Earlier in 2024, I had the pleasure of meeting a couple of members of the MEATER team at HPBExpo 24 in Nashville, TN. There, they were gracious enough to give me a MEATER 2 Plus probe to review. Fast forward a few months, and MEATER has taken some of the new technology from the 2 Plus probe and put it into the company’s newest multi-probe system, the MEATER Pro XL.
So when MEATER offered to send it to me for testing, you know I had to jump at the chance. So what sets this apart from the older MEATER Block? Is it simply a four-probe version of the MEATER 2 Plus? Let’s dive in.
Overview of MEATER
MEATER is a creation of Apption Labs, a company formed in 2015 and headquartered in Leicester, England. For us U.S. residents, they have an office in Los Angeles, CA as well. In 2021, Traeger Grills acquired Apption Labs and MEATER. Now MEATER probes are featured on the high-end Timberline pellet grills that came out in 2023. But you don’t have to own a Traeger pellet grill to use a MEATER probe.
MEATER Pro XL Overview And Specs
I’ve tested quite a few wireless meat thermometers, and most of them are quite good. However, MEATER is arguably the company most synonymous with this type of thermometer. And I personally love truly wireless meat thermometers so I don’t worry about pinching wires in my grills or getting them tangled when I’m storing the thermometer.
MEATER Pro XL Specs Table
| Internal Temperature Range | Up to 221°F |
| Ambient Temperature Range | Up to 1000°F |
| Temperature Reading Accuracy | Plus or minus 0.5°F |
| Number Of Temperature Sensors | 5 internal sensors and 1 ambient sensor |
| Dimensions, Base | 6.19W x 4.66L x 1.44D |
| Probe Diameter | 5mm |
| Battery | Rechargeable, USB-C cable included |
| Battery Life, Base | Not specified |
| Battery Life, Probe | 24 hours on a 30-minute charge, 20-minute cook on five-minute charge |
| Probe-To-Base Connection | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Charging Base Connection | Wi-Fi and Bluetooth |
| App | iOS and Android |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Includes | Charger base, four probes, USB-C charging cable, calibration certificate, quick-start guide, user manual |
| Price |
MEATER Pro XL Features
It shouldn’t surprise anyone that the newest multi-probe system from MEATER is packed full of features. So what stood out to me most?
Super Accurate Probes
When I’m looking at instant-read thermometers, I want accuracy with a deviation of less than a degree. So when I find a wireless meat thermometer that’s accurate to within half a degree, that’s a huge win for me. And that’s exactly what the MEATER Pro XL probes deliver.
How on earth does a wireless meat probe deliver that? MEATER put five internal temperature sensors in each probe. You can even see that when you look inside the app and click on the internal temperature reading. The app will display the exact temperature to a tenth of a degree for each of those sensors.
But that’s not the only feature packed into these thin probes, either. Somehow MEATER packed those five sensors into one of the thinnest wireless probes I’ve seen. And if you’ve spent time around other probes, you’ll know why that’s important. Sometimes you’ll slice into a smoked tri-tip and be left with a decent-sized hole in some of the slices. The MEATER Pro XL probes are 5 millimeters in diameter, leaving you with smaller, less noticeable holes.
And to top it all off, these probes can withstand up to 1000°F direct heat. These probes are made from stainless steel with just a thin zirconia ceramic band. That construction allows you to reverse-sear steaks over an open fire without having to remove the probe first. When I reverse-seared thick New York strip steaks on my charcoal grill, I used the MEATER Pro XL to track my temps without any issues.
Wi-Fi Connectivity
Now I like to check in on my long smoking sessions from time to time. But it’s pretty common for me to work on other things (like writing reviews?) while I’ve got meat on my pellet grill. And my computer is separated from my grill by multiple walls. That can play havoc sometimes with Bluetooth connections.
But I hooked my MEATER Pro XL up to my home Wi-Fi network which avoids all of those issues. And I also signed up for a free MEATER Cloud account which allows me to access past cooks plus keep an eye on my Pro XL even when I’m not home.
I’ve met a number of people who love to put a big, easy cut of meat on their smoker (like a pork butt for pulled pork) before going to work for the day. The MEATER Pro XL would allow them to keep an eye on the progress even from work.
MEATER App
Speaking of connectivity, the MEATER app is the lifeblood of the MEATER Pro XL. It’s chock-full of information without being overwhelming. I found pairing my MEATER Pro XL with the app quite easy. From there, the app has plenty of pre-loaded cooking options plus the ability to create custom cooking parameters.
The app even calculates an approximate length of time remaining for your cooking session. It isn’t always accurate, especially early on. But I have found that as more data is collected, time becomes more and more accurate. Then it will let you know when there are five minutes remaining in your cooking session so you can prepare to grab your food!
If you like reviewing how previous sessions went, you can find that information as well. It will show you a graph readout of the internal temperature as well as the ambient temperature, what your target temperature was, what time you started cooking, the duration of the cooking process, and even the highest internal temperature recorded.
The app also has an entire section called Master Class. It’s not affiliated with the iconic MasterClass, but it’s got a lot of cooking recipes along with videos to help you learn.
Charging Base
No wireless meat thermometer would be complete without a charging base, and the MEATER Pro XL is no different. If you’re at all familiar with MEATER, you’ll immediately recognize the iconic bamboo construction. The base has charging slots for all four probes and a display screen that you can use to help connect your base to the app on your phone.
The screen also shows you if the base is connected to WiFi, its own power level, and the power level of the probes. And it charges those probes quite quickly. If you’re doing a short cooking session, like I did when smoking a pork tenderloin, the charger can have a probe go from dead to two hours’ worth of cooking time in only five minutes. If you’re looking to smoke a brisket, charge your probes for half an hour and they’ll last up to 24 hours.
On the back of the base, there is a sturdy metal kickstand to help prop the base up. It works great for setting on my pellet grill’s hopper to keep it close to the probes at all times.
Also on the back is the base’s charging port. Unlike other MEATER probes, the MEATER Pro XL does not use replaceable batteries. Instead, it uses an included USB-C charging cable to recharge the on-board rechargeable battery.
Ownership Experience
So that’s the MEATER Pro XL in a nutshell. But how does all that translate into using it in my backyard? Because that is what’s most important. How does it perform for us aspiring backyard pitmasters?
I found using the MEATER Pro XL is quite easy to use. It takes next to no time for me to set up a cooking session on the app. The probes charge quickly because I’m prone to leaving them sitting in my dish drainer after washing.
The only issue I ever deal with is sometimes the Bluetooth connection between the base and the probes drop. But it usually recovers quite quickly and I don’t have to do anything to fix the issue.
But other than the occasional dropped signal, I’ve loved the MEATER Pro XL. I’ve even monitored temperatures away from home without any issues.
How Does It Compare To The MEATER Block?
Obviously, there are some similarities between the Pro XL and the earlier Block. But what sets the new one apart? There are two major differences.
The biggest difference is in the probes themselves. The Block uses the older MEATER probes that are six millimeters in diameter, only capable of ambient temperatures up to 527°F, and lack the five internal temperature sensors that make the Pro XL probes accurate to within half a degree Fahrenheit. So the new Pro XL probes are thinner, capable of withstanding much higher temperatures, and are more accurate.
The other main difference is that the charging base on the Block uses either four AAA batteries or needs to be plugged in by using a micro USB cable. As I said earlier, the Pro XL base has a rechargeable battery so you aren’t replacing batteries or tethered to one spot.
That’s not to say the MEATER Block is a bad product. In our testing, we were pleased with its performance. MEATER has simply continued to improve their offerings, and the MEATER Pro XL is a superior product.
MEATER Customer Service And Warranty
I haven’t had any need to reach out to MEATER’s customer service, so I cannot speak to how interactions go. Their support website uses a troubleshooting wizard to try to work through troubleshooting issues. If you still have issues after going through the wizard, you can fill out a form to reach out to MEATER and they will get into contact with you.
The MEATER Pro XL comes with a standard one-year warranty.
Do I Recommend The MEATER Pro XL?
The MEATER Pro XL is one of the most state-of-the-art wireless meat thermometers I’ve had the pleasure of using. I love the thin probes, high degree of accuracy, and the Wi-Fi connectivity so I feel free to move about while still able to monitor the internal temperatures.
However, this is no entry-level wireless meat thermometer. You are paying for MEATER’s years of development and quality products. It is not cheap, so it’s for backyard pitmasters who are serious about their craft and are smoking more than one cut of meat at a time.
What I Like…
- Four thin, accurate probes for monitoring multiple cuts of meat at the same time
- The probes are able to withstand temperatures up to 1000°F, perfect for searing thick steaks
- Wi-Fi connectivity so I can keep an eye on temperatures without needing to be right next to my smoker at all times
What Makes Us Angry…
- The price point is for serious backyard pitmasters, not people trying to figure out if they want to smoke a lot of meat regularly
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking to smoke a lot of meat regularly, the MEATER Pro XL is perfect for you. I used it to monitor four whole chickens on my pellet grill without issue. And it didn’t leave gaping holes in the chicken breast.
If you love to smoke meat but aren’t trying to feed a lot of people at the same time, check out my review of the MEATER 2 Plus. It’s essentially the same probe as the Pro XL but just in a single package. It doesn’t have Wi-Fi, but the Bluetooth range is sufficient for keeping you in contact throughout your home.
Have you gotten your hands on the MEATER Pro XL? Or do you have any detailed questions? Let us know in the comments!
Well….I’ve had the Meater pro XL for approx 8 months……I can say I’m very disappointed with the connectivity. I had the original Meater Block for 3 years and had limited issues, usually my fault, but with this new “updated version” I’ve had on more than one occasion had to pull out another probe, and place it in the meat same meat just to get a reading where the other dropped…….case in point right now, it’s Christmas Day, I started the meat last night, got the Meater started and updated….1st probe worked until I got to the grill, 2nd probe worked until in the meat for approx 1 minute, 3rd probe fine for 30 min before it went out the first time…….then back and forth every 5-10 minutes on and off with connectivity……I’ve checked service, power, connectivity and changes WiFi routers…….keep’s dropping……..Now the first 2 probes are still in the meat, same meat…..no readings………frustrating…….i think I will order another of the older model since I gave the 1st one to my brother-in-law, or go steal it back………any feedback with help would be greatly appreciated. MW
That’s absolutely crazy, Mike! I’m sorry to hear about the issues you’re having. I haven’t had anything close to that level, just the occasional disconnect and then it reconnects within moments. How close do you have the charging base to your grill? I set mine on the pellet hopper of my pellet grill or on the shelf of my Masterbuilt to keep it close at hand. But if you’re consistently having those issues, I would reach out to MEATER to see if they can help troubleshoot or help replace the Pro XL itself.