Meater No Cheater - First cook review

THoey1963 · 10-21-2018, 04:41 PM

2015. A Kickstarter project pops up and I liked the idea. Wireless probes to go in your grill or smoker. Lots of people into BBQ invested in the idea and they raised over a million dollars.

But, to say there were delays would be an understatement. Lots of people were pissed, thinking they were robbed and would never get anything. They don't realize that this is an investment, and sometimes they don't pan out. A year ago, they finally got the single probe versions available. I wanted the Block that had four probes and connected to your Wi-Fi. Those finally became available this month and I got mine yesterday.

It's a nice unit. Looks appealing and is solid. Base unit connected fairly easily via iPhone to my local Wi-Fi. Probes connect to the base unit via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth range is not very far, but once they connect to the base, the information is available to the iPhone app. I tried setting the block unit on my dining room table, about 15’ from the WSCG, but the probes lost signal. Nice evening, so I put it on the WSCG table and just used it from there. Picture from the dining room table.

Decided to try it with some thick pork chops. Inserted one probe into each chop. A couple of clicks, and I had them set up for a target of 145* for the perfect chop. Rubbed both chops with SPOG and a little Chipotle powder.

Onto the WSCG with some apple wood as it was coming up to smoking temp, but with the vents wide open so the temp kept rising.

App provided nice timing info, so I was able to start the Mac & Cheese and have it finish just before the chops were ready. The timing had the chops pulled off the grill and 140* and rested as the temp kept going to 145*.

Chops were ready to eat. Ignore the Internal temp, as I had just removed the probes and then took the screenshot.

Plated chops and Mac & Cheese.

Perfect color, tender and juicy. All in all, I like it. Was I happy with the three year wait? No. But, I eventually got what I ordered, it works as well, if not better, than advertised, so I feel I got my moneys worth.

Would I buy it again today? Hard to say. In that three years I've gone to not temping food as much, or maybe just temping it as I get ready to pull it off, going more by look and feel. But, it will come in handy sometimes.

https://meater.com/

pjtexas1 · 10-21-2018, 05:20 PM

Nice review. Glad you guys are actually enjoying the product.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

patrickd26 · 10-21-2018, 05:53 PM

I cooked with mine today, too. I used all probes inserted into a pork tenderloin, chicken thighs, and breast. I do have to keep the block right next to the chamber in order for the probes to connect. But, that's ok.

I did find that the ambient probes were very recording very different temperatures even while sitting out at room temp. Otherwise, internal reads seemed VERY accurate when compared to my Thermapen.

Was it worth the 3-year wait? No. BUT, at the same time, it was a nice surprise waiting for me when I got home! I really look forward to using it more.

EyeBurnEverything · 10-21-2018, 06:06 PM

I would be worried how long the probes will last. I have the igrill2 with 4 probes and over almost 2 years 2 probes are giving wonky temps. I hope the meater probes last longer

THoey1963 · 10-21-2018, 10:13 PM

Oh, one interesting thing I found. Depending on what I’m cooking, something small, like two chops on a plate, I usually rest in the microwave. It’s shielded so much, the probes won’t connect with the block, even if it’s sitting next to it.

KevinJ · 10-21-2018, 10:29 PM

Good looking cook Terry, I'll miss the Meater is a Cheater, so funny.

EyeBurnEverything · 10-21-2018, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinJ

Good looking cook Terry, I'll miss the Meater is a Cheater, so funny.

I miss that Chinese dude ranting about it.

SmoothBoarBBQ · 10-22-2018, 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyeBurnEverything

I would be worried how long the probes will last. I have the igrill2 with 4 probes and over almost 2 years 2 probes are giving wonky temps. I hope the meater probes last longer

I've had my MEATER probes for over a year now and use them at least 3x a week. They are still holding up very well and so far I've had zero issues outside of the range.

Here's a thread I made last year when I got my first MEATER probe from the IndieGoGo campaign.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=251434

Overall they are holding up very well and much better than any other probes. The best part is they are waterproof so I don't have to worry about the rain or humidity ruining them like I did with the Maverick, iGrill, and Smoke.

EyeBurnEverything · 10-22-2018, 01:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SmoothBoarBBQ

I've had my MEATER probes for over a year now and use them at least 3x a week. They are still holding up very well and so far I've had zero issues outside of the range.

Here's a thread I made last year when I got my first MEATER probe from the IndieGoGo campaign.

https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/s...d.php?t=251434

Overall they are holding up very well and much better than any other probes. The best part is they are waterproof so I don't have to worry about the rain or humidity ruining them like I did with the Maverick, iGrill, and Smoke.

But what do you do if the probes start to malfunction? Do you have to wait till all early investors orders are met, and the product goes mainstream?

SmoothBoarBBQ · 10-22-2018, 02:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EyeBurnEverything

But what do you do if the probes start to malfunction? Do you have to wait till all early investors orders are met, and the product goes mainstream?

For the single probes I'm pretty sure all the early investors have been made whole. You can go to their website and order probes right now. I originally got a single probe via the crowd funding campaign, and not long after they were selling single probes (not the block). I bought two more about 8 months ago and have been using all 3 probes on a very regular basis.

The company who makes the Meater is called Apption Labs and they are very responsive on Facebook. I've sent them a few questions / comments over the last year and every time they respond within a couple of hours. So this gives me a very "warm and fuzzy" that if I had a problem they would address it in a timely and professional manner.

https://store.meater.com/

10-21-2018, 04:41 PM	#1
THoey1963 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-08-14 Location: San Antonio, TX Name/Nickname : Terry	Meater No Cheater - First cook review 2015. A Kickstarter project pops up and I liked the idea. Wireless probes to go in your grill or smoker. Lots of people into BBQ invested in the idea and they raised over a million dollars. But, to say there were delays would be an understatement. Lots of people were pissed, thinking they were robbed and would never get anything. They don't realize that this is an investment, and sometimes they don't pan out. A year ago, they finally got the single probe versions available. I wanted the Block that had four probes and connected to your Wi-Fi. Those finally became available this month and I got mine yesterday. It's a nice unit. Looks appealing and is solid. Base unit connected fairly easily via iPhone to my local Wi-Fi. Probes connect to the base unit via Bluetooth. The Bluetooth range is not very far, but once they connect to the base, the information is available to the iPhone app. I tried setting the block unit on my dining room table, about 15’ from the WSCG, but the probes lost signal. Nice evening, so I put it on the WSCG table and just used it from there. Picture from the dining room table. Decided to try it with some thick pork chops. Inserted one probe into each chop. A couple of clicks, and I had them set up for a target of 145* for the perfect chop. Rubbed both chops with SPOG and a little Chipotle powder. Onto the WSCG with some apple wood as it was coming up to smoking temp, but with the vents wide open so the temp kept rising. App provided nice timing info, so I was able to start the Mac & Cheese and have it finish just before the chops were ready. The timing had the chops pulled off the grill and 140* and rested as the temp kept going to 145*. Chops were ready to eat. Ignore the Internal temp, as I had just removed the probes and then took the screenshot. Plated chops and Mac & Cheese. Perfect color, tender and juicy. All in all, I like it. Was I happy with the three year wait? No. But, I eventually got what I ordered, it works as well, if not better, than advertised, so I feel I got my moneys worth. Would I buy it again today? Hard to say. In that three years I've gone to not temping food as much, or maybe just temping it as I get ready to pull it off, going more by look and feel. But, it will come in handy sometimes. https://meater.com/ __________________ There are thousands of ways to BBQ. The right way is the one that you enjoy doing, and that produces food that you, your family, and your friends enjoy to eat. So, keep experimenting. :) Lone Star Grillz Insulated Cabinet Smoker / Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling (WSCG) Station / CyberQ / Slow N Sear with Drip N Griddle WSCG Review [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245542"][COLOR=Blue][B]HERE[/B][/COLOR][/URL]. WSM Mods [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201917"][COLOR=Blue][B]HERE[/B][/COLOR][/URL]. My Brisket Guide [URL="http://bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238834"][COLOR=Blue][B]HERE[/B][/COLOR][/URL].

10-21-2018, 05:20 PM	#2
pjtexas1 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 12-28-11 Location: Belton, Tx Name/Nickname : Texas Pete	Nice review. Glad you guys are actually enjoying the product. Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk __________________ Paul (aka Texas Pete) SF 24x36 Midnight Edition / Mak 1-Star /Abe's 48" Insulated Cabinet / 22.5 OTG / 28" BS / Jimmy with CB Roti and pizza kit / Red Box on custom cart / Char-Griller Kettle / Barrel House Cooker / Pit Boss Copperhead / Char-Griller Akorn Jr Sign Up for The 2022 Texas BBQ Brethren Fall Bash Here! ([URL="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12NjP4bH3uLyH6-RJnI4gSfDr0nKQ6_4cxdw_GhmrKq0/edit#gid=1935530835"]Link[/URL])

10-21-2018, 10:13 PM	#5
THoey1963 somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 01-08-14 Location: San Antonio, TX Name/Nickname : Terry	Oh, one interesting thing I found. Depending on what I’m cooking, something small, like two chops on a plate, I usually rest in the microwave. It’s shielded so much, the probes won’t connect with the block, even if it’s sitting next to it. __________________ There are thousands of ways to BBQ. The right way is the one that you enjoy doing, and that produces food that you, your family, and your friends enjoy to eat. So, keep experimenting. :) Lone Star Grillz Insulated Cabinet Smoker / Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling (WSCG) Station / CyberQ / Slow N Sear with Drip N Griddle WSCG Review [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=245542"][COLOR=Blue][B]HERE[/B][/COLOR][/URL]. WSM Mods [URL="http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=201917"][COLOR=Blue][B]HERE[/B][/COLOR][/URL]. My Brisket Guide [URL="http://bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=238834"][COLOR=Blue][B]HERE[/B][/COLOR][/URL].

10-21-2018, 10:29 PM	#6
KevinJ somebody shut me the fark up. Join Date: 07-09-15 Location: Pensacola, FL	Good looking cook Terry, I'll miss the Meater is a Cheater, so funny. __________________ MAK Grills ★ Gateway 30gal Weber Performer w/SnS & Vortex WGA :plane: [SIZE="2"][I]All American Moinkballer[/I][/SIZE] 🇺🇸

10-21-2018, 05:53 PM	#3
patrickd26 Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 08-01-17 Location: Fremont, NE	I cooked with mine today, too. I used all probes inserted into a pork tenderloin, chicken thighs, and breast. I do have to keep the block right next to the chamber in order for the probes to connect. But, that's ok. I did find that the ambient probes were very recording very different temperatures even while sitting out at room temp. Otherwise, internal reads seemed VERY accurate when compared to my Thermapen. Was it worth the 3-year wait? No. BUT, at the same time, it was a nice surprise waiting for me when I got home! I really look forward to using it more.

10-21-2018, 06:06 PM	#4
EyeBurnEverything is One Chatty Farker Join Date: 06-04-18 Location: In the Matrix Name/Nickname : Candice	I would be worried how long the probes will last. I have the igrill2 with 4 probes and over almost 2 years 2 probes are giving wonky temps. I hope the meater probes last longer