SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer Review
SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer : QUICK OVERVIEW
Review of: SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer
Category: Best Meat Thermometer for Grilling: Complete Reviews with Comparisons
Durability
Price
Features
Technology
What We Like
What We Don't Like
There are a lot of new entrants ( Loki, Meat Stick, Meater) as well as established brands (Thermoworks, Fireboard, Tappecue) in the cloud-based digital meat thermometer market. All of them have unique features and selling points, however, none of them have the combination of features and durability that the SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer possesses at its price. With its durable weatherproof design, coupled with an advanced cloud-based temperature tracking app, the SmokeBloq performs better than its higher-priced competitors. We tried it out and put it to the test. See our review below.
SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer REVIEW
SmokeBloq is a newer entrant in the wireless meat thermometer market. This wireless, cloud-based meat thermometer was developed by bbq enthusiast Jack Calhoun. Jack saw a need in the market for a durable thermometer that wasn't limited by distance. After 3 years spent in development and collaboration with the elite team at Band of Coders, the SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer was born.
Out of all the wireless meat thermometers on the market, we chose to review the SmokeBloq because of its killer combination of advanced remote temperature monitoring coupled with weatherproof durability.
Who Is SmokeBloq for?
The SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer is perfect for both weekend grillers and hardcore bbq pitmasters. It is also great to use in a kitchen oven when you don't want to constantly monitor a large piece of meat such as a turkey.
If you are either a busy person or frequent host of parties, having a meat thermometer with limitless range is an absolute game-changer.
What's Included?
The SmokeBloq comes with a durable, stainless steel exterior and waterproof probe ports that are designed to endure sun, rain, snow and wind. There are two commercial grade thermocouple probes included, one meat and one ambient temperature probe. It can also accommodate up to four probes.
There is a large digital temperature display that will alternate temperature readouts of each probe that is inserted into SmokeBloq. The unit is powered by 4 AA batteries which will operate it for 150 to 200 hrs .
The device connects to the SmokeBloq app on your phone or tablet. The app is available at iTunes or the Google Play Store. SmokeBloq will connect to the cloud through your home router. You will then be able to monitor your cooking from wherever you have cell service.
Once you are in the app you can select "start a new session" and it will allow you to set your probe temperature high/low alerts as well as select what type of food you are cooking. There is also a place to add notes to your cook such as weight of meat, weather conditions, etc.
The temperature alerts connect to your phone or tablet's notification system, so it's like getting a text from someone telling you that you need to tend to your meat.
You also don't need to worry if the app gets turned off on your phone and tablet while you're cooking. Simply connect back to the app and it will pick up where you left off.
Since the app is connected to the cloud, you also don't need to worry about straying too far away. You will be connected wherever you have a cell or wifi connection.
The technology is great, but the thing we were most excited about was SmokeBloq's claim of a weatherproof body, so we decided to put it to the test. This brings us to our product testing of SmokeBloq.
SmokeBloq app for IPhone or Android
Our Product Testing of SmokeBloq
We decided to put the SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer to the test by bbqing a pork butt for 12 hours. The initial set up of the SmokeBloq app required that we follow the in-app setup instructions. It wasn't too hard to set up, but it wasn't easy either.
The app was pretty easy to use however after the initial set up. It allows you to set high and low temperature alerts as well as a preset temperature guide for different meats if you want.
We set our temperature alerts for the pork butt as well as the chamber of the off-set smoker and went about our Sunday. One of the reasons we chose a pork butt for this test is that it is pretty forgiving in terms of temperature fluctuations. We also knew would would be away from the house running errands for awhile so the temperature was going to dip a bit.
The app performed beautifully. We were able to track the progress of the cook miles away. The app will also pick up where you left off if you happen to close it by accident, another great feature. It will also give you the option of saving your cooking session, complete with temperature graphs and high/low temperatures.
Overall we were very pleased with the performance of the SmokeBloq. Although we weren't able to use it in the rain on our first cook, we have used it while bbqing ribs for 6 hours. And yes, SmokeBloq was in the rain for a full 6 hours with no glitches whatsoever! (see video at top of page)
We only had issue with a couple of minor things, such as there was no grill clip included to keep the ambient temperature probe off the grate. Not a huge deal, nothing a ball of aluminum foil can't solve. One other issue was not knowing that the ideal WiFi signal for the unit is 2.4 GHz and that you have to disable the 5 GHz signal from your router for it to work. Again, not a huge deal, nothing better instructions might remedy.
Final Thoughts
The SmokeBloq Wireless Meat Thermometer performed as advertised. If you are in the market for a wireless thermometer that will monitor long cooks in inclement weather then we definitely would recommend this device. Although we didn't go into detail about SmokeBloq's aforementioned competitors, through our research we are confident that none of them offer the combination of features and durability that SmokeBloq possesses.
We will be doing a product round up of best wireless thermometers in the near future and we are pretty confident that SmokeBloq will be a top performer.
Hey! By the way… any links on this page that lead to products on Amazon or other sites are affiliate links and I earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no cost to you. Thanks in advance for your support!
