    No Auto Shutoff
  • Thermometer Connection:
    Bluetooth + Wifi
  • App:
    Android and Apple
  • Included:
    4 Probes, charge cradle, USB-C charging cable, certificate of calibration
  • Alarms:
    Audible/Visible

Manufacturer:

10/2/2024

Published On: 9/11/2024

  • Bill McGrath, AmazingRibs.com Chief Thermometer Reviewer - Bill McGrath is AmazingRibs.com's Thermometer Maven. He has sophisticated equipment, an electrical engineering degree from Cornell University, and an MBA (almost) from UC Berkeley. Despite being mostly retired, he is still the person responsible for developing and updating all of ExxonMobil's training modules.

 

High quality websites are expensive to run. If you help us, weโ€™ll pay you back bigtime with an ad-free experience and a lot of freebies!

Millions come to AmazingRibs.com every month for high quality tested recipes, tips on technique, science, mythbusting, product reviews, and inspiration. But it is expensive to run a website with more than 2,000 pages and we donโ€™t have a big corporate partner to subsidize us.

Our most important source of sustenance is people who join our Pitmaster Club. But please donโ€™t think of it as a donation. Members get MANY great benefits. We block all third-party ads, we give members free ebooks, magazines, interviews, webinars, more recipes, a monthly sweepstakes with prizes worth up to $2,000, discounts on products, and best of all a community of like-minded cooks free of flame wars. Click below to see all the benefits, take a free 30 day trial, and help keep this site alive.


Post comments and questions below

grouchy?

1) Please try the search box at the top of every page before you ask for help.

2) Try to post your question to the appropriate page.

3) Tell us everything we need to know to help such as the type of cooker and thermometer. Dial thermometers are often off by as much as 50ยฐF so if you are not using a good digital thermometer we probably can’t help you with time and temp questions. Please read this article about thermometers.

4) If you are a member of the Pitmaster Club, your comments login is probably different.

5) Posts with links in them may not appear immediately.

Moderators

  Max

Click to comment or ask a question...

Spotlight

These are not paid ads, they are a curated selection of products we love.

All of the products below have been tested and are highly recommended. Click here to read more about our review process.

Use Our Links To Help Keep Us Alive

Many merchants pay us a small referral fee when you click our “buy now” links. This has zero impact on the price you pay but helps support the site.