Digital BBQ Thermometer review
Ok, so you’ve treated yourself to a nice shiny new BBQ, or your looking at trying Low’N’Slow style Barbecue, the first bit of kit, that I really see as vital is a digital thermometer. Very often the dial style BBQ lid thermometer that come on BBQs and smokers are wildly inaccurate, and we hear of many new to BBQ struggling with their smoker temperatures, and find out this is due to the inaccuracy of the thermometers, so get yourself a digital thermometer, so you can properly monitor your cook.
So here’s my selection of the best digital thermometers available in the UK.
The iGrill Mini is an awesome little bluetooth digital thermometer, with only one probe, that links to your mobile phone or ipad to give you a graphical way of monitoring your cook. Available for £40
The iGrill 2 is the bluetooth big brother, with 2 probes and a digital readout, see my full review here. Available for around £75.
The ChefAlarm from ETI is well regarded through the BBQ community, ETI are the producers of the Thermapen you’re able to set temperature alarms, comes with a single probe, and is incredibly reliable, Available for £42
Maverick Digital Wireless Thermometers are the workhorses of the digital BBQ thermometer world, many of us seasoned BBQers use them regularly, and have never been let down by them, I’ve had my own set for around 4 years, and they are still ready and raring to go, with two probes, one for the meat,one for the smoker temperature, they are always reliable, and a great value. Available for around £55
This is just a selection of the ones I’ve tried, and had feedback from other members of the BBQ group.
Marcus,
Thermapen itself is probably worth a mention.
Hi Chris, worth more than a mention, it has it’s own review already 🙂 and is linked to in this post.
Great bit of kit.
Cheers
Marcus
I bought one of these Chinese jobbies for my WFO some time ago. It works quite well on my Primo, don’t know how accurate it is, but it has 2 probes, a thermocouple to wedge next to the meat, and a probe for the meat. One no two criticisms, it switches off after about 10 minutes and there is no alarm.
Good points, cheap less than £20 and it is very useful to have degrees kelvin in case a scientist wrote the recipe
. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Dual-Two-Channel-2-K-Type-Digital-Thermometer-Thermocouple-Sensor-1300-C-2372-F-/201237974691?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2edab7cea3
Another pair of thoughts. Which thermometer will work with a fan? Has anyone tried to make their own fan from a computer type cooling fan?
Hi – can you use the igrill mini as an ambient temp probe, or is it only for actually inserting in the meat and checking the meat temp?
I think it’s designed for checking meat temp only, but I’ve used it for both, you can pick up a probe just for ambient cooker temps, has a higher temp rating I think.
Cheers
Marcus
I bought a Kamado from Aldi and am delighted with the product, but after reading the comments about the dome thermometers I put mine in to a pot of boiling water and it barely registered 50.deg.C. is this because it is wildly inaccurate or is it designed to compensate for the difference in temp. between the dome and the coking surface?
Many of them are terrible quality and not calibrated unfortunately. Best to rely on a quality digital thermometer.