Damn MCS! what to do which to buy
I have heard very good things about the Combustion Inc unit
Combustion display and 1 probe for $199
Meater + block (display and 4 probes) $239
If you want to use the internet with MEATER, which I have, you will need to purchase MEATER plus or do a work around with a cellphone or a tablet that is connected to the internet.
SnS Kettle
Napoleon 500 Pro gasser grill
Weber Slate 30” griddle
Gozney Arc XL pizza oven
Instant Pot Duo Crisper 8 qt
Cuisinart food processor
Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
Breville Smart toaster oven
Anova Sous vide (Pro version and Standard Version)
Cabella 15” Vacuum Sealer
Combustion Inc Wireless Probes (Gen2 upgrades)
Fireboard v2
Fireboard Spark
Fireboard Pulse (2) probes and S1G antenna
ThermoWorks RFX gateway and 2 RFX meat probes
Thermoworks IR gun
Thermoworks MK4
Thermoworks Zero
Thermoworks Signals
Grill Rescue brush
7 Shun knives (paring to 12" slicer)
Misen Chef's knife
Dalstrong Phantom Series Boning Knife
8-9 other knives (enough to get an eye roll from wife!)
2 Mandolins, 1 veggie spiralizer
Work Sharp E5 sharpener
Chef's Choice sharpener
I own both - well, the Meater 2+, not the original. The Meater 2+ does not have a block (yet), relying on using a smartphone to provide network/remote App access versus the Meater which uses the Block as a bluetooth extender for remote App access.
Anyway, I almost always use my CI probes (I have 2) with the Booster and Display. I think it is a toss-up on which App is better/easier, but the CI probes are thinner than the Meater (although the Meater 2+ is about the same thickness). This is helpful to me as I want as small a hole into the food I am monitoring as possible. The CI's Predictive functionality is a lot better IMO, and their customer service is top notch.
@ofellee freedom from wires is why I got Meater. It reads the ambient ambient temperature really close to the meat, so there is a significant difference between it and an ambient temp near the grate.
I have the original MEATER Block - I was a kickstarter supporter from the beginning…it was a long 3+ years before it actually arrived. But that’s a conversation for another post.
There were a lot of connection issues in the early days, but after a couple firmware updates it became much more solid on the connection. It has served me well for many years.
That said, if I were buying today I’d probably go Combustion. The feature set looks fantastic. Not sure if I’m just caught up by “the shiny new thing” or if it’s actually better, but that’s my vote.
Go with the one that looks like it will best fit with your cooking style and needs.
I was also a Kickstarter original contributor. I bought the block with 4 probes. By the time it actually arrived, I already had a Thermoworks Smoke (great product) and a Fireboard Labs (first gen, also a great product). Since it took so long, and I was already covered for temperature probes, I "gifted" the Meater to a buddy of mine. He raves about it. I do not know about the Combustion, and right now if I look, I would probably buy it, so not looking.
One of these days I'll get a Combustion. I've never been impressed with the Meater app from what I've seen of it, but to ve fair, haven't looked at it in a while, so no idea about updates.
I like the Thermopro ones (TempSpike), but there are just some little problems that annoy me in terms of getting them to charge and connect right to their bases. So while I have 3, they never really get used. I use my Fireboard mostly, just because I love the app and ability to use as many probes as I want - but... it's getting long in the tooth and having some problems. So it'll need to be replaced soon, too. <sigh>
I have a Meater+ (v1, not v2), and used it almost exclusively until I got a Fireboard. Having no wires is good, but having six inputs and a much much better app won out for me. As mentioned above, the Meater reads ambient temp at whatever distance it sticks out from the meat, and that's not the same as the grate temp. So I found I was stuck needing to monitor the wired probe clipped to my grate anyway.
I have not used the Combustion simply because the Fireboard, wires and all, seems the best fit for how I roll. Yeah, techy science guy sticks with old school wires!
I had problems with Meater, when using it on my offset (Delilah is constructed with 1/4)
I have had better luck with Thrmopro Temp Spike, Love that I do not need to use my phone and it also works well with Sous VIde
My only complaint about the Combustion is that using more than one probe gets rather confusing. I can name each probe something different in the app, but determining which one is in which piece of meat while cooking is frustrating. (I’ve tried various way to identify each probe but haven’t found a reliable method.) So I basically only use one probe at a time and that works great.
Does the Meater+ have a solution for this?
The probes on the MEATER Block are numbered 1-4 on the end. Those tips grab on to creosote like nobody’s business, so there’s a good chance you wouldn’t be able to read them.
For smoking I keep them in order, so if I have two pork butts going #1 is on the left with #2 on the right.
Where that wouldn’t work is if you were cooking four steaks and they get shuffled around due to hot spots on the grill, but in that situation I’m using Thermapen, so MEATER is only for long cooks.
My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:
SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron Griddle
Grill Grate for SnS
Grill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:
Extreme BBQ Thermometer Package
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:
Thermapen MK4 (pink)
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:
8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
I just bought the Combustion with booster, readout meter, pot holder for $80 off on the Dad's Day sale.
The Combustion meter with booster $149 (regularly $179)--$30 off for Father's Day
Range Extender Display $50 (regularly $100)--$50 off 2-item bundle for Father's Day
Pot Clip $10
The extender display discount is because there are bundle discounts depending on how many items you bundle, up to $250 off for a 5 unit bundle.
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