Predictive Thermometer (Meater Alternative)

[STEbbq]

It looks like preorders will be live as of January 31 at 9am PST for shipping in June. Preorder pricing is $140 if you signed up for the emails but as low as $90 if you got some referrals. Maybe someone will use my link above?! 👍

[STEbbq]

I guess I am down to $115 now…

[Maxriptin]

I'm pretty excited for this. I have 2 of the Joule immersion circulators and have been very happy with the product and quality. So hopefully this has the same level of quality. I love that it is (said to be) thinner than the other wireless thermometers. I've been working on some co-workers today to get them to sign up to grab a few more bucks off.

[Attjack]

I don't think anyone signed up off of my link.

[Maxriptin]

If you do indeed know someone that signed up off of your link, make sure they received the verification email (and clicked verify.) Everyone that signed up off of my link had to check their spam/junk folders to find the verification email.

[glitchy]

Attjack I’m guessing a lot of interested people signed up before. I signed up when mgaretz shared it maybe a year ago. Then I shared my link in some other places and maxed out on discount, but came in short of beta tester. Tagged mgaretz as maybe he got enough to be a beta tester.

[mgaretz]

I did get enough but they never contacted me to be a tester.

[texastweeter]

Company founded by Chris Young, I mean he has a solid track record in this space.

[glitchy]

I’m planning on ordering one of these depending on pricing. I’m really hoping they offer at least a two probe set. I have a Meater+ and use it occasionally, mostly just with rotisserie due to it’s bluetooth limitations. I was really hoping Fireboard would get into this market and make wireless probes that worked with their system, but they’ve given no indication they are interested in that, so I want to see if this is better than the Meater+.

[STEbbq]

If the app is anywhere close to the quality of the Joule app, this one will be pretty good in my view.

[Maxriptin]

I'm also curious about what is offered. The email I received just refers to the thermometer and timer bundle.

"The Predictive Thermometer ($129) & Timer ($79) were designed by to work together to give you the best possible cooking experience and—of course—the most delectable results!"

Hopefully there will be other combos to choose from. But the way it is worded, it sounds like the pre-order phase might just be the bundle.

[Troutman]

I agree with you, the wireless probes although a great idea, have communication issues and are unable to run and control a simple fan. Hoping too the Fireboard gets into the act soon and comes up with a better mouse trap.

[STEbbq]

The main things I am wondering about now are battery life, useful distance, app quality (can I share stuff?), and if I can get a two probe version like glitchy .

[STEbbq]

I guess our wish for 2 probes was granted. $244 minus any referral discounts so $219 for me.

[Baltimorelger]

I’m so tempted to order one but I also def don’t need another thermometer…..

[GoDuke]

Ditto. My desire to get one is outweighed by my desire to sleep inside once the wife finds out

[Maxriptin]

"need" is such a strong word

[Baltimorelger]

I decided to risk my marriage and order it. It doesn’t deliver til June so plenty of time for her to forget about my growing collection of DOTS.

[glitchy]

Trying to pre-order, it's saying it cannot calculate shipping or ship to my address.

Edit: Looks like they just weren't quite ready for the orders to start on time...I was finally able to get the Double Barrel Bundle pre-ordered a few minutes after they opened up the ordering. The Double Barrel is two thermometers and one timer.

[STEbbq]

I was just going to hit buy then it said it won’t take my discount code. Sigh.

[glitchy]

STEbbq The discount code they sent me worked from the get go, it just took a bit for them to get the shipping calculations up. Hit their FAQs, they have a couple e-mail addresses you could probably contact to get the code straightened out.

[STEbbq]

Yeah, I sent them an email already. I guess we will see how fast they want my moola.

[jumbo7676]

It's been too long time since I've posted on AR. I'm not in the Pit nearly as much as I'd like. Life with two young kids and my job keep me pretty busy. Anyway, I've always been one to spend unnecessary money that I really shouldn't be spending on things that I don't really need. So I just ordered the Double Barrel bundle. So that'll be a nice surprise in June (hopefully) when it arrives and I have forgotten all about it. I'll try to test it out a lot and share my experience when it arrives.

[STEbbq]

They got back to me with a new link so I am now order 1439 for the double barrel set.

[Maxriptin]

I didn't even notice the order number. It looks like I hit submit a little after you... 1525. Hopefully they can stick to the timeline.

[MsTwiggy]

And I am order 2505!!! YeHAW!!

[STEbbq]

I thought this was pretty clever on the range plus over 24 hour battery life.

How does the wireless stuff work?

Most smart devices are kind of stupid. Sometimes they connect. Sometimes they don't. Often they disconnect. We’ve made it simple. Our stuff skips the "Bluetooth pairing" process and broadcasts temperature data in the open. So things just connect quickly and work consistently. Fair warning, your nosy neighbor might discover when your pork chops are going to be ready, and come looking for extras. Unfortunately for them, there’s no such thing as extra pork chops.


What’s the wireless range?

It depends. In a wide-open space, the Bluetooth signals will travel 500 feet (152 m) or more, but when the thermometer is locked inside a smoker, or if you live in a solid concrete building, the signals don’t go as far. In practice, we can usually get 300-500 feet away (91-152 m) and still keep an eye on how things are going.

The Timer was designed to help out by listening to nearby thermometers and then repeating their signal at the maximum power legally allowed by the FCC (or your local regulatory agency).

Just to be safe, the thermometer logs all its data. If you wander out of range all of the data is forwarded along as soon as you wander back.

[STEbbq]

It also works with sous vide.

So, in theory, if I was doing a pork butt, I could pull it from the bath at exactly the time the meat is fully cooked and safe to eat. So instead of doing 72 hours for pork butt, we’d could pull it at 50.5 when it is ready. Instead of 30 hours for brisket, it can be 22.5 for this piece of meat and 24.5 for the next. And you’d have to imagine the Joule would be among the first devices to link up to this thermometer and maybe the thermometer tells the Joule when the meat is ready.

What do you think Potkettleblack and rickgregory ?

[Potkettleblack]

Sorry for slow turn... been busy with other things.
There's no utility for a temp probe in the bag, imho. Let's simplify SV into two styles of cooks: Just Dones and Broken Downs. A breakdown is like a brisket, something with a lot of connective tissue. As noted, it doesn't take 72 hours to get a brisket to 135* internal. It takes 72 hours to get it to 135* internal, and break down enough collagen to make it tender. A different probe is required, and the pinch test is adequate.

[Potkettleblack]

A justdone will be something that's inherently tender, with minimal connective tissue... the kind of thing you'd grill, rather than smoke, or sautee rather than braise. The difference between just done, the second when it hits 1* south of the water temp, and 20 minutes to an hour after it hits 1* south of the water temp is negligible. So, instant notification is only really necessary if you have zero patience. If you have zero patience, sous vide isn't for you in general.

[STEbbq]

Potkettleblack Rereading this again, for the broken down meats, do you think it’s possible for the thermometer to detect when just enough collagen is broken down? Say 50 hours versus 72? I guess I am not sure why a different probe would be required.

[STEbbq]

I got an email mentioning delays but it sounds like perhaps a few weeks versus months as they are testing the first production models now. I should get another email in a few weeks with an expected ship date.

[rickgregory]

I missed this originally, sorry. But I'm with Potkettleblack - the meat is 'done' (in the sense that it's at water temp), very quickly. There's done and pastuerized which is 'at temp for time X' but that's really only relevant at sub 140F temps where bacteria die relatively slowly. You want something to sit at, say, 132F for quite awhile in order to be pasteurized.

But for a brisket, it will be both done and pasteurized WAY before the collagen is broken down. I don't see a probe helping there or even being ABLE to help. It could tell you "the meat has been at Temp X for Time Y" and an app could alert you to when it's likely broken down the collagen but... that's just an average, like any recipe.

[Potkettleblack]

This is why we pinch. Because like I've said in the past, time is tenderness, temp is doneness.