Smoker gifts so he stops checking the brisket at 4am
Five smoker gadgets for a husband with a pellet grill and a dead cheap probe. Every one works with any grill, Traeger included. The catch: the MEATER needs his phone nearby, so we also picked one that needs no app.
If he bought a Traeger last spring and smokes a brisket most weekends, you already know the problem. The brisket stalls, and he's up at 4am to check the temperature. A good wireless thermometer fixes that: it beeps when the meat is ready, so he can sleep. None of these attach to the grill itself, so they work with his Traeger or whatever he buys next.
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01NewTempPro (ThermoPro) TempSync PLUS TP829 Wireless Meat ThermometerThe fix for the 4am checks if he hates apps. A receiver he keeps on the nightstand beeps when the brisket hits his number. Four probes, works up to 1,000 feet away, no phone, no app, no account.
Four wired probes and a handheld receiver that beeps at your target temp, no app needed. The catch: the probe wires run out of the grill, and it uses AAA batteries.
02NewMEATER ProNo wires at all: the probe goes in the meat and the temperature shows up on his phone through the free MEATER app. The catch: it talks to his phone over Bluetooth, so the phone has to stay in range.
A wire-free probe that sends the meat temperature to his phone, and it goes in the dishwasher. The catch: it's app-only over Bluetooth, so his phone has to stay in range.
03NewThermoWorks Thermapen ONEThe one pitmasters swear by. He jabs it in at the end and gets a reading in about a second, so he knows the brisket is done before he pulls it.
Reads in about a second, the screen rotates, and it shrugs off splashes. The catch: it's for spot checks, not for leaving in the meat overnight.
04NewThermoWorks ThermoPop 2A small instant-read for the stocking. Slower than the Thermapen, but it's waterproof and lives in the kitchen drawer for chicken and pork chops.
A pocket instant-read with a big backlit screen and a waterproof body. The catch: 2 to 3 seconds per reading, slower than the Thermapen.
05NewA-MAZE-N 12" Pellet Tube SmokerPellet grills can taste light on smoke. Fill this tube with pellets, light one end and set it on the grates for extra smoke flavor. It fits in a pellet grill, and works in a gas grill too.
A stainless tube of smoldering pellets that adds extra smoke on any grill. The catch: he lights it with a torch, and it's one more thing to clean.
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